Got an Error, how to resolve it

I am new to Zorin OS. My windows 10 has crashed completely so trying to recover my data and use a better OS. Currently I am trying Zorin Lite on my laptop. But when I try opening a directory it shows me : Failed to open directory "ABC". Error when getting information for file (the path). Input/output error.

Can somebody please help me with this issue. It's very important to recover my data before I format my laptop.

Hi, How did Windows crash? If the machine did not shut down correctly then there is no way of recovering data using any Linux. Did you create a Repair disc? I don't know if Windows comes with this - your alternative might be to use the refresh my Windows or something similar that does not lose your data. If you are referring to Zorin data then boot into a live copy of Zorin and browse to your home folder, remembering to press Ctrl+ H to show all hidden files which are configuration files for such things as Firefox and Thunderbird if you installed it as an alternative to Evolution.

The background is unclear to me. What was the exact process here? 1. It still has Windows 10? 2. Was Zorin installed on the laptop while it still had 10? Using which option? There are at least 3 installation options (last one is "Something Else"). 3. What is the directory structure visible to you after Zorin install? I imagine this is the root, home, and at least one other directory or separate partition that shows as an additional mountable volume.

Regardless, as Swarf already wrote, your best bet may be to recover using a Windows option. They typically include these options with their different OS versions. Here they are for 10: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=windows+10+re ... 7__&ia=web