MacBook Hard Drive has failed, how can I backup my information?

Ok, my macbook's HDD has decided to fail 2 days before my 10 hour Photography Examination, in which I'm supposed to be spending 10 hours creating a final piece on Photoshop using it! :/
It's still in warranty, so before I send it off to Apple to be replaced, what methods can I use to backup my MacBooks data, I have ALOT of important information that I CAN NOT lose!
I've tried repairing the disk through Disk Utility on my OS X disc, but no joy. Is there a method I can use to backup all my data or clone the HDD? I have another MacBook (2006) and a Windows 7 IBM laptop if their any use for the backup? I also have an external HDD (320GB). Thanks

AdamNoakes wrote:
Ok, my macbook's HDD has decided to fail 2 days before my 10 hour Photography Examination, in which I'm supposed to be spending 10 hours creating a final piece on Photoshop using it! :/
See [Data Recovery|http://web.me.com/pondini/AppleTips/Recover.html].
Once this is sorted out (or not), it should now be clear that you need to do regular backups before your HD fails, or something else awful happens to your Mac.
You already have Time Machine on your Mac. All you need is an external HD, or perhaps a Time Capsule. You might want to review the [Time Machine Tutorial|http://www.apple.com/findouthow/mac/#timemachinebasics] and perhaps browse [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum).
There are other options, too. See Kappy's post on [Basic Backup|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12366915#12366915], complete with links to the web sites of each product.
Message was edited by: Pondini

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