Getting data off a PC that won't boot up...help!

[GearAddict]

My son has killed my Vaio laptop by downloading dodgy minecraft mods off the web. I have been trying to use the Viao recovery utility to get data (photos mainly) off the drive so I can run the Vaio recovery tool that will resotre it to factory settings.

The thing is, the copy utility keeps hanging and I am going off my nut. It takes ages to get back to the utility screen every time it hangs and I have been doing this all day.

Is there a better way of doing this?

I have tried using a dos prompt to xcopy the folders over, but that also hangs and it's just awful to work with anyway. The computer is in a bad way - can't get windows to boot in any mode and I have no recovery discs.

[Myranda_Rose]

Do you have a second computer so you can whip the drive out of the Vaio and copy from it outside of the laptop? (and perhaps a drive caddy that a 2.5" drive will fit into?)

[GearAddict]

Nah...only a mac

[ICBM]

If you get an external caddy that might still work. I recovered a lot of data files - music and photos - for a friend that way.

[GearAddict]

Is there a way I could use my mac to create a USB that the PC could boot off? I just need to be able to copy the photos onto a removable HD and then I can reformat the thing.

[holnrew]

Just burn a Linux live disc.

[amberlamps]

If you get an external caddy that might still work. I recovered a lot of data files - music and photos - for a friend that way.

yep this is how I got all the pics off the wifes busted system, caddy was only £4 off Amazon.

[GearAddict]

Ah...Linux Live disc...good call...any recommendations of sites where i can download the necessary?

[maltingsaudio]

http://www.ubuntu.com/download

[monquixote]

Knoppix is a CD based distro
http://knoppix.net/

Puppy is a very good thumb drive based distro
http://puppylinux.org/main/Overview%...%20Started.htm

Or you could use a caddy.

EDIT: I should add you might be able to repair the PC with Puppy as it has some tools for such a purpose.