Yeah, I know it is trivial.
But before tinkering with other peoples computers you need to make a backup of it.
A total backup that is.
And remember, when you get a new computer, you don’t know, if it is infected with some virus.
The solution is to use CloneZilla or a similar live CD.
CloneZilla will guide you through storing an image of the partitions on an external device, or over ssh to a server.
And you should make an image of all partitions!
Now you can restore the entire disk if you mess up. And you will – sooner or later, believe me!
The issue is that if you need to restore a few files, CloneZilla has no way of doing that. It is a major issue with the product, but at that prize you cannot afford to complaint.
The workaround is to fire up your favourite virtual machine software, create a new machine with at least the same size of hard disk as your client machine. Use clonezilla to restore to the virtual machine, and presto, you can transfer all the files you want.
You may find that windows complains. And that the virtual machine is slow. Very slow, especially if it trying to update windows. But think about it – you don’t need to boot the windows virtual machine. When clonezilla has done its work, ask for a command shell instead of powering down. Mount the windows filesystem, and use rsync or another tool to get hold of the files you need.
But be carefull – this is your original – and it may be infected!
And BTW I have found that most live CD’s do not recognize the Wireless NIC card, so you should have a cabled connection to the box.