Getting rid of an old computer? Here are important safety tips!

First, you celebrate! You got a new computer!!

Then, you consider whether you want to park that old machine somewhere in the far reaches of your basement....

Right. Me either. I'd rather get rid of it.

Even if it is at least a dual core machine (in which case, hint-hint, you'd want to consider donating it to a nonprofit!)... you want to clear your hard drive.

It's not hard.

Here are some links to help you out:

http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/safely-dispose-computers-and-devices.aspx

http://www.wikihow.com/Safely-Get-Rid-of-an-Old-Computer

Three ways to get rid of an old computer (Microsoft)

REMEMBER: Deleting stuff from your hard drive isn't enough. Deleted files often can be recovered. At the very least, you should format the hard drive. See my article, Clean the hard drive before dumping your PC, for instructions on how to do this.

You're safest if you overwrite the disk. There are free programs that will make the disk unreadable. PC Inspector's e-maxx meets U.S. military standards. Another good program is Eraser, free through Heidi Computers.