What is the best way to remove all personal info from my old PC?

The PC in question is my old one and I want to get rid of it.

I want to make sure all my personal information( credit cards and social security numbers) is removed before I do so.

What is the best way to do this.

This question was answered on March 30, 2004. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

---

The best way to erase all your personal information from your old PC is to take installation CD and insert in the CD ROm as you are attempting to install an operating sytem on the PC.

When the sytem prompts you choose to do a clean install which will allow you to first reformat the hard drive by deleting all existing partitons.

After having done that, and it asks you do want to set partitions, say NO.

If it asks you do want to continue with installation, say NO.

The other way is to remove the hard drive from the tower and put a magnet to it which will erase everything on the hard drive, wet it, burn it, etc.

About the author

Posted by Student of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on March 30, 2004

Need Help with this Issue?

We help people with technology! It's what we do.
Contact or Schedule an Appointment with a location for help!