Your files are on the hard drive not the computer.
Look online for a cheap alternative to tide you over until you get a job.
I’ve seen Windows XP machines go for $50. Nothing wrong with them. In fact, look at major computer manufacturers, Amazon and Frys.com. they will have cheap alternatives that you can use for now.
You will still need an external hard drive enclosure to recover your info on the disk.
Don’t take it to a nerd and expect they will get everything you need. Besides, they charge $300 for bare service and $1,500 to get everything.
Look for the external hard drive enclosure at the same places above. $50-$75 bucks or just start asking around. You might have a friend who just happens to have one or you can get one super cheap on Craigslist.
Very good point.
First extract the data from the current machine and, if worse comes to worse, you can get a reliable PC for $50-$100 these days.
Problem solved.
The tricky part is finding someone capable of extracting the data for little to no cost.
I've done countless hours of PC work for friends for free, but I eventually scaled that way back since my friends told their friends and it was getting to the point where volunteering was almost comparable to full-time work.
Worst of all is sometimes you don't know what you're getting into. In some rare cases, the person I'm trying to help ends up in a more unfortunate situation than before they brought me the PC.
So can be a headache for all involved.
I wish PC stuff like this wasn't so time-consuming.
That's what makes it so "difficult," IMO.
The actual work is not rough, but the work generally takes more time than you initially estimate.