As OSX tends to do a clean install when you use the CD and erases the HDD before reloading.
If that is the case you will need to remove the HDD fit a new one and buy a Firewire Caddy for your Old Drive and run some form of Data Recovery Software over the Drive and save any output to the New HDD and not the one in the caddy as you run the risk of overwriting files that may then be impossible to recover. In this respect Mac's are the same as any other computer there are only two types of Computer Users those who have lost all their Data and those who are going to loose all of their Data.
here is a list of the more common Data Recovery Programs available but I'm not sure how many of them are available for the Mac Platform. You may need to use a Linux version to recover from the BSD partitions that OSX is.
http://tinyurl.com/273ay5
http://tinyurl.com/rmvrv
http://tinyurl.com/yvrsl
http://tinyurl.com/yyk8cm
http://tinyurl.com/382vm
http://tinyurl.com/ynwnel
http://tinyurl.com/nc4kx
http://tinyurl.com/2wox7l
http://tinyurl.com/374d8b
http://tinyurl.com/djw6u
http://tinyurl.com/f73se
http://tinyurl.com/8bd3f
http://tinyurl.com/afu2j
While the last 2 are from the same company they are very different products. Win Hex should only be considered foe use by someone who knows Hex Inside Out while Davory is a great cheap General Purpose Application.
Personally I prefer the On Track Option but it's anything but cheap. However because I use this type of software a lot it's paid for itself many times over by now, for a cheaper option Spin Rite from Gibson Research or Stella have both very good reputations by other TR members.
Col
