Disposing of a computer

closed

It reaches the same level as dban, and has options for the same algorithms, (35 gutmann overwrites if you are paranoid) - the data won't be recoverable if you do a factory restore first.

Mr_Thrifty

Heat it in the oven on gas mark 7 for 45 minutes?
Run it over a few times with the car?
Throw it into the ocean?
Smash it up with a jackhammer?
Take it apart then put the platters in the microwave on high for 30 seconds?
Take it to the breakers yard and ask them to pick it up using one of those huge electromagnets that they use to lift cars?

LOL

mttylad

Once wiped put it on your local Freegle group, someone will come and take it away without you needing to do anything more to it.

candtalan

bengalknights wrote: »

Or just give them the pc without the hd and they can then either install one or sell it as it is.

I help such organisations sometimes, and they will value your very blank erased safely hard drive! If you can make some efforts to security erase the HD it will be useful to the next user, but it is more work for you of course.

consumers_revenge

I would not like to leave a disk in there.....

In work we pull all the pins out, scrape the circuit boards then hit it with a ball hammer till you get a nice pattern :-)

googler

Why so keen to destroy a perfectly good drive?

OP, just take the drive out of the PC and KEEP IT. Your data will be safe that way.

prowla

You could offer the machine on your local freegle/freecycle site, and someone will be glad to come around to your house and take it off your hands.

As for the hard disk, you can choose to keep it (and put it into an external USB case so you can use it as a backup of your files), or wipe it (not just delete files or re-format - that will leave the data intact), or put another OS on it (and fill the disk up to overwrite the old data by copying a load of junk files into a temp folder).

Sam_G_3

Just use a program that will erase and then "zero out" each sector on the hard drive in one pass. Unless you are dealing with hard drives from places like banks or other companies that have really sensitive information on the drives, for the average home user you don't need to leave your computer on overnight to do 10s of passes over each sector with drive wiping software or take a hammer to it.

Not unless you have certain files on the drive which you don't want people (police) to trace back to you?...