OK, just a few thoughts.
First off Toshiba is a brand, not a model but it still answers most of my question there. Second, if you've lost data the very last thing on earth you should be doing is to add new data by installing Windows on it (stop what you're doing there and think harder about it). You'll need to go into the BIOS or UEFI by pressing a key specific to your motherboard on startup. Sometimes it's the DEL key or F2, maybe F12, just depends on your computer. From in there you need to see if the ID which the drive is showing is the correct model number, and if the size of the drive is roughly correct.
Given that it's a Toshiba, and I assume it's not clicking and is spinning (might want to confirm this) then I would suspect it could be a damaged G-list (list of reallocated bad sectors) which will make these drives give an error when they attempt to read any sector. It's an easy enough fix with the proper data recovery equipment, but not something you'd have even a remote chance of DIY.
If you boss is that paranoid, then she may just have to decide between losing the data permanently or sending it out. Any legitimate data recovery company should be trustworthy enough to handle sensitive data. I know here we regularly deal with entire servers full of data belonging to hospitals, universities, police stations, lawyers, accountants, etc. I would bet that any sensitive data you have is small fries compared to what we regularly deal with. Any well established data recovery firm should have well screened employees and security measures in place to prevent data breaches. Just be careful of the guys who's office happens to be in one of those office share buildings where you can rent an office in a fancy looking building for just a day. These guys are usually scammers or just work out of their homes.
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