Disposing of a Computer Safely

When it's time to dispose of an old computer, you need to consider what might happen to the data that you have stored on its hard drive, such as account names and passwords, banking information and other personal data you don't want to fall into the wrong hands. The hard drive -- where files are stored in your computer -- is the only component that contains information.

It's important that you remove any personal information from the drive. Even if you are giving it to an organization or person you trust, it's best not to put them in a position of having to protect your privacy.

Simply deleting the personal information is not sufficient. Many computer utilities can recover recently deleted files, and since some information is stored in the operating system's registry, it would be difficult for you to find everything that would need to be deleted.

If you are giving the computer to someone who will be using it, at a minimum you need to reformat the drive. Refortting a drive is something most computer users never do, but what better time to learn than on a computer that you are trying to erase the data?

Purists will tell you that the partitions can still be rebuilt and the files accessed. While that's true, it's a difficult job requiring specialized tools and it's unlikely anyone will be interested in doing it.

The next option is to physically destroy the hard drive. Drilling holes through the drive or smashing it with a hammer to keep it from ever spinning again will prevent it from being accessed.

Physical destruction of the hard drive is the best choice if the computer is not operable.

Once you are ready to dispose of the computer, do not simply put the computer in the trash. You should find an authorized computer recycler. They often can be found by an online search.