Weird hard drive problem

Okay, computer gurus, I desperately need help. I have a Dell Inspiron
e1750 laptop as my main and only computer. I canibalized my old
desktop computer for usable components, namely the hard drives which I
placed in external enclosures to use as external hard drive hooked up
via USB. I'm using a Seagate 200 GB 7200 RPM Barracuda as a storage
and media drive, which is the one giving me the problem. I'm using
WinXP Pro SP2, with all the latest critical patches. Viewing files in
the standard Windows Explorer.

Files have disappeared from the main download folder, all after the
file names that start with "m". Actually the files end in the middle
of a multi-file Winrar archive, which adds to the weirdness. I'll
explain. I can download and save files to the directory, but only the
filenames that start with a letter before "m" show up. I can copy
files to the directory that start with a filename after "m", but if I
leave the folder and go back into, the file no longer appears. But
it's not gone. The drive properties are still showing that space is
being used on the hard drive, so the data is there. The files just
aren't accessible. In addition, if I download a file into the
directory that is viewable, a few other files from the Winrar archive
that the folder stop at appear. After I deleted some uneccessary files
from this directory as a test, some files from the end disappeared.
I've tried moving the folder and changing the folder name to change
the path and see if that helps, but it hasn't.

It only seems to be this one folder that is having this problem. The
other folders on the drive seem to be fine. I've also tried looking in
the folder using other programs (via Open File; just to see if was
specific to Explorer), but that didn't help. When I tried looking in
it using the command prompt and typing "dir", it showed the list of
files that show up in Windows Explorer, but ended with "File Not
Found", then a icon popped up in the system tray that said that
"E:\$Mft is corrupt and unreadable. Please run the Chkdsk utility."
I'm not sure I want to run Chkdsk as my data is still on the drive,
and I don't want to risk losing it if it can be recovered. Any ideas?
--
Dalboz Dragon -=(UDIC)=-
Dispenser of the Holy *SMACK!* (Not to be confused with *SLAP*)
--------------
d+++ e+ N+ T+ Om+ U1!2!47'S'9!K!L u- uC+ uF- uG++ uLB+ uA+
nC++ nH nP+ nI++ nPT nS+ nT o oA+++ y+++ a29
--------------
We are all but figments of Chuck Norris' imagination.
.

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