With DiskInternals Linux Reader you can see the contents of the Ext2 and Ext3 partitions of your Linux partitions directly from Windows.

The interface is reminiscent of Windows Explorer and allows access to files, folders and anything else you've stored whilst using Linux. The program includes a browser and provides direct links to other utilities which can retrieve data from FAT partitions, NTFS drives, flash disks and optical disks. The problem however is that the Linux partition is read-only, so you can't save documents created in Windows on it. The reason for this is that if you were able to edit and manipulate documents without actually running Linux, it could damage or corrupt the files when you next start Linux.

The program is particularly good at handling pictures as it gives the user a preview much as you expect in Windows or a decent photo file browser. If you have any security software installed on Linux, this is also no problem as the program can circumvent it.

If you regularly switch between Linux and Windows or want to try and restore a deleted file, then DiskInternals is everything you'll need.