Hello again, I got a new digest of posts just after I sent mine, and I agree that you need to get usage of a tower Mac if you attempt to get the data on your own. But having read your choice of currently available computers, I think I would try "Data Rescue" First (you can also get it at OWC). Though I haven't used it with a FireWire drive, I think its supposed to work fine with them -- but read their site info first! More Good Luck! Sean Ferguson