There is a reason why this old WIN98 box is my internet connection... and why my working computers aren't connected to it or the Internet. Bad things happen to computers when they are online. It is almost like safe sex where abstinence is about the only sure way to not get infected. Anyway, as mentioned above, unless a disk has been thoroughly and deliberately magnetized by professionals a couple of times to wipe it clean, the data is almost always recoverable. The pros can recover data even from burnt-out husks. There may be some expense, but compared to 6 months of your time? Carolly