I either repair the laptop or just remove the HDD to put it into some cheap USB case to get at the files. Owner chooses.
Notebook 2000-2d22DX, Windows 10. I got an error message during startup after a day or so in which I was unable to start windows ('The system has detected that a cooling fan is not operating correctly. Continued operation is not recommended and may cause unpredictable behavior that could result in random shutdown, data loss or possible system damage'). The error appeared immediately after I tried cleaning the vents with compressed air. Is it safe for me to make 1 attempt to enter Windows (in case it manages to start up) in order to quickly retrieve a few files?

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