So, you have just bought a new computer - what happens to the old one?
- You may choose to give it to family or friends
- You may choose to sell it
- You may decide just to scrap it at the local recycling centre
But hang on a minute - what happens to the data on the hard drive, personal information, bank details, credit card details etc?
Simply deleting the files or formatting the hard drive isn’t secure. Files can be “undeleted” and drives can be “unformated”.
To be absolutely sure, you need to securely erase your hard drive, so no files are recoverable, or remove the hard drive, keep it safe and dispose of the rest of the computer.
Software to securely erase a hard drive is available, or you can ask your computer engineer to securely erase it for you.
Remember - “better safe than sorry”
Last updated on August 12, 2011
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