I have an old laptop that still powers on, but the hinge is cracked, making it risky to open without possibly damaging the screen. I'm primarily looking to recover some photos and documents without causing further harm. If you were in my shoes, would you attempt to boot it one last time or remove the hard drive first?
5 Answers
Consider removing the screen and connecting to a monitor or TV. It turns your laptop essentially into a desktop!
You could manage even if the screen isn't working by connecting it to an external display. That way, you can still access your data without worrying about the hinge.
You know, even if the hinge breaks, you can still retrieve the drive later. I think it's best to pop it open one last time, ideally at home where you can prepare everything you need, like another drive to save your files.
Don't stress about breaking the hinge—just be careful with the screen's ribbon cable. Support the laptop while you open it gently, and even if the hinge breaks, keep things steady and you should be able to access your files. If all else fails, you can detach the hard drive and transfer the data using another computer.
If the hinge does break, just plug in an external monitor and copy everything over to a USB drive—it’ll be a lot easier than trying to open the laptop.
Still, if you're using the keyboard or trackpad, you'll have to open it at some point.
Yeah, but keep in mind if your drive is bitlocked and the key is stored in the TPM of the laptop, that might complicate things.