How to safely dispose of that old PC.
One evening, while driving home from work, I happened upon a discarded PC, set out at the end of the driveway in an affluent suburb of my city. I passed by it, noted it, dismissed it, and continued on my way home. A few minutes later, I began to consider what might be lying at the end of that driveway, and in the end, I turned around, went back to the home and knocked on the door. No one was home, so after some internal debate, I picked up the PC, and returned with it to my home.
Now, the art of scavenging is an age-old tradition, born in the ideal that "one man's trash is another man's treasure." (Anyone who ever grew up garbage picking while walking home from school knows exactly what I mean.), and electronic items of any kind are treasure troves of spare components for tinkerers like myself.
In this particular case, the previous owner of this PC had simply unplugged it and set it out for trash pickup that week, (three days early, I might add).
I returned home and took the PC to my workbench, opened the side case and noted that the hard drive was still in the machine.
Curious, I connected a spare monitor, keyboard, and mouse, and powered on the machine. It fired right up, and to my horror, did not require a windows log in to go to the desktop.
There, on that desktop were folders containing labels like "Family Photos and Movies", "Letters and Emails", "Bank Accounts and Passwords", (that is actually what it said - no lie), and "Stocks". Essentially, every aspect of that family's life was sitting at the end of the driveway for anyone to take. In this case, they were fortunate that I was the one who picked up that old PC.
I shut the equipment back down and immediately removed the hard drive. The next day, I made a phone call, (yes, this person's contact information was in there as well), met with the previous owner of the PC, and presented him with that hard drive.
People are grateful when someone returns a lost wallet, or a server calls about a credit card that was left at a restaurant, so you can imagine, (after the initial shock and horror), the relief this particular individual expressed.
His exact quote to me was, "I had no idea all of that stuff was still in there!"
In this age of "disposable" consumables, it is easy to look at our home technology and say, "It doesn't work anymore, toss it."
With items like televisions, toasters, and microwaves, it's not necessarily a big deal, but when it comes to home computers, that old PC at the end of the driveway is a potential gold mine for identity thieves.
I gave him my business card and offered the following advice…
When disposing of an old electronic device, (PDA, Smart Phone, PC, Laptop, Television, Stereo, etc), remember these following essentials:
1): Simplest and most effective method to dispose of an old PC is to first REMOVE THE HARD DRIVE! This is the best way to safeguard your identity. Most computer manufacturers design their systems so that the hard drive is easily accessible once the outer cover has been removed.
For those of a more hi-tech bent, there are electromagnets that can be placed over the hard drive and used to scramble any data within. Once scrambled, data recovery is impossible
2): If you are unable to remove the hard drive, reach inside and disconnect the wires. Not as effective, but it will make it more difficult for potential thieves to re-create a functioning PC. The more difficult it is for the would-be thief to get to your information, the less likely they will be to try.
3): If you must set the PC out for pickup, do so on the morning of the service day. Now, there is still a chance that someone else might get to it first, but if your pickup is early in the morning, (Refuse drivers begin residential routes between 6:30 and 8:00 AM in most areas), then try to get it out at the time of pickup, or as close to the time as possible. Whenever possible, hand it to the driver and watch them put it in the truck. Trust me, once the compactors in those vehicles do their thing, that PC is finished.
4): PDA's and Smart Phones. Fortunately, most retailers will take old PDA's and Smart Phones, usually as part of the upgrading process. In those rare cases where that is not possible, most devices have an option to reset to default, which essentially wipes all information from memory. Once this is done, be sure to remove the battery. This will guarantee all information is removed. In addition, most batteries in portable devices contain or are considered hazardous materials that should not be picked up as normal trash.
As a final thought, I present two other "typical" approaches that are less secure than most people realize:
1): "I deleted all the files and then emptied the Recycle Bin, isn't that enough?"
One of the features of all modern computers is a memory cache that maintains copies of files for a predetermined period. Simply deleting the files will not work. Someone with necessary knowledge can "undelete" that information and use it.
2): "I reset my computer back to the day I bought it, so everything should be gone, right?"
This option is part of "system restore" and can be used to reset the computer, (as with smart phones), back to factory defaults. Essentially, it takes the computer back to the day you pulled it out of the box. Many people believe that doing this will protect their information because, from the perspective of the unit itself, the information was never entered.
This is not the case, because - unlike smart phones and PDA's - "system restore" also creates a complete backup as a "safety feature" to protect against the accidental loss of data. Again, someone with the right knowledge can retrieve that information.
A Quick Note on E.P.A. Regulations
Nowadays, the disposal of electronic devices has become regulated. Be sure to check with your local township or waste hauler to find out what rules govern the disposal of electronic devices in your area. Many refuse haulers, townships, and service providers have locations specifically established to handle the recycling of electronic devices. Dropping your devices off at those locations is more secure than leaving them outside the home.
As with anything else, if you are unsure of what to do, or how to accomplish it, contact an expert who can provide the service for you. Though there may be a cost involved, it is much better to pay a little now to ensure the safety of your identity, than pay more later in order to reclaim it if it's stolen.
One evening, while driving home from work, I happened upon a discarded PC, set out at the end of the driveway in an affluent suburb of my city. I passed by it, noted it, dismissed it, and continued on my way home. A few minutes later, I began to consider what might be lying at the end of that driveway, and in the end, I turned around, went back to the home and knocked on the door. No one was home, so after some internal debate, I picked up the PC, and returned with it to my home.
Now, the art of scavenging is an age-old tradition, born in the ideal that "one man's trash is another man's treasure." (Anyone who ever grew up garbage picking while walking home from school knows exactly what I mean.), and electronic items of any kind are treasure troves of spare components for tinkerers like myself.
In this particular case, the previous owner of this PC had simply unplugged it and set it out for trash pickup that week, (three days early, I might add).
I returned home and took the PC to my workbench, opened the side case and noted that the hard drive was still in the machine.
Curious, I connected a spare monitor, keyboard, and mouse, and powered on the machine. It fired right up, and to my horror, did not require a windows log in to go to the desktop.
There, on that desktop were folders containing labels like "Family Photos and Movies", "Letters and Emails", "Bank Accounts and Passwords", (that is actually what it said - no lie), and "Stocks". Essentially, every aspect of that family's life was sitting at the end of the driveway for anyone to take. In this case, they were fortunate that I was the one who picked up that old PC.
I shut the equipment back down and immediately removed the hard drive. The next day, I made a phone call, (yes, this person's contact information was in there as well), met with the previous owner of the PC, and presented him with that hard drive.
People are grateful when someone returns a lost wallet, or a server calls about a credit card that was left at a restaurant, so you can imagine, (after the initial shock and horror), the relief this particular individual expressed.
His exact quote to me was, "I had no idea all of that stuff was still in there!"
In this age of "disposable" consumables, it is easy to look at our home technology and say, "It doesn't work anymore, toss it."
With items like televisions, toasters, and microwaves, it's not necessarily a big deal, but when it comes to home computers, that old PC at the end of the driveway is a potential gold mine for identity thieves.
I gave him my business card and offered the following advice…
When disposing of an old electronic device, (PDA, Smart Phone, PC, Laptop, Television, Stereo, etc), remember these following essentials:
1): Simplest and most effective method to dispose of an old PC is to first REMOVE THE HARD DRIVE! This is the best way to safeguard your identity. Most computer manufacturers design their systems so that the hard drive is easily accessible once the outer cover has been removed.
For those of a more hi-tech bent, there are electromagnets that can be placed over the hard drive and used to scramble any data within. Once scrambled, data recovery is impossible
2): If you are unable to remove the hard drive, reach inside and disconnect the wires. Not as effective, but it will make it more difficult for potential thieves to re-create a functioning PC. The more difficult it is for the would-be thief to get to your information, the less likely they will be to try.
3): If you must set the PC out for pickup, do so on the morning of the service day. Now, there is still a chance that someone else might get to it first, but if your pickup is early in the morning, (Refuse drivers begin residential routes between 6:30 and 8:00 AM in most areas), then try to get it out at the time of pickup, or as close to the time as possible. Whenever possible, hand it to the driver and watch them put it in the truck. Trust me, once the compactors in those vehicles do their thing, that PC is finished.
4): PDA's and Smart Phones. Fortunately, most retailers will take old PDA's and Smart Phones, usually as part of the upgrading process. In those rare cases where that is not possible, most devices have an option to reset to default, which essentially wipes all information from memory. Once this is done, be sure to remove the battery. This will guarantee all information is removed. In addition, most batteries in portable devices contain or are considered hazardous materials that should not be picked up as normal trash.
As a final thought, I present two other "typical" approaches that are less secure than most people realize:
1): "I deleted all the files and then emptied the Recycle Bin, isn't that enough?"
One of the features of all modern computers is a memory cache that maintains copies of files for a predetermined period. Simply deleting the files will not work. Someone with necessary knowledge can "undelete" that information and use it.
2): "I reset my computer back to the day I bought it, so everything should be gone, right?"
This option is part of "system restore" and can be used to reset the computer, (as with smart phones), back to factory defaults. Essentially, it takes the computer back to the day you pulled it out of the box. Many people believe that doing this will protect their information because, from the perspective of the unit itself, the information was never entered.
This is not the case, because - unlike smart phones and PDA's - "system restore" also creates a complete backup as a "safety feature" to protect against the accidental loss of data. Again, someone with the right knowledge can retrieve that information.
A Quick Note on E.P.A. Regulations
Nowadays, the disposal of electronic devices has become regulated. Be sure to check with your local township or waste hauler to find out what rules govern the disposal of electronic devices in your area. Many refuse haulers, townships, and service providers have locations specifically established to handle the recycling of electronic devices. Dropping your devices off at those locations is more secure than leaving them outside the home.
As with anything else, if you are unsure of what to do, or how to accomplish it, contact an expert who can provide the service for you. Though there may be a cost involved, it is much better to pay a little now to ensure the safety of your identity, than pay more later in order to reclaim it if it's stolen.