I also have a new 160GB drive running as my primary but can only see 127GB.
Can I do the same thing with a drive that already has files installed or do I risk loosing all my data?

As this was my first attempt at any Linux program, that is entirely possible :o

A brand new development in my recovery - after having runtime.org look over my recovery attempt, they suggested...

Hi DMR - there were no mechanical or physical issues that I could see. I tried a Linux boot CD and all the files were greyed out and unaccessable.
I changed the drive configuration around and ran...

Hi DMR - had the lovely experience of a hard drive crash and I tried your method of chilling but had no luck. My crash was different as there were no noises - the PC hung up, did a hard boot, and...