IBM Thinkpad 240 Hard Drive Erased - Can't Restore

well it looks to me like your drive has been wiped of all but the 'sys' files.....

as for installing your external cd drive and floppy you will have to fiddle around in bios to make sure they will be recognised........

You will need to reinstall the operating system. All you files are gone.

u have a virus on your prompt i had the same problem with a t20
boot up with a norton cd or floppy or any virus bootable software and clean it and then reinstall the lot

Here is "The Crazy List" of file recovery utils.  Maybe you can copy one to floppy and it will help.

Take look at these.

EasyRecovery DataRecovery is a simple, yet powerful tool that recovers data that is lost, inaccessible or deleted. It's the ultimate do-it-yourself solution for nearly all causes of data loss (except physical hardware or system problems) where your hard drive and system are fully functional.
It allows you to recover files, folders and complete partitions quickly and easily. Plus you get an Emergency Boot Diskette to recover data from systems that cannot boot to Windows.
http://www.ontrack.com/easyrecoverydatarecovery/

File Rescue 2.5
Web:http://www.file-rescue.com/

GetDataBack for FAT
GetDataBack will help you retrieve your files if the hard drive's partition table, boot record, FAT, or root directory have been damaged by a virus, formatting, fdisk or power failure. GetDataBack can even recover your data when the drive is no longer recognized by Windows.

GetDataBack for NTFS
Recover your files when the data is no longer accessible due to formatting, fdisk, virus attack, power or software failure. Get everything back even when the drive's partition table, boot record, Master File Table or root directory is lost or corrupt.
Hard Drives
Partitions
Floppy Drives
Drive Images
Zip/Jaz Drives
http://www.runtime.org/

Norton Utilities/SystemWorks
The Norton Protected Recycle Bin helps you recover deleted and overwritten files.
The UnErase  wizard helps you retrieve files you've accidentally deleted.
http://www.symantec.com/nu/nu_9x/features.html

For NTFS
http://www.restorer2000.com/r2k.htm

Data Recovery
http://www.dtidata.com/
Fast File Undelete
http://www.dtidata.com/products_ff_undelete.asp

Undelete
http://www.quantumsoft.co.uk/undelete.stm

File Recover 2000
http://www.filerecover.com/

R-Tools
http://www.r-tt.com/

File Restore
If you've deleted your data and you want to get it back, you need FileRestore.
FileRestore is a simple, easy-to-use tool for recovering files that have been lost or deleted from your Windows system. Designed for Windows XP, 2000, NT, Me, and 9x
http://www.winternals.com/products/repairandrecovery/filerestore.asp

Disk Commander
In virtually any situation where you need to recover lost data from a Windows system, Disk Commander is the solution. Disk Commander performs a wide range of data recovery operations.
http://www.winternals.com/products/repairandrecovery/diskcommander.asp

Tool to check and undelete partition
Works with the following partitions:
- FAT12 FAT16 FAT32
- Linux
- Linux SWAP (version 1 and 2)
- NTFS (Windows NT)
- BeFS (BeOS)
- UFS (BSD)
- Netware
- RaiserFS
http://www.cgsecurity.org//testdisk.html

DFSee
http://www.dfsee.com/
As a tool to 'UNDELETE' files that have been accidentaly deleted.
This feature is implemented for HPFS and NTFS only, but on those filesystems it is a very powerfull tool. It works by finding all deleted files (DELFIND), and then letting the user make a selection based on a wild-card filespecification and a recoverability outlook percentage (DELSHOW). The actual recover operation will copy the matching files to a specified directory, if possible on another disk (RECOVER).

MRECOVER
http://kristenonline.com/lain/cih/mrecintro.htm

Emergency Undelete
I believe this is free
For Win2000 and NT may work on XP
http://www.c2000.com/software/#win2000

Back2Life
http://www.simtel.net/pub/pd/57588.html

Hard Drive Mechanic
http://www.highergroundsoftware.com/6.html
It's true. Even if you just re-formatted your entire hard drive, you can still get all of your data back because, unlike what most people believe, formatting does NOT erase your files! With Hard Drive Mechanic's Unformat Feature, you can restore all of your valuable data in about 10 minutes!
demo version:
http://www.highergroundsoftware.com/downloads2.htm

Filerecovery for Windows
http://www.lc-tech.com/filerecovery.asp
Filerecovery for Windows. is a safe and affordable do-it-yourself data recovery solution that is designed to recover deleted files from all types of media such as Hard Drives, Floppy Drives, SmartMedia, CompactFlash, Memory Sticks, and other types of removable media.

Undelete
http://www.executive.com/consumer/undelete/undelete.asp
That's what countless Undelete users have told us. You know how upsetting it is to accidentally delete a file that you needit takes just a moment to lose hours of work. Undelete file-recovery utility captures ALL deleted files including those that typically bypass the Recycle Bin. You can even recover files you purged from our Recovery Bin. With our Emergency Undelete feature, you can recover files deleted prior to Undelete being installed on your system (provided they have not been written over). Buy Undelete and you'll never again be at the mercy of lost data.

File Scavenge
http://www.quetek.com/prod01.htm
File Scavenge is the most comprehensive, award-winning file undelete and data recovery for NTFS volumes on Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. With the simplicity it offers, you do not have to be an expert to recover files lost by accidental deletion, virus, corrupted hard drives, broken RAIDs, accidental reformatting, etc.

Active UNERASER
http://www.uneraser.com/undelete.htm
Active UNERASER is a compact and powerful undelete utility that can recover deleted files and folders on FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS systems. It can even restore files from deleted and re-formatted partitions.

With this data recovery software NTFS drives can be recognized and deleted items can be recovered from Microsoft DOS. It is not necessary to install the utility on your system's hard drive, as it fits on a boot floppy disk, removing the possibility of overwriting data which you want to recover.

Undelete 3.0
http://www.pcconnection.com/scripts/productdetail.asp?product_id=309884
Undelete 3.0 restores accidentally deleted files within seconds from anywhere on your system. Version 3.0 includes new SecureDelete, full Windows XP support and expanded search options.


Restoration  (FREE)
http://www.freewarefiles.com/programs.php?ProgramID=2609&categoryid=9&subcategoryid=96
Restore files which are deleted from the recycle bin by mistake. Conversely, delete confidential documents completely. You don4t have to install it, so it doesn4t leave any garbage in the PC. (You can also run it from a floppy disk.) NTFS is supported from version 2.2.12.


Or

http://www.ontrack.com/datarecovery/
Ontrack offers a full range of data recovery solutions to address your data loss needs. Unlike other data recovery companies, Ontrack provides exclusive and patented solutions that do not require you to send in your media for recovery. In situations where the hardware is functioning normally, our patented Remote Data Recovery service and

EasyRecovery software solutions can solve your data loss needs safely and effectively in a matter of hours. If another company claims that there is no alternative to shipping your drive, it's because they don't offer an alternative. For situations in which the hardware is physically failing, our In-Lab services will utilize our Class 100 clean-rooms to retrieve your mission critical data.

brakk0 is correct

A big thanks to everyone who took the time to answer my question and offer advice.

A bigger thanks to brakk0 for providing the correct answer and for fully understanding my question.  Many people suggested reinstalling this and that, but fail to realize that there are no internal or external drives. I'm awaiting the delivery of the adapter and am certain that it will work.

Thank you so much.