A few weeks ago, my HP Elitebook started acting up after working perfectly the day before. It powers on, but after logging in, I only get a grey screen with a movable mouse. I tried all the troubleshooting steps I could find, but nothing worked, and I can't even access Safe Mode or Repair anymore. I never backed up my data because I never thought this would happen, and now I'm worried I'll lose everything! I mainly use the laptop for playing The Sims 4, and I've invested so much time and effort into my game and mods. I've taken the laptop to BestBuy for help, but they couldn't recover anything. I also have a warranty from where I bought it, but sending it for repairs might wipe my data. Should I just go ahead and reinstall the operating system myself or is there still a chance to save my files?
4 Answers
Another thing to try is hooking up your laptop to an external monitor. It might be displaying an output that you're not seeing, which could reveal if the laptop is functional enough to access your files.
One option you might want to try is to create a bootable Linux USB drive using tools like Rufus on a Windows PC or Balena Etcher on a Mac. You could use Ubuntu or any Linux distro you prefer. Booting from this USB could help you check if your data is still intact. If your files are accessible, you can transfer the important ones to another USB drive before attempting to reinstall Windows. It’s a good way to see if the OS is the main issue or if your data is still there.
Have you checked if the hard drive cable got loose? Sometimes that can be the issue, and reseating it may solve your problems. It's a bit of a hassle, but if you're comfortable opening up the laptop, it could save your data.
I didn't consider that! I might see if I can check it.
You could also try making a bootable USB with Windows PE or a rescue disk like Hirens. Boot from it and see if you can access the hard drive. If so, you should be able to copy your files to another USB or even over the network. Just keep in mind, if your drive is encrypted with BitLocker, you will need that key. Linux tends to be more straightforward for file transfers since it bypasses Windows permissions.
This sounds like a good plan! I might try that.