How do I recover the files from my laptop's hard drive?

I need to reinstall Windows on my Dell Latitude laptop. I have backups of important files but there is about 4GB of random things that, while not crucial, I would prefer not to lose. My computer will not start up in Safe Mode and after discussions with Dell Support there is nothing I can do but reboot Windows (my hard drive ped the IDE Diagnostics test). Geek Squad wants $150 to retrieve the files. Is there a better (cheaper) way that I can do it myself? Any guidance would be much appreciated.