so, news from this front. My hdd crashed, my backup wouldn't reinstall windows without a full format and I have now officially lost 12+ years of artwork. Everything...gone.
you need to take the HDD to a recovery specialist, without doing another thing to it. Stop now and do this, your data can be retrieved. For reals.
^ what max says 
You can start a windows from a CD/DVD and boot... and then try to copy the data over from the HD to an USB stick or something.
But only if the HD is not really damage, only if windows is just unable to boot from the HD.
What also works: get out the HD
put in new one and install. and then put the HD into a cheap external case to access it. You dont need to actually boot from that HD.
But if it really is damaged, like made clacking or screeching sound, it's probably damaged. Specialized companies can recover most of the data still. they just disassemble the thing, use their OWN mechanics/electronics on the platters and save all the stuff to a fresh HD/USB whatever.
That will cost several hundred bucks though, but if this is like all your important stuff, you might want to spend it.
Ontrack | World Leaders in Data Recovery and Data Er...
If it's just as much as a simple head crash, there is a really high chance to get everything back (except a bootable windows).
But then DO NOT plug the HD on again. Cause every access to it may kill more data.
Even if you already used the HD again and reinstalled windows... that usually only uses up a small part of the full HD... there's tools that help you to recover data from the still unused space on the disc. I did that already, and I brought back all the stuff I had.
The repartition and reformat usually only resets the FAT and boot blocks, the data are still there and a change to recover them.
Also: did you upload stuff to sites? Artstation etc? Might help to recover some...
Miri/Jalynne
says
The Hdd itself is not damaged, just the power port, but it isn't the drive with my files. The one that had my files is running but has been through multiple reformats. I may be able to recover some of what I had on my external backup drive which I had just formatted in order to clean and put reorganized backups on but didn't get to the putting backups on bit
oh god! 
I hope not all is lost
I hope not all is lost