We have lift off. 
http://www.diydatarecovery.nl/index.htm
I can recommend DIY DataRecovery iRecover v 2.1 Bought the licesnse. Am very pleased.
Programs like Recover My Files wouldn't read the HD, saying unknown file structure, corrupted, etc. Even scanning with Seatgate's Boot CD simply revealed that the curruption was such that I'd need to use chkdsk, etc. However chkdsk would not run. Neither would any of the other popular untilities. It was in using the DOS ute's on Hiren's Bood CD that I started to figure out the the data itself was still there and there is a free version of DIY on that boot cd, but it's limited as an unregistered version.
DIY scanned the hd, created a virtual tree and allowed me to save what I wanted, which was most of it, since the HD contained all my personal files, jpg image archives, and a great deal more. I had this backed up as a redundant copy on a disk I hadn't synced to the original in nearly a year. Now setting up an external USB drive to be the redundant back up copy. I use SyncroMagic to sync the two. Losts easier than fooling around with a bunch of DVD's.
@user needs. No, I could not access the data in the image. it would not mount, because of the corrupt "whatever". The image merely gave me confidence to proceed--however, the DIY program made that unnecessary
Threaded Mode
