There comes a time when we all will have to get rid of an old PC. Whether you plan to give your computer to someone else, or are simply taking it somewhere to be taken apart and recycled, ensuring that all of your data is completely erased beforehand can give you lots of peace of mind.

Deleting Individual Files

Doing this comes in handy if you are giving your computer to a friend or family member, but want to keep things like the operating system and other software intact. When deleting what you consider to be sensitive data on your computer, go a step further than sending it to the recycle bin; use a program like Digital File Shredder to ensure that those files are overwritten and therefore, no longer accessible.

Erasing Your Drive

You can also get rid of files by permanently erasing the data on your selected drive. But be aware that reformatting a drive won’t completely erase everything. Plus, it can be restored with data recovery software. Using a program like DataEraser will ensure everything is overwritten, but be sure to set aside a possible few hours for the erasing process. And remember that in overwriting data, doing so will render it unrecoverable.