Sharing Know How

I thought I would do a quick follow up post regarding the last and most important point in my recent Here are 6 different ways to properly dispose of your old computer post.  I talked about making sure that you format your hard drive before selling, giving away or properly disposing of your old computer. 

Formatting your hard drive may sound like a very intimdating thing to do, especially if you don’t consider yourself “computer savvy”.  I was going to write up a blog post about the different ways to format your hard drive, but I came across a great blog post that expains the process better than I could.  Robin Harris has a great blog over at ZDNet and recently wrote about How to REALLY erase a hard drive.  He first explains the process of formatting a hard drive and then provides a link to a free utility to get the job done. He also explains in detail how to use the Free Secure Erase Utility software.  It is a great link to bookmark or print the page and save it for when you need it.

I thought I would share some of the ways I looked at for disposing of an old computer recently.  Old computers can have a very negative environmental impact depending on the way they are thrown out.   I ended up using the first way listed below to get rid of my old computer.  An old slow computer for you may be a very useful and much appreaciated computer for someone else. “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure!”

OK, here’s the list…

1. Donate your old computer to a local charity. If you can’t find a local charity,  you can use this list at TechSoup to help you find worthy charities that accept old computers.

2. Try selling your computer on eBay! or through local classifieds (sometimes your local newspaper will allow provide you with a free listing for  items you are giving away).  You might be surprised at the number of people that want your computer!

3. Take advantage of manufacturers that will accept your old computer when you buy a new one.  Many companies such as Dell and HP will now recycle your old computer for free when you buy a new one from them.

4. Ask your friends or neighbors to see if they are looking for an older computer or might have a use for them. Some tech geeks use any extra computers then can get to help them look for alien life in space. (Not me of course!)

5. Put your computer on your front lawn on a dry Saturday during “Garage Sale Season” and place a sign saying “Free computer!”  You might also consider using Freecycle.org if it is available in your area.

6. Pay for a local technology recycling company to have your old computer taken off your hands and recycled responsibly.  You can find these recycling companies in the Yellowpages in most large cities.

**Remember to format (low-level format if you have a utility that can do it) your hard drive before using any of the above steps.  You don’t want any of your personal or financial information getting into the wrong hands!