How do I erase a computer for disposal/?

have an old windows XP. How do I erase the hard drive before recycling it?

Comments

  • Hi

    1. Do not take a hammer to it ... especially if you wish to re-cycle.

    2. CCleaner will NOT do what you want

    3. You could format the hard drive ... but a determined individual could recover data even from a formatted disk.

    4. The safest way is to use DBan ( Darik's Boot and Nuke )

    This does more than format the hard drive.

    It actually gets down below the formatted layer and basically scrambles it ...everything will be gone ..permanently.

    Get DBan from the link below

    http://www.dban.org/

    I hope this helps.

  • If the computer is working erase your personal files then use the free Ccleaner to wipe the free space.

    If the computer is not working use the hammer on the disk.

  • If you're looking for a cheap and easy way to throw it away that takes no time and is fun, take it apart and cover it in magnets while it's hooked up to a monitor. Watch the show. If you're planning on reselling it or something download ccleaner. They have a free way to completely wipe the drive

  • use DBAN, download the iso file and burn it to a disk and then reboot with the disk - this will wipe the hard drive. After that take it to your local recycling centre so it can be recycled safely, don't hit it with a hammer

    HTH

    David

  • Smash it with a hammer.

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