How to Move Files From a Failing Hard Drive That Won't Allow Me to Move or Delete Files

Move files from a failing hard drive using some simple operating system utilities and techniques. Save photos, email, data files and more without spending hundreds of dollars on repairs or data recovery software. Files often are lost because of a hard drive failure on computers that have not been backed up. This can be prevented by backing up often. When trouble strikes, it often is too late to employ these techniques, but in cases where the hard drive still works to some degree, the probability of being able to recover files is very high.

Simple File Copy

• 1

  Connect an external storage device to the computer and follow the prompts to install any drivers if necessary, or create a new folder in a network location to store recovered files.

• 2

  Click the "Start" button (the Windows orb) and "Computer" to open the drive list of Windows Explorer. Double-click the failing drive, usually Drive C, and click once on the folder that contains the files that are to be copied, typically the "Users" folder.

• 3

  Right-click on the folder name and click "Copy" from the context menu. Navigate to the external device or to the network storage location, right-click and click "Paste" to copy the folder.

System Backup

• 1

  Click "Start" and "Control Panel," then click "Backup and Restore" to launch the system backup utility in Windows 7.

• 2

  Click "Set Up Backup" in the Backup section of the window to begin the process of performing a full system backup.

• 3

  Click on the location of choice to begin the system backup procedure. Select the folders to be backed up and click "Next" to begin the backup process.

System Image Creation

• 1

  Click "Start" and "Control Panel," then click "Backup and Restore" to launch the system backup utility in Windows 7.

• 2

  Click "Create a System Image" in the left column.

• 3

  Click on the preferred storage location for a system image.

• 4

  Click on the drives to include in the system image.

• 5

  Click "Next" and "Start Backup" to create a full system image of the selected drives, which can be used to restore a complete system onto a new drive including the operating system, files, programs, drivers and the system state.

Solving Hard Drive Soft Errors

• 1

  Click "Start" and "Computer," then right-click the drive that is showing signs of failure.

• 2

  Click "Properties" from the context menu and click the "Tools" tab.

• 3

  Click "Check Now" under the "Error Checking" section. Click both check boxes to select "Automatically fix file system errors" and "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors" and click "Start."

• 4

  Restart the computer after confirming the choices and allow the system to scan the hard drive. Retry the file copy or backup methods when the operation is completed.