Alex Beamish via talk wrote:
There are, however, still a few files on the dead system I'd like to get. Today I took that system apart, popped the fan off the CPU, and found dried thermal paste. Hmm.
A better bet if you're just trying to recover files is to get an appropriate USB external enclosure for the old system's storage device, put them together, and plug into your new system for review and copying. If the old system still has life in it, it should be attempting to boot from cold start and getting at least a bit of the way down the road before overheating and refusing to continue; in that case fresh thermal grease might work wonders. Blow dust bunnies out of the CPU and PSU fans and watch that they both spin; replace if not. But there's a good chance the old box is pining for the fjords. -- Anthony de Boer