Need to work on a hard drive that is screwed up badly

[AlphaBluesMan]

What does Knoppix can do for me if i want to recover data on a hard drive that is badly damage, meaning that the MBR is totally screwed up and the drive has been formated.

Is there by any chance a possibility that i can recover some data on the drive or i'm i going to a dead end?

Thanks for your time

Note: If i can recover data, can you direct me to a good but simple tutorial on how to use Knoppix to do it...... Thanks

[SiKing]

Please specify your question: are you interested in recovering your data, or are you interested in learning how to recover data using Knoppix?
If you are after your data, and you want a free answer, then I suggest you start here. If the data in question is of value to you, then I can reccomend here.
If you are after the knowledge, then start here.

HTH, SiKing.

[AlphaBluesMan]

Thanks for the reply SiKing,

In fact i'm trying to recover data from a hard drive that is formatted but not reinstall. The MBR is not healthy and it's not my hard drive. I'm trying to help a friend with this and i have try many recovering data free software without success and that's why i'm looking at other options.

Some of the software that i use are showing me that there's data on the drive but to extract it is another story so maybe Knoppix can help me with this situation.

Thanks again

Note: The data i would like to have is from a software call OeBackup. It's a backup for Outlook Express, it's somewhere on the hd and my friend is having very important stuff that he would like to have back...

[SiKing]

If the data is "important" to your friend, then I would definitely reccomend R-Studio. There is a limited demo version on their site, which will up-front show you what it will be able to recover after you pay the US$50 fee.
After you recover the friend's data, then it's time to play, and you can see how much you can get with Knoppix. I found this book valuable.

SiKing.