I prefer BeOS for reading NTFS drives when I can't get into the Windows operating system. I recently used it to back NTFS files to a FAT32 disk, when Win2k couldn't start due to system file corruption caused by untimely rebooting of the computer while certain programs were running. Surprisingly, it worked with the optical USB mouse. Except since it only supports up to a GF3 videocard so far, the colors were black and white due to the failsafe video mode which kicked in, necessary for GF4 operation.
NTFS Reader seems like a decent last resort after all other options have been exhausted.