Can I use Ubuntu to access my Windows 7 hard drive?

[treetops]

Not sure if this should be in the OS section but here we go.

Can I use ubuntu to access my windows 7 hard drive data? I have a great deal of videos and photos on my hard drive with windows 7 installed. I need to reinstall windows 7, it is having a array of troubles, I will not get into those though. Part of those troubles is windows not recognizing my new 2 tb HD or any new USB device. If it did backing up would be a piece of cake. BUT my question is can I use Ubuntu, which I just recently installed to store my stuff from windows 7 on my new 2 tb HD?

I want to simply grab my videos and photos using Ubuntu and throw them on my new 2 tb hd, then I plan to format and reinstall windows 7 on my old 750 gb HD. I am not familar with Ubuntu how do I do this? I looked around and mounted my new HD on Ubuntu but didn't get any farther then that.

Perhaps another option would be to install windows 7 on my new 2 tb HD with dual boot and then grab my stuff from my data from my old 750 gb HD? Can I even do either of these 2 solutions?

Lastly where can I download windows 7 again, I got it when it came out and my download through microsoft from what I can tell expired. I of course still have my key. I bet there is somewhere on microsoft to download windows 7 I am just not seeing. No I do not want to go to the pirate bay or something and download windows 7, I am sure there is a legit way to download a legal copy little help?

 

[LookinAround]

Use Knoppix is simple. See step 2 [FONT=Arial]How to recover your folders/files when Windows won’t boot. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]I think you'll need to find someone with an install CD and use your own activiation number to reinstall[/FONT]

 

[treetops]

I am downloading a cd version of Knoppix, the hash tabs link you provided is broken. Is hash tabs still necessary? Or is Knoppix updated now so you don't need to make sure the dl went fine?

I really want to get this done soon, if I can find someone with a win7 disk that will be great, currently looking around for a legit iso. Wish my flash drive didn't get stolen from work or id still have my original win7 iso! I am still peeved that microsoft wont let me download another copy when I have a legit product key. I went to my original email they sent me, clicked on the link to dl and it says I have passed the a lotted time and no longer have access to download windows 7 iso. Or something along those lines.

Excuse my venting

P.s. I am assuming when I use this I can open my HD and drag what I want to my new HD? Wish Ubuntu had that option.

 

[LookinAround]

I well understand your frustration and venting about computers!

Thanks for letting me know the HashTab link was broken. I updated the post. Here's the new link http://www.implbits.com/HashTab.aspx. Large downloads can sometimes fail without realizing it. It's worth checking the hash value when done before burning the ISO, etc.

And, yup, Knoppix should let you simply drag and drop what you want from the hard drive to the USB drive. (or at least copy/paste. I forget which as it's been awhile since I last used it)

 

[treetops]

How about to my new sata hard drive? 90% sure the answer is yes but heck I got a few hours to kill while it and win 7 dls. I found this site at the near top of the google search list, appears to use the same people I originally downloaded windows 7 iso from and claims to be legit. However if you want to download win7 with sp1 included you must use a torrent from that site which I am avoiding like the plague, it will take some extra time to get my drivers going but will be worth not using a torrent.

http://www.mydigitallife.info/downl...cial-32-bit-and-64-bit-direct-download-links/

 

[Marnomancer]

Actually, I think using Ubuntu would be much easier. Just get the ntfs-3g package if needed from the distro's mainline PPA.

 

[treetops]

Reinstalled windows 7, got it activated np, getting all my updates and backups done, so happy that I can actually plug in my flash drive and update windows again!

Now if I can stay away from nudey sites I should be fine


p.s.
Knoppix is great.