I think you deserve a refund.... sale of goods act 1979 basically says if you are not happy with the repair because it doesnt work, you are entitled to a refund

Problem is the company liquidated and my warantee is now expired so i think i am kind of stuffed!

Hi Clair, if it is of any help
http://www.maplin.co.uk/family.aspx?...e%20Enclosures
it is a SATA hard drive enclosure which you can drop a SATA hard drive into and it then work on your laptop via a USB2 cable. All you would have to do is take out your drive out of your Evesham and providing it is a SATA connection. If it is a ribbon IDE connection do not worry I can send you a Icy Box case to put the hard drive into. So you will have not lost your files, unless of course the fault with the Evesham has also fried the drive. Let me know if that helps.

That machine must be cursed... hope something good turns up for you on this, Claire.

And when it does turn up, dispose of this troublesome device in the approved method: Bury it at the crossroads at midnight, with a stake through its heart.