If you can't get it booted up, you might try downloading one of the 'live' linux CDs. They will allow you to access any files that you might not have backed up, so you can dump them to a thumb drive or something. At least then you can do a clean install without losing any important data. A live CD is one of the must-have items in any geek's toolbox, regardless of the OS they run.
I have a USB case that I bought years ago to retrieve files stranded on laptop HDs years ago. It works but is time consuming. I like your idea!
With my slow internet, it’s going to take about 3 hours to download the iso file.
I chose ubuntu because I have heard users talking about it being their favorite flavor. I assume it will have some sort of GUI and USB support. It’s been years since I’ve used the command prompt and I don’t know unix anyway.
Because of the delay, I decided to pull the hard drive, unfortunately, there are some retaining screws that I can’t get to without a major disassembly, I’m really hoping the live CD works.