Tip
Prepping Your Computer for Disposal
Some article information courtesy of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission
Ready to give your old computer the heave-ho? Before you do, remember that computers often hold all kinds of personal and financial information that thieves could find valuable—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.
To ensure your hard drive doesn’t become a gold mine for thieves, there are things you must do before you shut down for the last time.
Save important files. Save files to an external hard drive or online backup service, or transfer them to a new computer. Drives as large as 1TB cost a little over $125 and there are good free and low-cost online backup options, such as Dropbox (2GB free), Carbonite (unlimited backup for $54.95 per year) or SugarSync (30GB for $49.99 per year).
“Wipe” your hard drive clean. When you delete a file, the file name is removed from the list of available files and the computer knows it can use that space to save new data. The old file data is still there, though, until it is overwritten. And the data can be retrieved with a data recovery program. To remove data from your hard drive permanently, it needs to be wiped clean—preferably overwritten multiple times with a dedicated hard-drive wiping program. For Windows PCs try Eraser (free) and for Macs try ShredIt X (free).
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.
Once you have a “clean” computer, consider recycling, donating or trading it in – and keep the environment in mind when disposing of your computer.
Disposal Options
Recycle it. Many computer manufacturers have programs to recycle computers and components. The Electronics TakeBack Coalition has a list of the major manufacturers’ policies plus resources for finding a local recycler. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also has information on electronics product-recycling programs. And always check with your county or local government for recycling programs, and the local landfill office for disposal regulations.
Donate it. Many organizations collect old computers and donate them to charities, including Goodwill. Earth911.com has a list of organizations that will help with donations.
Trade it in. Sites like Gazelle.com, techforward.com and tradeups.com give you cash back while ensuring your products don’t end up in the landfill.
Comments
From trade things on October 03, 2009 :: 12:34 pm
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