If you have got a stationary computer in your house, you can just plug the VGA cable right into that screen, probably. No need to use a TV, then.

If you still can't get it to work, using an external screen, you could simply try to take out the harddrive and put it into another laptop using the same kind of harddrive. Then you could use that computer to copy the files you need, and put back the old harddrive.