But it brings us back to "what do you mean by dead?". You cannot get information from a phone with just a USB lead and some PC software if it won't boot up: if there's no operating system running then there's nothing for the PC to talk to. You might be able to do it with a JTAG rig, but I think that will require opening the phone up and using a specialized connector - I don't believe you can do it over USB. Perhaps these utilities rely on the phone not really being as dead as the user thinks? I mean, as long as they don't charge upfront and don't contain malware there's not much to lose in trying, but I am skeptical (though an older phone, less secure in several respects, might have more chance).