Most of the Do It Yourself ideas are at

http://forums.cnet.com/7723-7588_102-354911/lost-and-found-or-the-storage-forum-sticky/?tag=contentBody;threadListing

Some USB drives come back if we put the HDD inside into a new USB enclosure. After that it's off to drivesavers.com

Just wondering, has anyone every mentioned why we keep a backup copy of such things?
Bob