Try this:

don't boot it from Windows.

Boot from a different drive, or if you don't have one, boot a live CD of Linux. Then see if you can access the drive, some specific folders and files etc... Try Ubuntu or other Linux distros.

I'll be happy to try to recover the data myself if I can have the drive for a week. I have a USB connector that can be attached to hard drives. Essentially you take the drive out if it's internal, and I connect that thingy, and power it, and see the drive through USB as a removable disk. Might just be possible for me to see it under WIndows or Linux. Other OS that also has strong support for other disk formats is BeOS, whatever the newest name for it is. I think Purplus.com sells it.

email me at admin/at/thebest3d/dot/com if you want to send me the drive for attempting to copy the files. I'm in Southern California (San Diego) and will be in Pomona at the LA Computer Fair June 19-21

-Philip