Tutorial: Windows Crashed, How to Recover Files

How do I recover files after Windows crashed?

Some of you may have been through a Windows crash before. If you are lucky enough, your computer may still be bootable. But sometimes, OS crashes may come with the dreaded blue screen of death, automatically reboot of the system, or normally just freezing up to control the user from rebooting it or shutting it down completely from its GUI-based Operating Systems.

Windows crash always causes data loss. In most cases, recovering files from a crashed Windows OS is not a difficult task. If all of the computer's hardware components are still working properly, data recovery can be done with the help of good professional data recovery apps. To learn more about Windows crashed how to recover files, follow the steps below.

Windows crashed: how to recover files via data recovery tool

Supposing that all hardware parts of your computer are working normally and your computer is bootable, you can use MyRecover to recover data from crashed Windows 7/8/10/11. In addition to data loss caused by system crashes, it also applies to other data loss scenarios in Windows, including recovering data from formatted drives, corrupted partitions, virus attacks, etc. Let’s learn how to recover data from crashed Windows 7/8/10/11 in only 3 steps.

Download, install and launch MyRecover on your computer.  

Step 1. Hover the mouse over the drive saved deleted files before, and click Scan to scan.

Step 2. Then the scanning process will start automatically. You don’t need to wait for the process to complete if you find the files you want to recover.

Step 3. Choose the files that you want to recover. Click Recover xx files and choose a destination path to save the restored files.

Tips: How can I recover files from a computer that won’t turn on?

If your computer won't boot, you can move the internal HDD and connect it to a working computer using a hard drive enclosure. But the prerequisite is that the HDD of the damaged computer is still workable. Then you can scan the disk on the working computer and restore files via MyRecover.

Why does Windows crash?

To help you prevent Windows crash to some extent, let’s learn why Windows keep crashing. Here are the most common reasons for Windows crashes:

• Corrupted System Registry Files. The registry stores a number of files that are critical to the operation of your computer. Windows can crash if the registry files become corrupted, misplaced, or lost.
• Malfunctioning Hard Drive. Windows can crash if your computer’s storage drive fails. This could show up as crashes that only happen when you try to open specific files, indicating that a section of the hard drive is dying.
• Overheating. A system that is overheated for an extended period of time may be permanently damaged, resulting in a Windows crash.
• Malicious Software. Malicious software, regardless of its type, has no doubt wreaks havoc on a computer's performance.
• Software Conflicts. The majority of software errors do not result in a Windows crash; instead, they affect only the app in question. However, particularly bad software crashes can cause the entire system to lock up.
• Running an Unsupported Windows Version. Microsoft no longer officially supports older versions of Windows, such as Windows 7, which means they will no longer receive security updates, potentially resulting in crashes.

How to fix Windows crash when the computer isn’t bootable

If your computer has crashed and won't boot up, you'll need to create a WinPE bootable media on a working computer running Windows 11/10/8/7, and then rebuild the MBR to get it working again. The AOMEI Partition Assistant is an excellent tool for accomplishing this. Let's get this party started.

Step 1. Download, install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant on a workable computer. Insert an empty USB drive into it.

Step 2. Click the Make Bootable Media under the left Wizards column, and a window pops up, click Next.

Step 3. In the next window, choose USB boot device, then press Proceed.

Step 4. Click Finish when the operation is done.

Step 5. Start your computer with the WinPE bootable USB you made. It comes with the AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard software preinstalled. The software will start automatically once you log in.

Step 6. Right-click the system disk and choose Rebuild MBR.

Step 7. Choose the proper MBR type for your current OS.

Step 8. Click Apply and Proceed to commit the pending operation.

Bonus tips: How to prevent data loss when Windows crashed

To avoid data loss if Windows crashes again, you should always back up your important files or even your entire system. AOMEI Backupper is an excellent option for you. It can create a restorable image of not only the operating system, but also files, partitions, or the entire disk.

Step 1. Download, install and launch the software, go to the Backup tab and choose System Backup.

Step 2. The system partitions will be automatically selected, you can select a destination like a local disk, external hard drive, USB, cloud drive, NAS, etc.

Step 3. Optionally, you can customize the backup by Options, Schedule, or Scheme. Click Start Backup to execute the task and wait for it to complete.

Conclusion

This post primarily introduces Windows crashed how to recover files. Normally, it is quite easy to recover your files on crashed Windows 7/8/10/11 via MyRecover when your computer is still bootable. If unfortunately, your computer won’t turn on, you can use AOMEI Partition Assistant to fix it. By the way, it is wise for you to always backup your important data in order to avoid data loss when Windows crash again.