A: First, attempt to boot the computer from a bootable floppy disk or CD-Rom. If the computer does boot, attempt to access the hard drive you are encountering issues with. If the computer boots, attempt to access the hard drive in question. If, once you have booted up, you discover the drive or media is accessible, attempt to back it up to another device immediately. If the computer does not boot, or the drive remains inaccessible, you should seek professional help. Do NOT RUN utility programs on the drives in question. Also, do not use backup programs to attempt to save the data. These programs may add or write files to your damaged drive, which may make data unrecoverable.