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Giving Your
Computer Away
What to do with
that unneeded computer?
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When you get a
new computer, odds are that you don't simply throw away your
old one. You may tuck it away in the closet, or set it up
elsewhere in the house as a "backup" PC but never use it. If
you keep up with the cutting edge, you might have two or three
unused PCs gathering dust. You may have considered giving your
old PC away to a family member,
Senior Citizen, or perhaps to someone who
can't afford a new computer (needy students are everywhere),
but wondered if it was really worth it, given that you can buy
a new Dell for $299. Be assured that a working PC, even if a
bit old, is a valuable commodity, and you can increase its
value with a little work. A good gift computer is a working PC
with your personal data removed, but your recipient may still
need to do some work to get it set up for his or her needs,
and may not have the knowledge or resources to do this. A
better gift computer has had most of its internal
configurations reset to as close to factory fresh as possible
and has some software installed to keep a new user out of
trouble.
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If your computer
came bundled with Windows (there would be a Microsoft Windows
sticker on the PC), you can legally transfer ownership of it
with the computer itself. You should include any restore discs
or Windows installation discs with the computer. It is
important that you don't accidentally use the same Windows Key
to activate it on more than one computer, because this may
prevent your computer's new owner from downloading Windows
Updates, opening it up to being hacked. Also, it is illegal.
In most cases, if other software came with the computer, it
can travel with the computer too. If you bought a software
package and installed it on your computer, it can either go
with the machine or stay with you on another one, but it can't
be on both.
You won't have
any access to files on a PC that leaves your possession, so if
you haven't already copied them off its hard drive, you'll
need to do so before you delete them. The My Documents folder
is where most of your files live, but if you have multiple
Windows users, there's a My Documents folder for each one. You
should delete other personal data, too. From your e-mail
program, delete any inbox or stored messages, and compact all
folders if there is such an option. Delete any contacts in the
address book, and remove any server/log-on account
information. |
* Contact your local Senior
Center
* Schools may need one, or a
student
* How about a needy neighbor, or
church?
*
http://freecycle.org
* Manufacturers' Recycling
*
TechSoup Massive List
* After this article was
published, a reader suggested that he puts
them at the curb, and they are always taken.
(OK, but make this the LAST choice)
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To insure that you have all your old
files removed from the computer you may want to use
Webroot Windows Washer.
This utility can delete sensitive data from history files,
file caches, and logs crested by more than 450 different 3rd
party applications without touching the Windows installation.
If you want to securely delete all the
non-Windows files on the hard drive,
Eraser 5.3
is the way to go. This program is
FREE to use and is one of the best as it will overwrite
the disk several making it almost impossible to recover files.
You can adjust the number of times the disk is overwritten -
the higher the number, the more the data is destroyed.
If the new owner doesn't want or need
the existing operating system you can use
Darik's Boot and Nuke
to wipe the hard drive clean. Oh, and
did I mention that it is FREE!! It's advantages are speed and
ease of use. However, it cannot be used to clean an individual
file.
There are lots of free applications that
can be downloaded onto the computer before it gets to its new
owner.
Open Office
contains not only a word processor but a spreadsheet, database
application and presentation application. There are also free
anti-virus programs as well as firewalls.
With a little
effort on your part your old computer can be of service to
some deserving person. If you cannot find a person for the
computer you can offer your computer to members at
www.freecycle.org, or call
your local
Senior Center |
