How to Read an Ext3 in Windows
Linux distributions often use the ext3 file system to store data on partitions. Windows doesn’t include support for reading files from ext3 file systems by default, only support for reading from NTFS or FAT file systems. You can download and use a free third-party program to read an ext3 partition and access the files on it from Windows. These tools all support ext2 file systems in addition to ext3 file systems. DiskInternals Linux Reader also supports the newer ext4 file system.
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Instructions
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Download DiskInternals Linux Reader from Diskinternals.com/Linux-reader in your Web browser. Install it by double-clicking the downloaded “Linux_Reader.exe” file on your computer and following the instructions on your screen. Double-click an ext3 partition in the DiskInternals Linux Reader window to view its contents and right-click a file or folder and select “Save” to save a file from the ext3 partition to Windows.
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Use the Windows binary version of Explore2fs from Chrysocome.net/Explore2fs. Double-click the downloaded .zip file and double-click the Explor2fs .exe file inside it to launch the program. Browse the contents of the ext3 partition using the sidebar at the left side of the Explore2fs window. Drag and drop files from the Explore2fs window into a folder on your computer to save them to Windows.
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Install the Ext2 Installable File System for Windows from Fs-driver.org. Unlike other programs, Ext2 IFS provides a driver that allows Windows to read Ext3 partitions and access them from within Windows Explorer and other Windows programs. The installation process assigns a Windows drive letter to your ext2 partition. Access the ext2 partition from within the Computer window in Windows Explorer.
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