I am using my kid's computer to surf, shit.  Are there any places that recover my files from the hard disk drive?  How much does it cost to do so?  Should I not be a bonehead anymore next time and get a backup disk drive?  What a pain in the ass it is....shhhiiittttt!

I feel your pain. Happened to me on May 3. Ruined my friggin' life. Still can't get it up, but recovered most of the files for under $500. There was a helpful thread. Go look down there, a few pages over.
Lots of experts post here.
Most newspapers have a tech day or section that advertises data recovery. Thur in DC Wash Post. I found one in DC upper Wis Ave NW near Amer Univ. They did a great job after the one on K St NW could not. There was a techie little old lady, saved my huge file "The Blowjob Hall of Fame." Said she'd never heard of that. LOL

Now, go get an Iomega Zip Drive and a bunch of 100 to 250 MD zip disks. They are so very easy to use, a vast improvement  over the Zips of two years ago. It is not the end of the world. You can rebuild more efficiently and with better security. It's a learning experience, sort of like every bj. You keep learning more.

Sure, whenever the Spirit moves. Folks on TER are several cuts above when it comes to humor and versatility. All name switches are to protect the innocent and entertain the rest of us.

Yes there are places you can recover stuff from a crashed hard drive. It also costs a lot of money and has no guarantee of success (thought they often can recover quite a bit). Figure it will be at minimum $500+

Drive Service Company
3303 Harbor Boulevard, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 549-3475
(714) 549-9752 (fax)

fast and reasonable if you are in SoCal.  they charge you less if its your personal stuff....more for business.  nice folks and fast service.  

Get a CD burner and use cheap CD-R (700MB, 50 cents) for backup instead of a Zip Drive using Zip disk (250MB, 10.00)

I've done both, but CDs have much more capacity than I need and it is a multistep process more time consuming process that all too often doesn't work smoothly because of demonic possession.

Zip is quicker than an escort 30 minute carwash over lunchtime, with burger and fries. BTIMBW!

Seems you got enough advice on getting your data back.  I will offer what I do for backing-up my data.  I have an older laptop without CD/RW but I did buy an Iomega zip.  However, the whole "copy to zip" process I found to be arduous enough that I wasn't doing it on a regular basis. Then I found @backup....not perfect, but very easy to use and they do versioning, so you can get back not just your file, but your file on a particular day (back to 30 days, I think).  You install a program in your system tray (Windows system tray -- don't know if there is a Mac/Linux/other version) and then just run it.  Your files go, via encryption, to an offsite backup store @ @backups's location.  If you have a dial-up line, the service can be a litle slow -- I use it with a cable modem.  Link below is to @backup.

-Hoot

-- Modified on 6/30/2002 9:18:00 PM

Just remember that the best backup system in the world isn't worth shit if it can't fully restore your drive.  I have never had a backup problem but I have had loads of restore problems.  I have used Seagate Backup and NovaBack, Adaptec and Powerquest Drive Image and others.  Restore is always the weak link.