It can’t find the hard drive. My computer can’t find it’s hard drive.

I found it just fine, but I don’t know how to read it so it wasn’t much help. Hey, computer, I thought, it’s right here! Here it is! I’ll reseat these connections and maybe that will help you see it.

No luck there.

There is luck in my Dad having gotten the extended warantee/service agreement for me when they got this computer. This means they’ll just mail a new hard drive to me and I send them the old one.

I’m just concerned about the data. How do I get the data off the old hard drive? To be clear, how do I get the data so I can use it and how to I wipe the old drive so THEY don’t have access to the data?