would you return a dead hard drive to the store if your personal data is on it?

[bluemoose]

I had to return a bad 750gb drive back to the store today because it went
bad. It was still functioning, so I was able to wipe it clean with a 3-pass
wiping process.

Then I realized.... what if the hard drive had completely died and wouldn't
even turn on? I wouldn't have been able to wipe anything off. BestBuy
(or any store that I know of) certainly wouldn't accept a rerturn without
the drive.... nor will they drill holes in the drive while I'm in the store...
In the interest of keeping my personal data secure, am I better off just
to forget about a refund and keep the dead drive?


The last time my hard drive died, I just took a hammer and smashed it.
(including the platters) Since they were out of warranty, it didn't bother
me at all....

 

[2048Megabytes]

It depends on how sensitive the information you have on the hard drive is. If you really feel uncomfortable with someone else possibly getting their hands on the information, I would just destroy the hard drive.