How to make a copy of my files from a damaged hard drive with Xcopy

It may have happened that after using it for a reasonable period of time, your computer has deteriorated because each of its parts has an approximate useful life. One of the most common damage occurs to the hard drive , and this is usually the one that causes the most headaches, as this is where the information on your computer or laptop is stored.

Losing your hard drive would mean saying goodbye to important data, but that shouldn't make you lose hope, as there is a way to get that information back. In some cases, you can even boot the Windows operating system from an external hard drive .

What is Xcopy?

xcopy also known as an extended copy is an order or an order from the DOS operating system which you can also find in Windows.

The Xcopy command was originally used to move multiple files from one directory to another or to move files on a network. However, one of the strengths of this command is that it can be used to completely copy information from a hard drive if you need to back it up or recover information.

Now if you used it to run your operating system, what happens if you put the hard drive with Windows system in another PC? If you want to take the test, everything is very simple and it will almost take no time.

How do I make a copy of my files from a damaged hard drive with Xcopy?

Making a copy of your files from a hard drive that has deteriorated to the point of being damaged is a process that will be easier, remember that you can search and find your files according to their extension .

Step 1

The first thing to do is to access your computer's command interface. To do this, you need to turn off the computer and then insert the boot device, being possible to use a USB drive or recovery disk.

Then restart your computer and press the button that will allow you to boot from this device, you may need to enter the options menu that appears at the beginning to be able to activate the boot device.

Step 2

Then select the language of your choice by clicking on "Next" when you are finished. Select the option "Repair your computer" and in the list that appears, choose the installation by clicking "Next".

Locate yourself in the list of "System Recovery Options" and navigate to the corresponding "Command Interface" option called "Command Prompt".

Step 3

The third step is to connect the new hard drive to your computer . You must realize that it is in an optimal state, because from now on it will be the one that contains your information. Know the name of your drive using the 'cd' command.

Using Xcopy, you will be able to copy and move your information from the damaged disk to the new one, you just have to go to the command prompt window you have already opened, write: 'cd e:' then ' press 'Enter'. If the unit you are using is available, you will see that in the command interface it will change to "e: /".

Continuing the process, type the command "dir" and click "enter ». Using this command you will see the directories of your hard drive, if you notice the existence of a secondary hard drive you can be sure that you are on the desired drive.

Step 4

Later, you will have to return to your damaged hard drive, so you will have to type the command 'cd c:' confirming its execution by pressing 'Enter'.

Then type the following at the command prompt "Xcopy c: e: \ backup \ / c / s / e / h / z" in pressing "Enter" as usual to continue. Keep in mind that you will need to change the term "e: \ backup \" for the drive and directories corresponding to the data on your damaged hard drive that you hope to copy.

Step 5

Once you are done transmitting all the information you can through xcopy, you can end the process by executing the command "Exit" and then clicking "Enter". You can then use your hard drive for various functions, such as installing an operating system on an external hard drive .