How do you dispose of a computer?

[missypie]

It's time to get rid of our first family computer. Is there software I can buy to erase things like our tax returns, or is there free sofware I can download? Once it's cleaned out, then what? A charity would have to be pretty hard up to want this ANCIENT (7 year old) computer. What to do?

 

[MUFFYCAT]

Sitting in my DD closet.

 

[OhMari]

It's time to get rid of our first family computer. Is there software I can buy to erase things like our tax returns, or is there free sofware I can download? Once it's cleaned out, then what? A charity would have to be pretty hard up to want this ANCIENT (7 year old) computer. What to do?

I would call your city or town government and ask them, they usually have procedures. We have to pay $25 for a special pick-up.

You can delete the file by going to your start menu, right click, go to explorer and you should be able to delete all the files you want.

Then go to the start menu, settings, then task bar and start menu and you should be able to erase software programs.

 

[Kirby]

I don't know but I'd like to know too.

 

[JessetheCowgirl]

I don't know if this is the "best" way to clean out, but I just put our original programming CD and basically erased the entire hard drive.

As for donating, I know that my DS's preschool was thrilled to get it---they just use it for letting the kids play educational games, so it was fine for that. (Ours was 6 years old)

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Apparently you stash them in my garage. We share a garage with our downstairs neighbor who builds computers out of spare parts and I swear, it looks like a comp usa graveyard...

 

[RadioNate]

I deleted everything of critical importance (like banking and tax information). I also pulled out everything that I could use on my new computer (universal memory, zip drive etc) then I took a hammer to my hard drive and did as much physical damage as I could. Our old city didn't have computer recycling and told us just to put it with our trash so we carted it around for a while until we moved and disposed of it when they had the yearly large item garbage pickup day. We figured if people were getting rid of refridigerators and TVs then they would take a computer.

 

[Lizzydoll73]

How do you dispose of a computer? Sledgehammer

 

[Dan Murphy]

http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/dell_recycling?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

Formatting the drive will erase all data also.

 

[JessetheCowgirl]

http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/dell_recycling?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

Formatting the drive will erase all data also.

Oh, so that's what it's called. This is what I did. And much easier than going through file by file and erasing.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Remove the hard drive and then smash it. I have read if there is a program to "delete" files then there is a hacker with a program to "undelete" them. Take a hammer to the hard drive.

Our city has a waste management place for computers. For a fee you can dispose of them.

 

[floridafam]

My DH removed the hard drive from our old compuuter and smashed it, just like the poster above.

I would call your city or county about disposing of the rest. That's what we did.

 

[missypie]

I don't know what "formatting the drive" means. How do you do that?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

OT...did anyone watch Office Space yesterday!!! That copier scene is GREAT!

 

[Rajah]

Yup, I agree. If you want to make *SURE* the data is safe and gone, take out the HD and destroy it. A 7 year old hard drive is unstable anyway, and it is true that if you can delete something, it can be restored with the proper techniques and tools.

 

[disykat]

After you've destroyed the parts, you can drop the monitor etc. off at some office supply stores. STAPLES takes them. We figured that out after paying to dump ours. We tried putting it in our garbage can and the garbage man actually took it out and left it on the curb - so I guess they don't take them.

 

[DVC-Don]

Remove the hard drive and then smash it. I have read if there is a program to "delete" files then there is a hacker with a program to "undelete" them. Take a hammer to the hard drive.

Our city has a waste management place for computers. For a fee you can dispose of them.

Yep, that's right. I take the hard drive out and smash it, then drop the rest of the machine off at the county recycling station. Ours is no charge.

 

[chadfromdallas]

Yep, that's right. I take the hard drive out and smash it, then drop the rest of the machine off at the county recycling station. Ours is no charge.

OK, this is a little extreme folks.....You don't have to take it out and smash it. Yesh..

 

[chadfromdallas]

Remove the hard drive and then smash it. I have read if there is a program to "delete" files then there is a hacker with a program to "undelete" them. Take a hammer to the hard drive.

:space:

 

[WWTBAMFAN]

If you want to donate the computer to someone who will take it, then you need to delete everything on the hard disk that is confidential and then reformat the hard disk. Even then some recovery programs can retrieve data. The removal of the hard disk is the safest way to assure that data is not retrieve.

The city will take computers at recycling centers but do not like them. I am glad that Staples is taking computers.