Got the technician in today, from what he could see the drive is completely dead. Took it to the shop to see if anything else could be done. Haven't got much hope though! Years of image collecting down the drain. I have quite a few on backup discs but to put them all together again and sorted is going to take ages.

I wanted to say thank you for all your help.

Really sorry to hear that Mir .What a bummer.I can imagine how your feeling.When I thought I lost my drive with all my thousands of digital photos,I almost had a panic attack.I bought 2 (500 Gb) external HDs and now I try to have a back up (at least 2 copies) for everything I deem important.I know it's a pain in the butt,but it gives you peace of mind.