Guest Author - Debbie Jacobsen
When you get a new computer, what do you do with your old one? Many people donate their old PC or laptop to charitable organizations or schools. Others sell their used equipment through classified ads, at yard sales or on online auctions like EBay. There are many ways to dispose of an old computer, but are you sure you aren’t letting sensitive or confidential data get into the wrong hands?
Many people don’t realize that deleting files really doesn’t delete them permanently. As a result, personal information is often left on the hard drives of discarded computers. When an old computer gets into the wrong hands, your identity (as well as bank and credit card account information) is at risk.
Data that is deleted on a computer hard drive is still recoverable, even after it has been emptied from the recycle bin as well. Easy to use, freely available software is used to recover deleted data all the time, and this is the tool of choice for criminals who scour thrift stores and auctions looking for used computers to buy. Even deleting a partition and reformatting a hard drive will not erase all data beyond the point of recoverability.
Before you sell or donate your old computer or laptop, take a few precautions to make sure your data is completely eliminated first.
How to Completely Erase Data on a Hard Drive
In order to erase data files beyond the level of recoverability, you need to use special software that is designed to completely “sanitize” the disk. There are several good programs available, including WipeDrive, Webroot’s Window Washer, or BC Wipe. You can search download.com or tucows.com for “hard drive eraser” and see what’s available.
Disk erasing/wiping software cleans all the files off your hard drive completely by rewriting the drive several times, using strings of random characters to ensure that the disk space that was once occupied by your sensitive information becomes totally unreadable. This software runs during the boot process and completely erases everything on your hard disk. This is an extensive process and can take an hour or more to complete, depending on the size of your hard drive. When it’s finished, you will have a totally “clean” hard drive. The operating system will have to be reinstalled before you can use the computer again though.
Another Option – Destroy the Hard Drive
Many people don’t want to take the time to use special software to erase their hard drive properly, particularly if they are simply “discarding” their old PC. If you don’t care whether or not the new computer’s owner has a hard drive or not, simply remove the computer case cover, remove the hard drive and physically destroy it.
Once the hard drive is removed, unscrew the case and use a screwdriver and hammer to break it open (if you’ve never seen the inside of a hard drive, now’s your chance!). Tear apart everything you can and smash it into a million pieces. As an added precaution, throw the pieces into different trash receptacles just to be sure no one will find all the parts and attempt to put it back together.
If you use this option, you’ll have to sell or donate this computer with “no hard drive”. This might not make the new owner happy, but at least there is no chance of anyone ever recovering your personal information.
