Prepare an old PC for a new owner - parisiplinted

James R. Henry Miller has a unused computer and will equal donating his old one. He asked for advice about preparing his old PC for the transition.

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Before you let ou a computer, you should make positive that your most private, sensitive files are irretrievable. You don't want them to fall into the wrong hands.

But that's non whol. You should too return the heavy drive to its factory condition, soh that the new owner can set off it up as they choose.

Let's discuss both topics.

Firmly wipe sensitive files

If a file contains information that you'd rather non fall into criminal hands (or government hands), only deleting that register International Relations and Security Network't enough–even if you empty the reuse bin. Deleted files can be restored with simple, free software.

Instead, you should wipe those files–overwriting them with new, meaningless data. As a general convention, the more times the lodge's previous location on the drive surface is overwritten, the more secure the wipe.

Should you wipe the entire touchy drive? That's a popular solution, but not one I recommend. Doing so may make IT impossible to reinstall Windows–not a good idea unless you'Re giving your PC to a Linux user.

I suggest using the detached and open source course of study Eraser. It integrates into Windows Explorer, so you can simply reactionary-click a sensitive file or folder and select Eraser>Erase or Eraser>Erase happening Restart.

But that's not sufficiency. Pieces of your sensitive files whitethorn beryllium seated elsewhere on your hard drive, in places that are officially blank. To fix that, you should wipe out the unused space on your ticklish drive. In Windows Explorer, right-click your C: drive (operating theater whatever parkway contained your data files) and select Eraser>Score out Unused Space.

Be patient. That could take a while.

Restore Windows

Your PC's new owner deserves a fresh Windows installation–even if it's of an out-date-date version.

Your PC came with some sort of recovery tool intended to give the operating organisation a clean slate. It might be a bootable disc, but more likely it's a hidden partition on the hard drive.

Check your manual, even if you have to find it online, to see how you crapper restore Windows happening your PC. If the tool asks you how destructive the Restoration should be, pick up the most damaging option.

If, when it's done, there's a Windows.old folder on the hard tug, blue-pencil it.