It depends on how you mean that.  You can connect the hard drive to a second
connection in another computer and pull the files off.  You cannot connect
it via networking and using Windows. You could boot from an alternate
source, say an Ultimate Boot CD (UBCD) or a Linux Live CD.  UBCD will allow
you to see the drive in more of a DOS environment but you have many, many
tools with which to play.  Linux Live will allow you to configure a network
and move files from the damaged machine to somewhere else on the network.  I
prefer Knoppix or Kanotix but Ubuntu works well too.

You can find out more info on UBCD at
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

http://www.livecdlist.com/ links to many different Linux distributions,
including the ones I've mentioned.

Suffice it to say, these are tools which can help you copy data and fix
problems.  But they can also be used to corrupt your hard drive beyond
repair.  Be careful using unfamiliar tools.  Be cautious around
electricity.  Don't play with fire.  Don't spill hot coffee from the
drive-thru and complain no one told you it was hot.  etc, etc,  :-)

Ron Jobe

On Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 4:26 PM, Bruce Lund <[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> >>>It could get stuck in a blue screen loop and the only option is to
> format the drive and start from scratch.
>
> But would I be able to attach it to another machine and at least pull the
> files off it even if the operating system was hosed?
>
> Bruce
>
>
> --- On Sat, 9/4/10, Ron Jobe <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> From: Ron Jobe <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: [PCBUILD] What is reasonable to expect after paying to replace
> mother board?
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Saturday, September 4, 2010, 6:00 PM
>
> Bruce,
> I won't replace an E-machines motherboard.  In order to follow the MS
> Windows/E-machines licensing, I can only replace the motherboard with an
> exact replacement or I have to install another OEM version of Windows.  The
> cost of the E-Machines specific motherboard is roughly $250, not including
> labor.  The cost of another motherboard and Windows OEM runs about the
> same.  By the time I reload Windows and change the motherboard you're
> looking at the same price as a new machine.  Installing a different
> motherboard into an existing WinXP installation is always dicey and fraught
> with trouble.
>
> Be aware, if you do this wrong, you can end up loosing everything on your
> hard drive so make a complete backup first.
> You can Google "HAL", hardware abstraction layer.  You need to delete the
> HAL from your system (this is what Rick was saying).  Restart the computer
> and provide the drivers as it asks for them.  The system SHOULD work fine
> after that.  The caution is that if you feed it the wrong driver(s) it
> won't
> function at all.  It could get stuck in a blue screen loop and the only
> option is to format the drive and start from scratch.
>
> Ron Jobe
>
>
>
>
>
>        The NOSPIN Group has added a new feature on our website,
>           web based bulletinboard for questions and answers:
>              Visit our sister website at http://nospin.com
>

                         PCBUILD's List Owners:
                      Bob Wright<[log in to unmask]>
                        Mark Rode<[log in to unmask]>