ok so, it came back from Canada, with a cute insert instruction on how to safely insert and boot the circuit board.

after assembly, a first attempt in the portable harddisk reader already showed it recognized the drive with its name.. and transferring the data (1TB) took its time (5 hrs), but all is backed up now. The portable case we got was unfortunately faulty- and had to be returned, but once I got the replacement the portable disk also works.. though I am advised it should not be trusted for regular use.

So, thanks to the handy BIOS swapping service, I didnt have to do much at all and my friend has her data back (including her now newly set up back up drive!).

Thanks for all your help! I learned a lot and it was fun.