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Windows just crashed. The computer won't boot back up. Those "System Recovery Disks" that came with your computer will erase all of your data. In most cases, when Windows breaks and will not start up again, none of your data has been lost, you just don't have a way to get to it. These instructions are a way of getting to your data when Windows won't work. If these instructions fail to recover your data, don't panic; even in cases of physically damaged drives, reformatted drives, and accidentally deleted files, professional data recovery companies typically have a 95 to 98% success rate.

I can not provide complete step by step instructions for all of the methods covered because they depend on your computer's setup, so in places you may need to know a little about your own computer. For this reason, it might be helpful to find the manuals, documentation, and disks that came with your computer and any documentation provided by your internet service provider or information about your network. These are certainly not required, but may be helpful.

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