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 GetBackData ( www.runtime.org ) from the new master with no viewable files found. A new hard drive was installed and we have started over from scratch.
I will try your DFSee but am not too hopeful at this stage.

Not sure what caused the crash but I blame Microsoft and their POS OS

The fact that you could see the files under Linux says something. Is it possible that you just didn't mount the drive with the proper access permissions?

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 that I try the recovery software for a FAT file system instead of NTFS and IT WORKED!!!!! I have now recovered 90% of the files from the old drive. So to any of you attempting diaster recovery, I highly recommend runtime's software and make sure you are running the correct version depending on your file allocation system.

Yes- the type of filesystem you're dealing with (NTFS, FAT32, etc.) can definitely be a factor. Glad you got it worked out.