laptop - Is it possible to transfer data from a damaged hard drive?

I have a Dell Inspiron 1720 with a damaged hard drive. I was wondering about a few things really.

Is it possible to recover/transfer data from it at all? I assume it's only partially bad, particularly in a start up area.

If so, can I perform the transfer using the 1720's two internal hard drive slots? Or must I use an external hard drive?