"I think the biggest misconception is people think they can erase their hard drive," says Intechra CEO Cindy Brannon. "Just say 'erase' and put it into the trash bin, and the problem is, it's still there."

To test the concept, News 8 bought ten used computers. Different makes, models and owners, and then took them to Intechra, a local computer refurbishing company.

Within minutes, using $30 software, technicians found the Web sites of nearly a dozen casinos.

"Here we could actually see Web sites that he'd been to," says Intechra employee Ernie Moreno.

But online gambling's only the tip of the iceberg.

In the past, these analysts have found credit card numbers, child pornography and more.

"We actually fired up one of the returns and there was some Al-Qaeda information on that drive," says Grover Edmiston. "So we actually turned the system over to the FBI."

Criminal data is rare, but every computer owner has privacy issues. Web sites, bank accounts, wills and everything else typed into a computer may be stored and salvaged later.

Forensic data recovery expert Brian Ingram compares deleting a file to destroying a card in a library's card catalogue.

"The book's still there," Ingram says. "The forensic data software that we use simply goes and re-indexes the entire drive. And finds exactly what you're looking for."

Landfills aren't the answer, either. Lead, mercury and other components inside computers make them toxic.

Data experts say the best option to protect private data is having a hard drive scrubbed clean.

Intechra does it on a massive scale.

"It meets the Department of Defense standard for ensuring that the data is destroyed," Brannon says. "It's what we call a triple wipe."

But simpler 'data-wipe' software programs are available to the public for less than $50.

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