Does delete mean gone forever?

What happens when you sell or give away your cranky old computer and get a new one? So you removed all your files and being somewhat paranoid even reformatted the hard disk. Is everything wiped forever? Sorry - the answer is not. Short of taking the hard disk out and breaking it in two, nothing is wiped forever and if somebody really wanted to retrieve your information they can do it despite the reformat. Bears thinking about before you donate or sell that old computer that had your bank records, the page where you saved all your passwords, love letters you regret or whatever is likely to haunt you from the past!