Using Linux to Recover bad NTFS drive

Hello.

My harddrive asks to be formatted when I click on it in Windows. Yesterday it was just fine. I'm thinking my drive has bit the dust. The drive shows up in Windows Explorer, but it doesn't have my data anymore (either that or Windows can't see it) because it asks to format my drive.

I got to thinking. I've been hearing about Linux and how great it is. I heard it can even read and recover NTFS parbreastions. +If Linux can perform a miracle and recover my very precious data, I will bow down to the Linux God, Torvalds and become a Linux advocate like one has never seen before.

This drive is very precious to me. If Linux can be like a super hero and save my data I will kiss Linux feet.

Now, I know Linux can do miracles because others have had the same done. What can this unbeliver do to allow linux to recover my data? I have SUSE 8.2 that I borrowed from a friend. I will install it on a computer and then put my bad drive into the next ide place.

What then? Do I try to use the mount command to mount my bad NTFS disk?

Thank you linux gurus and Unix masters and gods in advance. I humbly and trembling ask for your wise wisdom and council. Experts and computer Unix Gurus and Linux geniuses, please help this humble flea get his valuable harddrive data back.

Please note I have only Suse 8.2 to work with. I can get my friend to download additional things off the net if it is required.