tonypct,

My suggestions if you simply need to gain quick access to the files and are not running any disk encryption software, simply download a copy of Ubuntu and boot your computer off that. At the very least you should be able to copy files from your harddrive to a CD or flash drive to have something to work with. My other suggestion would be to obtain a copy of the version of Windows that is on your laptop assuming it is XP Pro, and simply do an install over your existing version, meaning no formatting or program re-installation is needed, but only do this if you are comfortable with it and have access to a full version Windows XP disk. Otherwise, I second the idea of getting a second harddrive and using the restore disks on that, and then get a USB harddrive casing for your laptopn from someplace like newegg.com.