Unable to access my data in Ext.Hard drive

[winston-64]

In accessing my data in the Ext. HDD the computer returns "
Data error (Cyclic redundancy checks)"
"Disc to be formatted before it can be used"
How can I retrieve my data stored in the Ext. HDD?
What are my options?
Any software to help?

 

[kenrivers]

Have you checked the drive for errors? Right click on the drive, click on Properties, Click on the Tools tab, Under Error Checking click on Check now and make sure both boxes are checked.

For recovery you can check out these links: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/download/Hiren-s-BootCD,0301-32451.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_RpUxfMayU
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/45913-63-looking-good-data-recovery-software
http://www.piriform.com/recuva/builds