Steve,

Don't try that way or all data files may be lost for ever.
If the data files are so important for you, I would suggest you to stop doing anything and just power off the PC and then call the data recovery company ASAP.
Of course, it is expensive and there is no 100% guaranty that the company can save all the data files.

--
Peter


"Steven C. Liu" wrote:

Thanks Peter.

I will attempt to recover data from the dying HDD as you wrote, but it
is difficult since for the past 24+ hours that disk is more dead than
alive. That is, I can't get the computer to recognize it when it is
going "click-click-click".

:-(

But, I will keep on trying until it works. I need to recover my PST
file first and foremost! What do you all think of my taking apart the
HDD and tinkering with it? Any words of wisdom?

Steve

Peter wrote:
Hi,

Start/All Programs/Windows Update,
Let windows scan for the update. after installed all the critcial update, click the other XP update, you can find the Microsoft Net Framework version 1.1 is there.

To save the data on the dying Hdd, switch off the PC, disconnect the AC power cord. Open the chassis and then disconnect the dying Hdd. Jumper the Hdd as slave and then connect it to the other PC as slave then copy all the data from it to the other Hdd
. As you said the Hdd is dying, I would suggest you to copy the files from the dying Hdd instead of using the move command to move the files. Always copy the most important files first. If you have Norton Ghost or other similar imaging software, you can cl
one the entire dying Hdd to other Hdd.