Is It Safe to Resell Your Computer?
| If you are ready to replace your computer, you may be wondering if you can sell your old one and recoup some of your losses. You can get a decent amount of money for your old computer, even if it is broken, but you need to make sure that your personal information is safe before you do.
Reformat Your Hard Drive Your hard drive is the place where a potential identity thief could get your information. If you intend to sell your old computer, you must completely reformat your hard drive. Make sure any information you need off of the computer has been transferred to the new one, and then reformat the drive. Reformatting the drive basically means reinstalling the original operating system. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, have someone you trust do it for you. Use a Program to Erase Your Files You can also use programs that are available online to erase your files. One program, Eraser 5.7, makes the computer clean enough to hold up to military standards. It can be downloaded free online and works on all Windows formats, with the exception of VISTA. This program does not erase everything, however. If you want to do that, consider a program that will completely erase the data on your hard drive. Kill Disk and WipeDrive 5 are two examples. Once your computer is ready to sell, check out Computers for Sale and its classifieds section as a place where you can sell your unit. |