How to Safely Get Rid of an Old Computer
Have an old computer lying around the house? Don't just throw it away. Computers house all sorts of toxins that are bad for the environment and all of us who live in it. Not to mention the personal information—passwords, account numbers, license keys or registration numbers for software programs, addresses and phone numbers, medical and prescription information, tax returns and other personal documents—that you would rather not fall into the wrong hands.
So what to do?
How to delete your personal information
However you choose to dispose of your computer, you need to do several things if you don’t want a stranger to access your data.
Save important files
Back up your files or transfer them to a new computer. While you can certainly invest in an external drive, the simplest way to do this is to use a cloud service such as Google Drive or Microsoft’s SkyDrive. Google Drive gives you 5GB of storage for free and if you need more you can buy 25GB for $2.49 a month and 100GB for $4.99 a month. SkyDrive gives you 7GB of free storage with options to buy 20GB, 50GB or 100GB for annual subscriptions of $10, $25 or $50 respectively. Apple iCloud and Dropbox offer similar packages.
After backing up your files in the cloud, you can easily transfer them to a new machine or access them anywhere you have an Internet connection, even from your smartphone. Cloud storage also comes in handy if your computer dies and you need to restore your files or you’re traveling and need access to data on a different device.
“Wipe” your hard drive clean
Simply deleting files won’t cut it. Even if a file name doesn’t show up on the list of available files the old file data is still there until it is overwritten and a bad guy can use a data recovery program to retrieve it. To remove it from your hard drive permanently, use a dedicated hard-drive wiping program. For Windows PCs try Eraser (free) or EgisTec Shredder ($9.95 on EgisTec.com, supports Windows 7) and for Macs try ShredIt X (free).
Ideally, you'll want to completely reformat your hard drive, as well. But if that sounds a little daunting to you, at least try to follow the additional steps we recommend below.
- Uninstall your programs. Some programs, such as Microsoft Office, may contain personal information such as your name and address or other details. While others, such as iTunes, only allow you to install on a limited number of computers. So be sure to deactivate iTunes and uninstall any programs before disposing of your PC.
- Delete your browsing history. Most browsers save information about your browsing history and, depending on your settings, can even store your user names and passwords various sites. Obviously, you don’t want a stranger having access to this information. For Internet Explorer, you click on the Safety tab and then Delete Browsing History. Make sure all of the check boxes are selected so everything gets removed. Repeat this for any other browsers on your computer—Firefox, Safari, Chrome.
- Consult your employer about data disposal policies. If you use your computer for business purposes, check with your employer about how to manage business-related information on your computer. The law requires businesses to follow data security and disposal requirements for certain information that’s related to customers.
How to dispose of your computer
To avoid all those toxins ending up in a landfill, the better choice is to recycle, donate, trade-in or sell your computer.
Recycling your computer
If you opt to recycle it, keep in mind that some recyclers will simply take your old machine and ship it over to developing nations where children are often used to scavenge piles of e-waste looking for valuable components. To avoid contributing to this irresponsible practice, use a recycler that is part of the “e-Steward” network, meaning they don’t export to places like Pakistan or China, and they follow other high standards. Many of them also will reuse and refurbish electronics. The Electronic TakeBack Coalition offers tips for other ways to responsibly offload your electronics if one isn’t located near you.
Trading-in your computer
As for trading in your PC or laptop, there are scads of companies that offer trade-in programs through which you can sell a wide assortment of used electronics. A few options include BuyMyTronics.com, Gazelle.com and the Amazon Trade-In program. Your local Best Buy or Radio Shack also have trade-in options, but compare what they offer against the online services first.
And if your computer is still working, there’s always Craigslist. There’s likely someone near you who will take your computer off your hands.
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Discussion 
Donation
Don’t forget local organisations that may be able to put old and still working computers to good use. Lions clubs, blind associations, private physical rehab, Veterans clubs, etc. Vinux which is Linux for the visually impaired can be installed and given to vision impaired people who are shut-ins, or nearly shut-ins and give them an interactive social life. A fresh install of Vinux, or any other user-friendly build of Linux such as Ubuntu, Mint, Zorin or several others can also give other social shut-ins a lease on a social life. Free, I repeat free, fully accessible computers can be given to the deserving. Another great advantage of installing Linux over a Microsoft or a Mac system is that the Linux file system fully overwrites the Windows and Apple file systems obliterating all old personal and program info. Linux is free, no licensing or registration costs, full featured for home and business use and most desktop builds are as user friendly as Windows or Mac. Some are even better! The only cost a shut-in faces is internet access. There may even be local help with this, check around. Research Linux distributions at distrowatch.com
Donation computers
Or use National Cristina Foundation to locate a nonprofit that could use your old hardware. Often there is an organization within an easy drive. http://www.cristina.org/donation.ncf
Hard Drive
I don’t trust any of the hard drive wipe methods. After doing one of the wipe methods,
I physically remove and destroy the hard drive, and give the rest of the computer to recycle. You never know who is going to get hold of a donated computer, and how they might access and use residual information. A removed and physically destroyed hard drive is your best security.
Old Computer
I have a Windows XP Professional which has had a virus on it since 2005.How can I safely get rid of it? ASAP.
Re Vivian's "Old Computer"
Vivian -
I’m not a tech-whiz, but I would say: download and install on your XP computer, and then run, any of the good FREE (or fully-functional FREE TRIAL) antivirus (and antispyware) programs that are available on the web, to clear-out any malware on the system. Some good programs that might do the trick are AVAST ANTIVIRUS and SUPERANTISPYWARE.
Then, if you still really want to get rid of the computer—although after that cleaning, maybe you’ll want to keep it—follow any of the suggestions offered elsewhere in this forum, such as, for example, (a) putting it up for sale on eBay or Craigslist, etcetera, (b) donating it to a local charity or to a reputable charitable organization such as The Cristina Foundation.
XP Pro may be a bit old but it’s my understanding that loads of people and businesses, around the world, still use it by choice, because it’s relatively fast & efficient & still effectively meets these users’ needs.
I even use it on one of my older—but still good—computers, and it works fine. Of course I also, for security’s sake, have the system protected by antivirus & antispyware programs, also including a great additional malware detector/blocker program called “THREATFIRE”, which give an extra layer of security to the system.
If you really want to get a new computer, do it. But have you considered that upgrading your XP Pro computer—by adding memory, or a larger-capacity hard drive, or a faster CPU—might be a more economical, and workable, alternative?
As to the rest of the story as to why staying with XP Pro may or may not be to your advantage, maybe other contributors to this forum can offer some additional ideas.
Hi Vivian,I concur with SJS
Hi Vivian,
I concur with SJS about downloading a free antimalware solution. My recommendation would by Malwarebytes - it’s the best cleaning tool out there and it’s free. You need to pay if you want ongoing protection with Malwarebytes, but since this is for one-time use, that’s the way I would go.
I would not recommend staying with XP for two reasons:
1) Windows 7 offers much better default protection for preventing rogue applications from installing without your permission (which is perhaps how you got your virus in the first place)
2) Microsoft is no longer supporting XP and is not issuing software patches even if security holes are discovered.
Wipe the harddrive? What a waste.
When ever my PC gets obsolete, I always keep the harddisk. Simply unscrew the hard drive from the computer and store it in a safe (place). Then I have a backup for free, I don’t have to worries about some bad guy recovering my data and no need to wait hours after hours uploading my data to the sky.
Keeping the HD
Steen, I have to believe you to be a “relatively” new user. I have also kept drives, but it soon becomes both tiresome and lacking in uses. I have been using for 30 years, and still have 10Mb drives (yes, that is “EMM-BEE”) that are no longer worth a nickel, even if you could still buy them. Yeah, they were five or six hundred back then.
All my old drives have been rendered SECURE by both wiping and electro-magnetic interference. Suffice to say that I have access to large and powerful electro-magnets at work and I use an old machine just for wiping the drives at a 30-pass deletion.
Overkill, perhaps; but I use my home PC’s for some very sensitive and classified information.
Defunct computers
I normally replace the old hard drive and keep the original for data backup. Then I reload the operating system (usually XP Pro) after formatting the replacement drive. This not only stops any residual data being left but also ensures a virus free system. Then I either sell the old computer or offer it to a charity.
Format? Lol
Even contents of a formatted hard drive can be recovered.
Yes, that's why we recommend
Yes, that’s why we recommend wiping your files with an eraser tool first, followed by a drive format.
Recycling Computers
I am a long-time member of a computer user group that has operated a computer recycling program from time to time. There are a couple of free programs out there—Belarc Advisor is one of them (used it this morning)—that will build a profile of your PC that includes the license keys for your operating system (OS) and other programs. If you trust disk wipe software, run Belarc (or similar first) and print out the profile so you have a record of the “build” of your OS and its license key. Then the recycle organization can legally reinstall the OS under that old key. It saves the recipient money for buying a new OS, or at least gives him/her the right to get an upgrade.
Good disk wipe software meets Dept. of Defense conditions for safety. What it does is write the disk with 1’s and 0’s and repeat this numerous times to thoroughly wipe out the previous recording. Acronis makes one such program, and there are others.
Or take out the hard drive as suggested, but record the OS name, build and license key and tape it to the case.
But whatever you choose, DO NOT put it at the curb for pickup!
Antivirus
I don’t know why Vivian used this article to ask a question about an infected computer, but she didn’t specify whether the computer will load Windows. If it doesn’t, and if her computer can boot to a USB device, I would suggest using another computer to download a free USB-based antivirus program and run the antivirus program to clean the hard drive.
This was incredible. Telling us
From Mitch on August 23, 2012 :: 11:58 am
This was incredible. Telling us lay peole how to really erase the hard drive makes this one of the best subscritpions to a blog that I have ever signed up for!
thanks,
Mitch
Reply