Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
1. DOWNLOADINGPUPPYLINUX2. CREATINGTHEPUPPYLINUXBOOTABLECDWITHCDBURNERXPOR
WINDOWSDISCIMAGEBURNER3. CREATINGTHEPUPPYLINUXBOOTABLEUSBDRIVEWITH
UNIVERSALUSBINSTALLER4. STARTINGPUPPYLINUXINLIVECDMODE5. MOUNTINGDRIVESANDPARTITIONSINPUPPYLINUX6. RUNNINGABASICDISKCHECKONPARTITIONSINPUPPYLINUX7. COPYINGYOURFILESTOEXTERNALHARDDISKORUSBFLASH
DRIVEIfnothinghelpsyoutogetWindowsstartingandworkingproperlyandyoudonothavearecentorvalidbackup,youcanstillrecoveryourimportantfilesifyourcomputer'sharddriveisworkingfine.PleasenotethatPuppyLinuxcannothelpyouifyourharddiskisunreadableoritsfilesystemisbadlydamaged!Also,ifyourWindowsdriveisencryptedwithTrueCrypt,youmustuseitsRescueDisktodecryptitfirst.FilesencryptedwithWindowsEncryptingFileSystem(EFSakaNTFSencryption)cannotbecopied.Thereareseveraltoolsavailableforthejob,butwewillusePuppyLinux,becauseitdoesnotrequireyoutohavetheoriginalWindowsinstallationCD/DVDanditisarelativelysmalldownload(around133megabytes,comparedtoUltimateBootCD250+megabytesandrequiredWindowsXPProfessionalinstallationCD).PuppyLinuxhaslowsystemrequirementsandworksprettyfast.ForgetthecommonLinuxversusWindowsnonsense,thisisneverreallyrelevantbothWindowsandLinuxaregoodoperatingsystems.Fullstop.YouwillneedaCDwriterandaprogramcapableofwritingCDimages(ISOfiles)ifyouwanttobootfromCD.YoucanuseWindowsDiscImageBurnerincludedinWindows7and8/8.1orfreeCDBurnerXPforthistask.AsyourWindowscomputerisbroken,visitafriendofyoursandcreatethePuppyLinuxbootableCDthere.WithUniversalUSBInstaller,youcancreateabootableUSBflashdriveinstead.Thiswillprobablyworkfaster,butyoumustbesurethatyourPCsupportsbootingfromUSBdrives.Also,makesureyouhaveaUSBflashdriveorexternalharddrivethathasenoughfreespaceforthefilesyouwanttorecover.Ifthisarticleisofnohelp,tryusingthewww.winhelp.usDataRecoveryCD/USBthathastoolsforfixingseriousfilesystemerrors,duplicatingdisks,restoringdeletedfilesandpartitions,recoveringdatafromharddiskswithunreadableclustersandevenresettingWindowspasswords.
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
DOWNLOADING PUPPY LINUX OpenPuppyLinuxdownloadpageandfind"Downloadlatestversionfromibiblio.org".Clicklupu.isolink(forexample,"lupu528.iso").NotethattherearesomeotherPuppydistrosonthepage,butyouneedLucidPuppy(lupu),theUbuntucompatibleone.Alwaysmakesureyoustartdownloadingafilethatstartswith"lupu"!
InWindowsXP,Vistaand7,clickOpeninInternetExplorerdownloaddialogifyouwanttocreateabootableCD.IfyouwanttocreateabootableUSBdrive,clickSaveinstead.InWindows8and8.1,clickSaveotherwisethedownloadedfilewillbemountedasanewvirtual
CD/DVDdrive.IfyouselectedOpen,InternetExplorerSecuritydialogwillpopupinWindowsVistaand7afterthedownloadandwarnaboutopeningaprogramonyourcomputeroutsideProtectedMode.ClickAllow.
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
CREATING THE PUPPY LINUX BOOTABLE CD WITH CDBURNERXP OR WINDOWS DISC IMAGE BURNER CDBurnerXPopenswithBurnISOImagewindow.InsertablankCDorCDRWnow.ClicktochecktheVerifydataafterburningandFinalizediscboxes.ThenclickBurndisc.
IfyouinsertedaCDRWwithsomefilesalreadywrittenonit,CDBurnerXPwillaskwhetheryouwanttoerasethewholedisccontentsornot.MakesureyoudonothaveanythingimportantonthediscandclickYes.
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
LeaveFastselectedandclickErase.
CDBurnerXPislikeyourmomandwantstobesureyouwanttoerasethedisc.Ifyouwantto
turnthe"mom"off,checktheNeveraskagainbox.ClickYes.Aftereraseiscomplete,CDBurnerXPwilltellyouaboutthis.ChecktheNevertellagainbox,ifyoudon'twanttheprogramtobelikeyourmomanymore.ClickOK.
Thediscburningwillstart.Itwilltakeseveralminutesuntiltheburningiscomplete.CDBurnerXP
willnotifyyouwith"Writingprocessissuccessfullycompleted"message.ClickOK.ClickClosetoexitCDBurnerXP.
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
InWindows7,WindowsDiscImageBurnerwillstart.InWindows8and8.1,openDownloadsfolder,rightclickthedownloaded.isofileandselectBurndiscimagefromthemenu.Inserta
blankCDRorCDRWnow.TicktheVerifydiscafterburningcheckboxandthenclickBurn.IftrayofyourCDwriteropensandStatussays"Thereisnodiscinyourdiscburner",youshouldreallyinsertablankCDRorCDRW.ClickBurnin1015secondsafterinsertingthedisc(CDwriterneedstocheckthediscfirst).
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
Ifyougetthe"Pleasewaitwhilethediscburnerisgettingready"messageinStatusbox,wait
around10secondsandclickBurnagain.TheCDwriterisjustnotreadyyet!IncaseyouinsertedaCDRWthatisnotblank,EraseDiscdialogwillopen.MakesurethatyouhavenotinsertedadiscwithimportantdataandthenclickYes.ThiswillerasealldataontheCDRWandthenburnthediscimage.
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
WindowsDiscImageBurnerwillthenerasethedisc(ifnecessary),writethefiles,finalizethediscandverifythewrittenimage.Thistakesseveralminutestocomplete.Aftereverythingiscomplete,yournewdiscwillbeejectedandStatusboxwilldisplay"Thediscimagehasbeensuccessfullyburnedtodisc".ExitWindowsDiscImageBurnerbyclicking
Close.
CREATING THE PUPPY LINUX BOOTABLE USB DRIVE WITH UNIVERSAL USB INSTALLER IfyourlaptopdoesnothaveaCD/DVDdrive,youshouldcreateabootableUSBversionofPuppyLinuxinstead.AfterdownloadingthePuppyLinuxISOfile,headtoUniversalUSBInstallerdownloadpageandclicktheblueDownloadbutton.
Afterthedownloadiscomplete,connectablankUSBthumbdrive(allfilesonthedrivewillbeoverwritten!)andopentheprogram.LicenseAgreementwindowswillpopupfirst,clickIAgree.
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
IntheSetupyourSelectionsPagewindow,opencomboboxentitledStep1:SelectaLinuxDistributionfromthedropdowntoputonyourUSB,scrolldownandselectLucidPuppy.
ThenclickBrowseontherightoftheStep2:Selectyourlupu*.isofield.
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
Locatethelupu.isofileyoudownloadedearlierandclickOpeninthedialog.ThenselectthedriveletteroftheUSBpendriveyouwanttouseforPuppyLinux.UsethecomboboxinStep3:SelectyourUSBFlashDriveLetterOnlyforthis.YoucanusekeyboardshortcutWINDOWSKEY+EtoopenWindowsExplorer(FileExplorerinWindows8)todoublecheckthatyou'llusethecorrectUSBdriveletter.TobeabsolutelysurethattheUSBdrivebootscorrectly,enabletheFormatDrive(ErasesContent)option.
Finally,clickCreate.
UniversalUSBInstallerthenwarnsthatitwillcloseallopenWindows/FileExplorerwindows,formattheselecteddriveandturnitintoabootablePuppyLinuxUSBdrive.ClickYestocontinue.
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
Theformattingandcreationprocesswilltakeafewminutesand7zipwindowwillpopupwhileextractingfilestotheUSBdrive.Aftereverything'sdone,clickCloseinInstallationComplete
window.TheselectedUSBdriveisnowreadyforbootingintoPuppyLinux.
STARTING PUPPY LINUX IN LIVE CD MODE MakesurethatyourcomputerisconfiguredtobootfromCDorUSBfirst,insertthePuppyLinuxbootableCDor
USBdriveandrestartyourcomputer.RememberthatinLiveCDmodePuppyLinuxwillnotwritetoorchangeanythingonyourharddisk(s),soitisacompletelysafeoption.AfteryourcomputerbootsfromCDorUSB,you'llseePuppyLinuxbootoptionsscreen.Youdonotneedtodoanythinghereexceptwaitingfor5secondsforPuppyLinuxtostart.OryoucanpressENTERkeyonyourkeyboardtolaunchPuppyrightaway.
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
Ifyoudorunintotroublelater(screenisunreadableorblank,ornoharddisksdetected),rebootyourcomputerandpressF2keywhilethescreenaboveisdisplayed.First,trytypingpuppyacpi=noirqandpressingENTERtoseeifeverything'sworkingfineafterthis.Ifnot,rebootagain,pressF2keyandtypepuppyacpi=strictinstead.
AfterthatPuppyLinuxwillloadessentialfiles,thatmighttakeseveralminutes.
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
ThenDesktopwithiconsappearsandPersonalizeSettingswindowopens.Asyoudonotneedhighresolutionforrecoveringfiles,justchooseyourkeyboardlayout(thedefaultisUS)andclickOK.
Incaseyouchangedthelayout,testitoutbytypingsomecharactersandclickOKagain.SomeusersmightseeaSimpleNetworkSetupwindownext.Inmostcases,networkisnotrequiredandclickingtheXmarkontoprightofthewindowwill
closeit.Ifyouneednetworking(forexample,youhavesomenetworkedstorage),clicketh0,wlan0orthenetworkinterfaceyouneed(drivernamesandconnectiontypesarelisted).Thepersonalizationpartisnowdone.Let'sgettowork!
MOUNTING DRIVES AND PARTITIONS IN PUPPY LINUX
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
PuppyLinux5looksprettynice,despitebeingoptimizedforreasonableperformanceonoldermachines.OnequicknotetothosenotaccustomedtoLinuxmostitemsopenwithjustonemouseclick,notdoubleclick.BynowyoushouldhavenoticediconsonthebottomleftofDesktop,justabovethemenubutton.Theseareyourfloppy(FDD)drives,partitionsonlocalharddisksandCD/DVDdevice(s).Floppydisksstartwith"fd",partitions/volumesonlocalharddiskdrivesstartwith"sd"andCD/DVDdevicesstartwith"sr".Eachonehasapartitionnumber.ThisisthewayLinuxdistinguishesbetweendifferentdevicessoifyouhaveoneharddiskwithtwopartitions,theywouldbenamed"sda1"and"sda2""a"forthefirstphysicalharddiskand"1"and"2"forthepartitionsonit.Ifyouhavetwoharddisks,bothcontainingonepartition,theywouldbecalled"sda1"and"sdb1".Ifyouhavejustoneharddiskwithonepartition,therewillbeonlyoneicon
"sda1".Toeasilydistinguishbetweendifferentharddisksandpartitions,hoveryourmouseoveraniconandcheckoutthepartition'sfilesystemtypeandsize.
ManyWindowsVista,7and8/8.1installationshaveaspecialrecoverypartitionwithsizearound100MBor350MB.Ifyouhavesuchpartition,thereisnoneedtouseit.Yourfilesandsettings
areonsda2orsda3insuchcase.InPuppyLinuxyouhavetomountadiskfirsttostartusingit.Todothat,clickonsomeiconstartingwith"sd""sda1",forexample.Afterafewseconds,contentsofthediskwillopeninnewwindow.
AsLinuxdoesnotusedifferentdriveletters,suchas"C:"or"D:"todistinguishbetweendisks,allmounteddiskswillbeputinaspecialfoldernamed"mnt",shortfor"mount".Youcanseethatfromthepictureabovethesda2partitionmountedappearsas/mnt/sda2inPuppyLinux.On
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
Desktopyouwillseeagreenringonamountedpartitionicon.IhavealsoconnectedmyUSBflashdriveandthishasbeennamed"sdd1".Whynot"sdb1"?Becauseitisaremovableflash
drive,notaharddisk.Linuxessentials!ConnectyourUSBflashdriveorexternalharddiskandwaitfortheicontoappearonDesktop.Thenclickitsicontomountit.Pleasenotethenameofthemounteddrive,suchas"sdd1"or"sdb1",you
willneeditsoon.Donotclosethemounteddrivewindowsyet.Ifyouhaveto,justclickthemounteddriveicononDesktopandthecontentswillopenagain.
RUNNING A BASIC DISK CHECK ON PARTITIONS IN PUPPY LINUX IncaseyoujustwanttorunadiskchecktoseeifWindowsisabletobootafterthis,makesurenoneofthepartitionsismountedyoucannotrunacheckonamounteddisk.Ifoneis,clickto
openMountonthetopleftofDesktop.ThenclicktheUnmountbuttonforthediskorpartitionyouwanttocheck.VerifythatthegreenringdisappearsfromthedriveicononDesktop.
ExitPmountbyclickingtheQuitbutton.NowlaunchConsolefromthetoprowofDesktop.
Oneclick,notdoubleclick!Nowtypentfsfix/dev/sdawhereisthepartitionyouwanttocheck.Forexample,ntfsfix/dev/sda1orntfsfix/dev/sda2.PressENTERkeytolaunchthecheck.Pleasemakesureyouareusingonlylowercaselettersinthecommand,
asinLinux"ntfsfix"doesnotequal"Ntfsfix"and"/dev/sda1"doesnotequal"/Dev/sda1"Linuxisverycasesensitive.TheactualchecktakesnormallyverylittletimebecausentfsfixisnothingasthoroughasWindows'CheckDisk.Donotexpectittofixeverything!
Incaseyouseeanerrormessagestating"Refusingtooperateonreadwritemounteddevice"instead,thepartitionisstillmountedandyoumustunmountitfirst.
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
Ifyouhavemorethanonepartition,runntfsfixonthese,too.TofinishandcloseConsole,typeexitandpressENTER.NowyoucantrybootingWindowsagaintoseeiftheproblemwasfixed.PleasebeawarethatntfsfixalsoforcesafullWindowsdiskcheckonthepartition(s)youchecked.Thismighttakealongtimetocomplete,butitwillprobablyrepairallremainingerrors.Windowsmightrebootandrepeatthediskcheckbyitselfthisisnormalandyoushouldnotinterfere.IfyoususpectthatyourcomputerhasstoppedrespondingduringWindowsdiskcheck,verifythatharddriveactivityindicatoronyourPCisblinkingorconstantlyon.Ifitiscompletelyoffformorethanfiveminutes,WindowsisstillunabletobootandyoushouldbootbackintoPuppyLinuxtorecoveryourfiles.
COPYING YOUR FILES TO EXTERNAL HARD DISK OR USB FLASH DRIVE ReturntomountedpartitioncontentswindowandclickDocumentsandSettings(forWindowsXPdisk)orUsers(forWindowsVista,7,8or8.1disk)folder.Pleasenotethatyouneedtoclickonlyoncetoopenafolder.Ifyouneedtogobackinfoldercontents,clickthegreenuparrowontoolbar.HerearecontentsofatypicalUser'sfolder.Youcanalwaysignorefoldersnamed"DefaultUser","Default"and"AllUsers".Intheexamplebelow,thereisjustoneuserMirjam.IfyouuseShared/PublicDocuments(thefilessharedbetweendifferentusersononecomputer),thenyoucanfindtheseinAllUsers(WindowsXP)orPublicfolder.Incaseafolderhasanoverlayiconwitharrowpointingtoleft,itisjustalinkforbackwardscompatibilitycopyingthesefoldersisneverneeded.
Clickonauser'sfoldertoseeitscontents.HerearethemostimportantfoldersyouneedtocopytoyourUSBdrive.ForWindowsXP:
DesktopallitemsonyourWindowsXPDesktop(icons,files,folders,etc) FavoritesyourInternetExplorerfavorites MyDocumentscontentsofyourMyDocumentsfolder(inAllUsers,orShared
Documentsthisiscalledjust"Documents")yourdocuments,pictures,videos,etc TemplatesonlyifyouuseMicrosoftOfficeandyouhavecreatedspecialtemplatesfor
documents
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
ForWindowsVista,7,8and8.1(donotcopyfoldersthathaveaniconofarrowpointingtoleftthesearecompatibilitylinks,notrealfolders!):
ContactsonlynecessaryifWindowsMailorWindowsLiveMailhasstoredcontactdata DesktopallitemsonyourWindowsDesktop(icons,files,folders,etc) DocumentscontentsofyourMyDocumentsfolder(notethatinWindowsVista,7and8
thisdoesnotincludeMyPictures,MyMusicandMyVideosfoldersthesearejustshortcutsforWindowsXPbackwardscompatibility!)
DownloadsfilesdownloadedfromtheInternet FavoritesyourInternetExplorerfavorites Musicyourmusicfiles(mp3s,wmas,etc) Picturesyourphotosandpictures SavedGamesonlynecessaryifyouhavesavedsomestateinWindowsgames(e.g.
Solitaire) Searchesonlynecessaryifyouhavesavedsomesearchcriteria TemplatesonlynecessaryifyouuseMicrosoftOfficeandyouhavecreatedspecial
templatesfordocuments Videosyourvideofiles
IfyouwanttorecoveryouraccountpictureinWindows8or8.1,youshouldalsocopytheAccountPicturesfolderfromPublicfolder.Incaseyou'vecreatedcustomLibrariesorchangeddefaultones,youmightwanttocopyLibraryfolderfromAppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Librariesfolder.Pleasenotethatyoudonotneedtocopyanyfolderthathasalinkmark(arrowupandleft)onitthesearejustcompatibilityshortcutstootherfolders!Ifthecontentsareorganizedwithhugespacesbetweenitems,clicktheShowextradetailsbuttononToolbartouselistview.
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
Todeterminediskspaceneededforcopyingafolder,rightclickthefolder,selectDir''andclickProperties.Orusearrowkeysonkeyboardtomovetothefolder,press
SPACEtoselecttheitemandthenusekeyboardshortcutCTRL+P.WaituntilfoldersizeiscalculatedinSize:field.Here,"K"meanskilobytes,"M"meansmegabytes,and"G"meansgigabytes.Toclosefolderproperties,clicktheblackXintherightsideofTitleBarorclickClosebutton.
Toseediskspaceavailableonyourflashdriveorexternalharddisk,clickmountonthetopleftofDesktop.
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
ThisopensaprogramnamedPmount.ClicktheusbdrvtabandcheckthefreespacesizeforyourUSBflashdriveorharddisk.Again,"K"meanskilobytes,"M"meansmegabytesand"G"
meansgigabytes.ClosePmountbyclickingtheQuitbutton.Incaseyouhavesufficientfreespaceontheexternaldrive,itisrecommendedtocopythewholeuserfoldertoit(forexample,thewholefolderMirjaminUsersfolder,notjustDocumentsorDesktop)thiswayknowledgeableITpeoplemightbeabletorecoveryouremails,programsettings,etc.First,youmightwanttocreateaseparatefolder
ontheexternaldisk.Openitscontents,rightclickonablankspaceandselectDirectoryfromtheNewmenu.
Typeanameforthefolderintheendoftheline,preservingthe/mnt/sd/part.
ThenclickCreate.Tocopyjustonefoldertoyourflashdriveorexternalharddisk,rightclickonthefolder,selectDir''andthenclickCopy
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
TypethepathtoyourUSBflashdriveorexternalharddisk(seetheiconsonDesktop),forexample"/mnt/sdd1/rescue/"or"/mnt/sdb1/"andclickCopy.Don'tforgettheslashesinthebeginningandintheend!PleaserememberthatinLinuxeverythingiscasesensitive,so"sdd1"
doesnotequal"Sdd1"or"SDD1"or"sDd1".Useonlylowercaselettershere!Thecopydialogwillopenanditwilllistallfilescopied.Waituntilthecopyprocessiscomplete.
PleaseremembertocopyallsubfoldersnamedDesktop,(My)Documents,Downloads,Favorites,Music,Pictures,SavedGames,Searches,TemplatesandVideos,notjustoneofthem!Tocopymultiplefoldersorfilesatonce,openharddiskcontentsinonewindowandremovabledrivecontentsinanotherwindow.ThenselectfilesandfoldersyouwanttocopykeyboardshortcutCTRL+AselectsallitemsholdingdownCTRLkeywhileclickinganitemselectsordeselectsit.Thenholddowntheleftbuttonofyourmouseandjustdragtheselecteditemstothewindowofexternaldisk.Mousepointerturnsintoadocumenticonwith+sign.
Adialogopens,askingwhetheryouwanttocopyormoveitems.AlwaysclickCopyheremovingisaverybadidea,andlinkinghasnoeffectwhatsoeveraftershuttingdownPuppy
Linux.Aftercopyingallnecessaryfoldersforeveryuser(andpossiblyalsofoldernamed"AllUsers"or"Public"plusallcustomfoldersyou
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Recover files from Windows hard disk using Puppy Linux ByMargusSaluste
mighthavecreatedoutsideUsersfolder)totheexternaldiskthereisonemoreveryimportantsteptotakecopyingWindowsregistry.ThisonehelpsITspecialistsrestoreallWindowsandprograms'settings.NavigatetoWindowsfolder(orthefoldercontainingWindowsinstallation)andopenSystem32folder.Thelatteronemighttakeseveralminutestofinishlistingallitemsinit.Thenlocatetheconfigfolderandcopyittoexternaldrive.
Nowthefilerescuingpartisdone.ClickMenubuttononPuppyLinuxTaskbar.Select
ShutdownandclickPoweroffcomputertoshutdownyourcomputer.AsyouranPuppyLinuxinLiveCDmode,itwillaskwhetheryouwanttosaveyoursessionsettingsonaflashdrive.Youdonotneedtodothat.PressARROWLEFT
keyonyourkeyboardoncetoselectDoNotSave.ThenpressENTERkeyonyourkeyboard.
PuppyLinuxwillthenshutdownyourcomputer.AfterreinstallingWindowsyoucancopythefilesandfoldersbacktoyourcomputerandsetupregularbackupstoavoidsuchproblemsinthefuture.
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