How to Clean Off a PC Before Donating It

Information left on a donated computer can be used to steal your identity. Therefore it is important to remove personal information from your computer data in such a way that it cannot be retrieved before donating it.

Things You'll Need

• Disk erasing software

Instructions

1. Obtain a disk erasing program that will repeatedly write over your hard drive so that deleted data can not be retrieved. Choose one that can be run from a boot disk. Free software of this type can be found by searching online for disk eraser or file shredding software.

2. Run the disk erasing software from a boot disk. Use the software on all sectors of your hard drive including the operating system. If the software does not automatically rewrite each disk sector multiple times then run it several times manually.

3. Reinstall the operating system from the recovery disk if appropriate for the organization you are donating the computer to. Schools will usually install their own operating system but nonprofits may not; ask the organization before you donate. Include the recovery disk when you donate the computer.

Tips & Warnings

• Licenses for pre-installed Microsoft operating systems do not transfer to different computers.

• Be sure to erase all files because personal information may be embedded in operating system or program files.