How to properly dispose my PC?

[tripods68]

I've switched to Mac. since October of last year. My old PC is just sitting here on my desk and collecting dust. So what should I do first to properly dispose it. It bought this in 2002 and it came with 15 inch LCD Dell. Is there any value in keeping the screen or any other parts of the computer. Oh yah, I still have my original hard drive. So I'll take that out. But what else should I do with the rest?

[momof1in150]

Call your local dump/transfer station. They usually have a couple of times a year that they take them or they might take them for a fee. You can also call your local high school or college as they might take them as teaching tools. Another option is to call your state EPA and they will tell you how to dispose of them.

[poundwise]

You can search the Internet for services who take these items and recycle them. I have utilized TechnologyRecycler.net in the past.

OfficeDepot has a tech recycling program.

Dell has their own program as well.

There are many other options.

[PrincessPerky]

you could give it to the good will if it works at all, or find a computer geek who will love you for the parts.

[safari]

Format the hard drive to delete your personal information, then list the computer on craigslist. You might be able to get $50-$100 for it. If the monitor is working, you can sell it separately for another $50-$100. Another option is to donate it to a charity. If you itemize your deductions, you will be able to deduct the cost of the computer from your income when you do your taxes next year.

[tripods68]

Right! I need to reformat the hard drive. Thanks

[Seeker]

Sorry but reformatting your hdd does not get rid of the data on it. Even Zero'ing your drive does not entirely remove data. And even multiple passes of writing 0's and 1's will not deter a forensic expert (who specializes in data recovery) who wants the data from a working drive.

If you want to sell a working computer, then I suggest removing the hdd and putting in a newly purchased one. Yes that involves cost.

You can also sell computers without any physical drive (but you might only get a computer techy to purchase it that way or a parts depot).

At work, we physically remove the hdd from all our computers before they go to "disposal" and literally void them (take off the cover and take out the patters from within the drives and take a hammer to them). Okay maybe a bit extreme; but security is a concern.

If you are concerned about data residing on the hdd, then you should not sell it with the computer.

[sweeps]

I use a freeware program called Eraser. It overwrites the data up to 17 times. If it's good enough for the Dept of Defense, it's good enough for me.

[poundwise]

I also use Eraser for file shredding and secure file moving but for wiping an entire drive, I'd suggest BCWipePD.

[Broken Arrow]

Uh ok, fellow data security fiends. I agree with you guys. Really.

I would say it depends on what information resides in the hard drive though. If it's not anything important, I say a simple format will be fine. Or leave it alone.

If it's sensitive, or if you're security conscious, a minimum triple pass of random or zeros will do just fine. Unless you're a serial killer, Uncle Sam is not going to waste his time and money seizing your HD to be examined by specialized forensic scientists using an electron microscope.

Of course, you can also not sell it. Keep it, reformat it, and reuse it as an extra hard drive. This is usually my preferred method. Not that I have anything bad to hide, and yeah ok, I'm also paranoid by default, but I like recycling hard drives for extra storage anyway.

The caveman hammer method is really a last resort in my opinion. I've never smashed perfectly good hard drives before. I should also add that if you're the mob or harboring kiddie pr0n, Uncle Sam can still read HD fragments. Just FYI. There are more effective ways, but honestly, this route is just overkill.

Actually, if you have anything that sensitive, you won't want that kind of data to sit in the primary hard drive to begin with....

[tripods68]

How bout "smashing" the HDD with a sledgehammer to make it worthless. Will that completely disabled data or at least not make it workable?

[Broken Arrow]

Again, let me reiterate that caveman clubbing really is overkill. Especially if it's a good, working HD that can be re-used.

That said, if you really insist, I'd unscrew the top cover of the hard drive, and smash the platters itself. I'm sure enough pounding with a sledge hammer will also do the trick, but opening it up gives you clear visual confirmation that the platters are properly "smashed".

[poundwise]

You could always see if your local steel mill will let you toss it in...








Hey, it worked for The Terminator.

[noppenbd]

I heard that drilling holes through the whole HD is pretty effective.

[poundwise]

A blog I read had a neat post and link. Apparently, MyBoneYard will recycle your PC and other electronics and pay the shipping to boot. They also claim to wipe data from hard drives, etc.