One of the most infuriating problems when using a laptop computer is that of encountering a broken screen. Not only does a broken screen make a laptop practically unusable, but can also mean any valuable data which resides on the device becomes much more difficult to access.
In this guide I will be looking at some of the best ways for dealing with a broken laptop screen. This is done with specific regards to the backing-up and accessing of any important data stored upon the device. Of course, there is no substitution for having a good backup in place, something which, in the case of a broken laptop screen, would mean that any important data is already backed-up and accessible else ware.
The first part of this guide starts with a “quick fix” (of sorts), which involves making use of an external monitor as a workaround before investigating some more in-depth data recovery methods.
Using an External Monitor
One of the easiest “quick fixes” for backing-up or accessing data which might be stored on a laptop with a broken screen is to make use of an external monitor. Most modern laptops will feature an external video port (such as Display Port, USB3 or HDMI) which can be used for attaching an external monitor or a compatible display such as a TV set if available.
If you can get hold of an external display (and crucially, the power required for it) then this approach will essentially allow continued use of the broken laptop in somewhat of a usual manor. At this point, the next step will be to start extracting the data, a process I will look at in more detail a little later on in this guide.
Of course, there are many cases when attaching an external monitor simply isn’t practical. These can include times when you might be travelling and have no access to such devices or the power to get them working. With this (and other) restrictions on using external monitors in mind, a different solution for recovering such data might still be required.
Accessing Hard Drive Data Directly
Whilst recovering data via an external monitor could be a plausible solution when such a device is available, the reality is there are many times (such as when travelling) when using such an external monitor simply isn’t possible. There is also the possibility that, due to potential problems with the graphics processor built into the laptop itself, it might still not be possible to operate the broken laptop. In such cases as these, another solution is required.
With no access to the visual output of a laptop device, one of the next best ways for recovering data lies in extracting such data directly from the device’s hard drive itself. This is a task which will (unfortunately) often involve removing the cover from the laptop itself in order to gain access to the physical hard drive (and, as such, might not be practical for anyone uncomfortable with computer maintenance).
NB – When attempting to access a device’s hard disk, always be sure to check the documentation for the model of computer and be 100% sure you are opening the laptop case in a safe and correct way.
Once the laptop case has been opened and the disk drive removed, it will be possible to connect this device to another working computer and directly extract any data from within it. Providing the laptop computer is a fairly modern device, there is a good chance that the installed disk drive will make use of a SATA or M.2 connection between itself and the motherboard of your laptop (an example of which can be seen in the image below).
If the device is using a SATA connection, then attaching to this hard drive becomes a relatively easy task. This is thanks to the use of either a SATA to USB adapter cable, a desktop device with SATA ports on the motherboard or an external SATA hard drive caddy which can be opened up and used in much the same way as the USB adapter cable.
As can be seen above, connecting the SATA adapter cable to the laptop’s hard drive and then on to the USB socket of another computer will allow access to the hard drive in much the same way as any other external hard drive. This means that data from the broken laptop will be accessible via this hard drive and can simply be copied across to the working device or another external hard drive which might be attached to this same computer.
NB – In such a situation, when copying data across from a disk, be mindful that much of the data on the disk might not be required. For example, when copying over a Windows users data (in almost all cases) only the Windows user profile folder itself (e.g. C:\Users\James) will need to be copied with the Windows system files most likely not needed.
If you have a newer laptop device then you might notice that you have a newer style M.2 hard drive installed instead of the more commonly found SATA variation which has already been seen so far, an example of this M.2 connection can be seen below.
In cases where an M.2 solid state drive is installed, the process of connecting this device to another working computer and copying across the data remains much the same as with the SATA device. The main difference when working with an M.2 device is to make use of a compatible M.2 to USB adapter (or compatible external hard drive caddy). Once connected via such a device (or via a desktop computer with a spare M.2 socket on the motherboard), then the copying of files can begin.
Migrating a Laptop to New Hardware
In this section I will look at the process of migrating an existing laptop system across to a new device. This is something which might need to be considered if the device with the broken screen is, for whatever reason, unviable for repair.
In such cases, when migrating from a broken laptop to a new PC, the data could be backed-up and copied to the new device at a later date. Whilst this process would help ensure that any important documents would make it to the new device, it would also mean potentially re-installing many of the applications previously in use as well as potentially re-configure many others later on.
In cases were keeping all installed applications and system settings in-tact is important, we can optionally make use of disk imaging software in order to migrate an existing system (with a broken screen) across to new hardware. Disk imaging software is an advanced technology with the ability to select all data across an entire disk (including the operating system plus any installed applications) and copy it exactly to a disk already installed in the new device.
NB – I won’t be going into the technical details of this approach within this guide, but take note that a good piece of disk imaging software such as those found in my best disk imaging software guide can be very helpful in accomplishing such a task.
When opting for this disk migration approach, it is also important to look for disk migration software which supports performing migrations to dissimilar hardware. This dissimilar hardware component is very important as the new laptop (in almost all cases) will probably be different to the one it is replacing and the new hardware and drivers must be accounted for. If choosing to take this migration approach, I would recommend software such as EaseUS Partition Master, MiniTool Partition Wizard, AOMEI Partition Assistant or Macrium Reflect to make this process as reliable as possible.
Conclusion
Finally, if you have been having issues with a laptop with a broken screen, then by this point I hope you now have an action plan to recover any important data. I would also like to use this final section to point out the importance of getting a solid backup strategy in place on your new or repaired device as soon as it is possible to do so.
Whilst a broken laptop screen is annoying, in all reality it is (usually) relatively easy to recover from given the right tools and there is much worse in the world which could, in many different ways, cause the loss of access to your data entirely (e.g. malware and ransomware attacks). With all of this in mind, as and when you do regain access to the data from a broken laptop, be sure that one of the first things you do is install and make use of a reputable backup solution.
If you need help and guidance in setting up such a backup solution then I would recommend looking at my guide to choosing backup software. Not only does this guide explain how to get yourself backed-up, but also contains a full list many backup titles available on the market as of today.
