looking for software help

Years ago when we upgarded our 95/98 windows pc, prior to tossing, we put the hard drive in a mass storage device.... I would like to retrieve some old work stuff off the device, and cannot find everything i am looking for....i am having difficulty opening files, as well as finding them... there are so many softwares out there... can someone please recommend one for me.... Thanks

 

Thanks Major Attitude. Ok, Data is on an old drive, not connected. I connect to my laptop whenever i try out a new program. I have tried PC tools- file recovery...Disk Doctors....demos. Most files are in excellent condition, some poor. Prior to purchasing full version of anything, i was hoping that someone could recommend a program that would be most effective. Also, there are really hidden files, that I am unable to locate, in the usual way (my computer/tools) and am not sure if there is a program that could assist me here as well. Any suggestions are welcome.