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Throwing My Old Laptop Out - Should I Delete Files?

S

shalisha alston

Junior Member
Hi. I'm getting a new laptop and am throwing my old one away. I don't know what the rules are for throwing out old computers. I have lots of passwords saved in my old computer and sensitive info on my old laptop. I'm concerned that if someone gets a hold of my old laptop, they'll be able to access my data.

What can I do so that no one can access my old data after I transfer it to the new laptop and throw out my old laptop? (Hope that makes sense).
 
makes sense, I will typically use Darin's Boot and Nuke (aka dban) to wipe drives. be very careful, and only do this once you have all the data, as it's not reversible.

Always ensure ONLY the disk you want wiped is attached to the system, dban is setup to wipe any disk it can see.
 
Hi there ch33zw1z. Thanks for your quick response. Okay, so first, I transfer all my old stuff to my new laptop, then insert the disc (software) into old laptop and the software will erase it?
 
Yes, removing the drive is the best idea. And depending on how large the existing drive is and what operating system it has, maybe just put it into the new laptop. It may boot up just fine and if it is Windows 10 it would correct any driver issues. If not just put back the drive that comes with the new laptop and migrate your personal data files over to it.
 
Just note that if your laptop is new enough and/or a business model, then it may have an integrated TPM chip in it. If it does, then Windows 10, and possibly Windows 8.1, will enable BitLocker when installed, automagically.

My understanding with DBAN, is that it simply writes zero and random data, which won't work if the drive has BitLocker installed.

My understanding is that you need to do a "PSID revert" on it, which requires a mfg-specific utility, as well as the PSID physically printed on the drive label.
 
Hi. Thanks for your response. I am so NOT a techy. LOL. So a lot of this sounds like a foreign language to me. I don't know how to remove the drive, but I can google it or youtube it. Thanks for all of the suggestions.
 
corkyg said:
You can also just remove the drive and keep it regardless of the type..
Click to expand...
Yep, this is what I do/did a couple of months back with a couple of older laptops I had lying around. Removed the drives then donated the laptops to Goodwill for recycling. The drives were to old and small to be put to any practical use so they got the drill and hammer retirement package.🙂
 
There are many ways to protect data on a drive,

The best is to break (with a hammer) the drive (SSD) or platter (spinner) into at least three pieces.
Throw one piece in the garbage.
Bury another in your backyard.
Throw the third into a lake or river.
 
If the HDD drive still works seems daft to physically destroy something that could still be useful. Even a small, slow by todays' standards 40GB 2.5" IDE HDD is surprisingly practical for small task backup/external storage.

As others here have said too unless it is locked to the old machine you should be able to take it out of old laptop, put it in a USB external housing and use it that way. If it is a 2.5" HDD that housing can often be little bigger than than drive itself and powered just by USB.

CCleaner can bleach the whole thing with multiple (x1, x3, x7, x35) overwrites ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ or you can delete only the OS and 'sensitive' stuff and do the same thing with the free space afterwards.

Reformat it to FAT32 and you could even run a Linux distro from it. In short plenty of things you can do with an old HDD which do not involve wastefully destroying it.
 
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VirtualLarry said:
Please don't do this! HDDs contain toxic chemicals, that could leach out into our waterways.
Click to expand...
Speaking of...please recycle the entire laptop. Electronic recycling is very important to the environment, and required in some states. Any Best Buy store can accept virtually all e-waste and they make sure it's disposed of properly, particularly the battery. They'll even remove the hard drive for you if you ask them.
 
Rifter said:
If its a spinner remove it and thermite or otherwise destroy it. If its a SSD pull it and reuse it.
Click to expand...

The paranoia in this thread is amazing.

You don't need to use thermite or a hammer, or super duper, erase it 10 times software.

Pretty much all HDDs have a feature called "Secure Erase", that erases EVERYTHING on the drive.

The whole point of that feature is when you want to completely wipe a drive. I have not heard of a single case anywhere of data being recovered from a secure erased drive.

I didn't even bother doing that when giving old computers to relatives, I just do a full format.

But if I am throwing away HDDs, I dismantle them, because Magnets!
 
Don't through it away, sell it. For Sale Trade section of the forum. If you are not comfortable with wiping the hard drive, then remove it and sell the rest.
A little money is better than none. Plus you will be making someone else happy.
 
Laptop hard drives are small. Have somebody who is more techy than you pull the drive, then you can just throw it in a drawer or even repurpose it with a USB enclosure (if it's not too old and junky) and sell the laptop for $50-100 on CL or facebook to a techy person.
 
On a laptop computer, just turn it over so you see the bottom. There will usually be 2 or 3 small access covers. The hard drive is under one that is about 3 x 5 inches in size. These will typically have a small #1 size Phillips screw. Remove that and the cover can be opened. There will be a small screw holding the drive. Remove it and the slide the drive off the connector. That is all there is to it. Of course with the Make and Model of the Laptop, we can provide exact directions and maybe a photo of how to do it.
 
I dont know but I was of the understanding data can be recovered from deleted drives otherwise everyone would do that. but yes 1 hole might not be good enough to protect your data maybe burning it would be the method to use.
 
techmanc said:
I dont know but I was of the understanding data can be recovered from deleted drives otherwise everyone would do that. but yes 1 hole might not be good enough to protect your data maybe burning it would be the method to use.
Click to expand...
Simply damage your hard drive put it on fire hammer it. Destroy it completely.
 
corkyg said:
You can also just remove the drive and keep it regardless of the type..
Click to expand...
The only practical thing to do if it's possible. I've bought used laptops in thrift shops with everything intact and easy to bypass the password.
Someones tax records etc, family pics. Recovered some deleted files too. You just wonder what some of these people not being security/privacy conscious
 
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