Yes, it's the hard drive. They can be harder to smash than you might think! (The last time I physically destroyed a drive I forced open the casing and emptied a tube of superglue into it!)
RATTER15 i have had to open it up as it has packed in for the 3rd time , it has been back to HP for repair twice. There was a known fault with this model and they have replaced most of the parts hence the parts in my photographs have white stickers on them.