I've read articles that if someone is really determined to retrieve data from a hard drive, it can be done. If a hard drive is smashed with a hammer, or actually broken apart, they use a special jig and can read data from it. The best way is to grind it up! Joe Kovacs

Hi Joe The costs involved in reconstructing data from a damaged hard drive mean that only the really determined person would bother to even try We are talking many thousands of dollars here not hundreds Whereas someone with the knowledge can extract data from a reformatted hard drive for very little expense Hence the hammer for me :-) Once its been thwacked with a hammer it can still be recycled in the same way but you are pretty safe in the knowledge that no one can intercept the hard drive before its shredded Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) > I've read articles that if someone is really determined to retrieve data > from a hard drive, it can be done. If a hard drive is smashed with a > hammer, or actually broken apart, they use a special jig and can read > data from it. The best way is to grind it up! > > Joe Kovacs