That's a good point about identity thieves retrieving your personal information. I was the victim of identity theft several years ago and it was huge hassle to fix that problem. I have an old computer that I was going to toss in the dumpster... now I know better!

Great tips on retiring an old computer and giving it to charity. I've also found a couple of sites that will give you 200-300 dollars for old laptops if they're still working. I got rid of one of mine that way. :-) A little extra cash always helps! Merry Xmas - Derke

I recommend that if you give your computer away that you take your hard drive out and destroy it. I was at a conference the other day with a PC security specialist who said that even if you erase your hard drive the information can still be retrieved.

I have 2 old set of computers at home collecting dust. I suppose it is time to give it away for some charity.
What I am more worry is the data in the hard disk. This data is difficult to ease totally.

Too bad, I am not aware that collection points for battery in my country.

Excellent tips as I have a desktop at home that I am using as "back-up" in case my laptop has issues. Should I decide to discard it I will follow these recommendations. Concerning ID theft I'd be tempted to remove the guts and physically destroy them.

I have two old computers that I'm going to give to a recycle business and they told me to make sure I erase my hard drive. But I think I will destroy and give them the peaces I have left to recycle. I was also told to take a magnet to erase the hard drive instead of a software program to erase my files.

We had a place that you could take all your hold computers to be recycled, however it closed down recently. I have used old computers for file storage and one for storing thousands of mp3's, which works great for parties.

I never even thought of that! I used to throw computers out when they stopped working but what is to stop someone from taking it apart and stealing information? Good thinking I will keep this in mind in the future.

I have an issue with developed countries disposing of their unwanted stuff in poorer countries, but old computer systems can be a help to some of them. I am from a so-called "third world" country and we dont do the used stuff when it comes to computers, schucks we go for the latest and whats considered the best. But,almost every home has a computer now which is good.

Most computers that are being recycled are being sent to China where poor people physically break them up. These people end up with COPD type diseases.

We remove all memory before we dispose of the computer. Then physically destroy the memory by incinerating it. This a condition of our contract. This is the only sure way of securing your data.

If you're going to dump the computer then best to wipe the entire thing (I've been using Eraser also). However if you're going to give the computer to a relative or friend, you can delete all your known data and then use it to erase all the temporary and cache files, and lastly have it erase all the "deleted" areas of the disk. It's no assurance something will be left lingering on the disk but about the best you can do if you need to keep Windows up and running.

Yeah I'd love to donate my old PC but you never can be 100% sure you erased all your personal info short of formatting the HDD, but that's not much use to the new user. My old pc has been sitting on a shelf for years cos I didn't know the best way to go about getting rid of it.

There are numerous Freecycle groups (run through Yahoo) across the US that you can use to donate old computers to people in need. You might even find something you need that someone else is giving away. I reformatted the hard drive on one of my old computers and then donated to a disabled person via the Freecycle group in my area.

I recently filmed the first Green Office Depot in the country in Austin, Texas. They now are offering a Technology Center where you can bring your old computers/laptops etc. There is a small shipping charge you have to pay, but you get an immediate credit you can use on any new piece of technology from the store. You can view the video at Green Office Depot Video

I put the incorrect link in my last post to the Green Office Depot Video. It should be www.solarenergyassociation.com/depot.html

I put the incorrect link in my last post to the Green Office Depot Video. It should be www.solarenergyassociation.com/depot.html

I have a computer sitting right beside me that I have been debating what to do with. I plan to donate it to a local charity after using the Eraser software.

Thanks for the push to donate rather than trashing!

I have at least 3 computers(desktop and 2 notebooks) that I haven't gotten rid of, because I am afraid of someone retrieving my data. My desktop has personal information on it and crashed. Is there a way to ensure that I can erase all the data before trashing the hard drive? I'm a novice, but was told that data could possibly be retrieved from a dead hard drive? Is the Eraser software mentioned help?

I generally only buy laptops so when it comes time to retire them i stip out the hard-drive and put in a case with a USB port for storage. then sell the parts to the local computer plaza. :)

Our school receives a lot of "hand-me-downs" which are mostly junk pieces like monitors, keyboards, scanners, etc. If we do receive the actual brains we always clean em up before we begin to load programs on them. Our swat team will even piece out the materials if we think the pc is not fast enough. Unfortunately if any of this stuff is deemed junk, it heads over to the dumpster which is close to my room. Especially at the end of the year, you'll see an entire dumpster half filled with "junk" computers and accessories.

Identity theieves come in all shapes and sizes. My bro-in-law went thru a nightmare when they tried to refinance their home. This thief was located inside this office and had access to everything about him and even created his own drivers license using the theif's pic and my bro in laws info. Went out and purchased a new truck and camping trailer, trashed it in 6 weeks.

And thanks for the comments about selling used laptops that work.

Great tips on retiring an old computer. These computers are often refurbished and send to developing countries or donated to under developed countries.

I didn't know either how to get rid of my old PC. Its been hanging out too long in the storage room and I'm afraid only the rats will use them. I'm thinking of giving it away to a good friend but I'm afraid all my confidential data can be retrieved and manipulated.

Wow, I didn't even think about the identity theft risk. The way we've gotten rid of old (but still working) computers in my family is by giving them to other family members.

Thanks Tim, for such useful tips. Its been almost a year now since i am not using my pc, i was thinking of disposing it.. but now i think i will just donate it to some charity. And i hope this Eraser software will prove to be useful. cheers!

My wife has 2 desktops,and 2 laptops laying around,we need to have fixed. Im scared specialists may even spy into your computer?? we dont know what to do.

I think donating your unused old pc's to charity is a good thing, I have donated a couple over the years, just try and make sure you have cleared as much of the hd as possible, not only for your protection but also that of the chosen charity

This is a subject that few people consider. But when you think about all the private and sensitive information on your CPU, it is very dangerous to simply toss one out. Retiring it the proper way is extremely important!

I'm retiring a computer w/in the next week or so.
If I incinerate the hard drive and memory, as a previous poster suggested, can I then just throw it in the trash, or do I need to take it to someone who disposes of these things, safely?

Don't think the 'puter would be of use to anyone, it is just too old.

Thanks, Cat

I recently had to dispose of half a dozen old pcs at work along with a dozen old monitors. i removed the harddrives and smashed them with a hammer. ThenI found a recycling program through at local market pro computer show that take the computer and monitors and recycles them in the local prison.

I also take a magnet and hammer to the hard driver after erasing it. Just like to be extra careful bc of the info on it.

Chris from Christian Books

I recommend that if you give your computer away that you take your hard drive out and destroy it. I was at a conference the other day with a PC security specialist who said that even if you erase your hard drive the information can still be retrieved.

Hello.
more links for that topic?
And Bye.