Eraseing Your Data Before Recycling

Question

How do i permanently erase my data before recycling?

Answer

This question was answered on August 22, 2007. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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 here, 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.

Author

Posted by George of Data Doctors on August 22, 2007