I wouldn't hold out for a freebie program to help you solve your problem. Last year I had a WD My Book stop working. It would not boot. That drive had all my reference files, manuals, pilot manuals and photos on it. I went into a panic. I spoke to the guys at the Geek Squad (at Best Buy). They said they might be able to retrieve some of the data. They sent it to a special lab in Kentucky where the quys wear "clean suits" and low and behold about three weeks later they called and told me they were able to retreive all the data on the drive. Man, was I ever happy. That stuff was irreplaceable. It did cost me a couple of hundred dollars, but it was worth every penny and more. The fact that they were able to get everything off that drive was almopst a miracle.