My old computer has to go. It was purchased in Feb 2007 and runs Windows XP and Office 2003. It still works OK so I have the perennial questions :
> what should I do to clean it up/remove personal data before its disposal?
> how should I then get rid of it?
Any tips and hints gratefully received.
Thanks
Silverback
Disposing of old computer
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Re: Disposing of old computer
Would you like to donate the computer to a charity or similar in working condition?
You could create a new account with administrator permissions, then delete your old user account.
Uninstall programs that you don't want the recipient to use.
Use a utility such as CCleaner to remove remaining temporary files etc.
You can also use CCleaner to overwrite free space so that "undelete" utilities such as Recuva cannot retrieve deleted files.
If you want to get rid of the computer altogether, you could format the hard disk. Or destroy it with a hammer...
I assume that your parish will have a place to safely dump electronics.
You could create a new account with administrator permissions, then delete your old user account.
Uninstall programs that you don't want the recipient to use.
Use a utility such as CCleaner to remove remaining temporary files etc.
You can also use CCleaner to overwrite free space so that "undelete" utilities such as Recuva cannot retrieve deleted files.
If you want to get rid of the computer altogether, you could format the hard disk. Or destroy it with a hammer...
I assume that your parish will have a place to safely dump electronics.
Best wishes,
Hans
Hans
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- Panoramic Lounger
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Re: Disposing of old computer
If the machine is going to leave your control then the very best way to ensure no data leaves as well is to remove the hard drive and physicaly destroy it, a BIG hammer will do the job nicely.
If the disk is a SSD a big hammer is the only real way to be absolutely sure but if the disk is a traditional HDD, the next best thing is to get a copy of DBANand wipe the disk with that.
Ken
If the disk is a SSD a big hammer is the only real way to be absolutely sure but if the disk is a traditional HDD, the next best thing is to get a copy of DBANand wipe the disk with that.
Ken
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- UraniumLounger
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Re: Disposing of old computer
Wouldn't a good sharp bit and a power drill easily destroy an SSD?
Bob's yer Uncle
Dell Intel Core i5 Laptop, 3570K,1.60 GHz, 8 GB RAM, Windows 11 64-bit, LibreOffice,and other bits and bobs
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- Panoramic Lounger
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Re: Disposing of old computer
Yup, Bob
There's always a pedant around when you need one
Ken
There's always a pedant around when you need one
Ken
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Re: Disposing of old computer
That's the Lounge for you!stuck wrote: There's always a pedant around when you need one
Best wishes,
Hans
Hans