Tip of the Week: Permenantly Erase your Data Before Recycling

Before recycling, donating or otherwise disposing of your computer, it is a good idea to make sure your personal or confidential data is removed from the machine. There are several options, some discussed in this week's Advice Column, but a simple method is to use a disk eraser that will not only delete the data, but overwrite it with special patterns that render the information unrecoverable. The most popular of these tools (and the one we recommend) is called Eraser. Available from http://www.heidi.ie/eraser/, Eraser can both securely delete files, AND overwrite previously deleted files.

As with all programs, only install something if you actually need it. It is recommended that you simply bookmark the above site, for later access when actually disposing of your computer.

Headwhack of the Week: Where Do I Take My Old Technology?

You've decided to be a good steward and recycle your old computer, you're even smart enough to have securely erased all your personal information from it, but WHERE do you take it? One of the most common questions we get asked are variations of "Where do I recycle this" or "Do you recycle this?" Here are two resources for your use: