Allowed windows 8 to update to 8.1 now have blue screen and 'your

[Doaky22]

Hello guys.

I'm in a world of hurt and tech frustration.

All my work, trapped in my laptop.

I got asked to update windows to 8.1. Left it to update (or so I thought). Within a day or two it's the blue screen of death I have been reading about.

If I shut down will the update was occurring, I didn't know about it. I may have put the computer into sleep mode, but don't think I did.

Can't get in in safe mode, don't have restore on hard disk or memory stick and don't have my work on the solid state saved in any way as I only recently transferee all my work to this new laptop from my old one with a Dropbox upload pending!

I think I'm screwed but am praying someone here may know something different?

I don't mind a restore if I can get the work first.

Added to this I'm hungover.

Someone please help me with this nightmare!

[jaclaz]

Well, first thing:
DON'T PANIC
(assume the above to be written in large, friendly letters ).

 

There is no reason to believe that any data on the laptop internal hard disk is lost or corrupted, what the (stupid) update did was to simply "botch" the installed OS, but all your data are still there.

 

The standard procedure in these cases is to:

1. recover/backup all the data 
2. find a way to fix the botched install

 

Consider how any attempt to #2 without FIRST going through step #1 is very risky, and it is NOT recommended.

 

You will need some external bootable media (such as a USB stick or a CD/DVD) to boot an alternate OS, and you will also additionally need an external mass storage media (let's say a USB hard disk) with enough capacity to hold all your data.

 

Ideally, this external hard disk would have enough capacity to be able to make on it a full disk image.

 

You will also need another PC where to prepare the bootable media.

 

Please avoid the usual nonsense about not having a suitable device or not being able to afford buying a new suitable one, it would simply mean that you attribute no value whatsoever to your data (which you just stated is highly valuable to you).

 

Please post some needed information:

1. How big is the internal disk of the laptop? (or provide EXACT make/model of it)
2. How much is the data (besides the OS and programs on it) approximately?
3. Which kind of devices (USB sticks, USB hard disks, other PC, etc.) do you have available/handy ?

 

jaclaz