Retrieving files from External Hard Drive - HELP!!??

Heya,

I got this 2 TB Westington hard drive that is not one year old. Last time I used it, the hard drive was fine! But today I hooked it up to my laptop and well, my laptop restarted twice without ejecting the hard drive. Then it became super slow! Anyway, I ended up taking it to my PC and there the biggest folder was in accessible - the other folders I could access - mind you very very very slow

Every time I tried to access that big folder (around 1.5 TB of stuff) it would ask me to format before using it... and when I say no, it says that part is inaccessible. So... ANYTHING that can be done to salvage what's on that drive? I REALLY hope I can save what's on there 'cause there is a lot of stuff >...<

BTW the computers are Windows 7 and even though I can't access the folder, the space 1.5 TB is still occupied (as in there are files there).

Thanks before hand

Try this..... has worked for me in the pass but sometimes it won't

1. Plug Hard Drive into your computer
2. Go To My Computer
3. Right click on the Drive
4. Click Properties
5. Go To Tools
6. Run an Error Check.

EDITING:
1 - Hard drive link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136748


2- Tried doing properties -> Tools -> Scan for errors... it does initially... then it self terminates... now the folder has dissapeared from the drive menu... But the speak is still taken so the data is still there


3- What programs (free or paid) do you recommend for recovery. Yes I understand Test Drive is great but I'm a newbie and I'd rather not deal with dos looking programs. Also we are talking about hundreds of files - from past experiences many of these programs recover files in gibberish names... so it'll be awefully hard to sit down and rename hundreds of files (and sort them) when many aren't even mine...

Any help is appreciated and thanks

1.5TB god what do you have in that folder lol? Unless your external hard drive is a solid state one, It will take a while to load all that crap up.