In case anyone isn't aware of Hiren's Boot CD (which I should have listed in the Windows programs thread, come to think of it, even though it's not strictly one program nor just for Windows) I thought I'd mention it here, since I've just been using it again (it's a real life saver as far as Windows is concerned). It's a boot disc (like UBCD, which I used to use until I discovered H'sBCD) so it doesn't matter what version of Windows is on your hard drive (or how badly the hard drive's installation of Windows is corrupt), nor how much the hard drive is riddled with malware/viruses or other problems, since you're booting from HBCD instead of the hard drive. It contains every type of program you need to troubleshoot or fix a corrupt/infected Windows installation, unless of course the hard drive is physically damaged (in which case use HBCD to salvage as much data as possible, then bin the hard drive) or Windows is too corrupted to be fixed (in which case a re-install or format + re-install is your only real choice), and even comes with a quick booting minimal version of Windows XP so you can use the familiar Windows functions to copy data from the hard drive onto your own USB/network/hard drive, to rescue valuable data. Plus it's free too, which is surprising since it has Windows XP on it. Get it from: http://www.hirensbootcd.org/hbcd-v152/ and put it on a CD-R/DVD-R, or USB stick - the latter is best, of course, since it's quicker to boot, plus it contains space for you to store rescuing data (depending on the size of the USB stick you use), and I use Universal USB Installer (http://www.pendrivelinux.com/univers...easy-as-1-2-3/) to put the HBCD to a USB stick. You should really have this ready for when your Windows decides to be throw a tantrum, it's just saved me having to remove a laptop hard drive and find a suitable caddy, to rescue some files.
Any linux live cd would allow to recover data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD This one is aimed at recovering windows: http://trinityhome.org/Home/index.p...R_YOUR_COMPUTER&front_id=12&lang=en&locale=en
