how important is the data on the drive and how much of it is there?

Honestly, you don't want just anyone poking around the hard drive if the data is really important. they can end up causing more damage than good.

Trust me on this one, you may have to drop a pretty penny to get the data off safely if its worth the price. I'm going though the same thing with a failed raid 0 set up and a $28,000 film sitting on it. Drivesavers.com