So, your computer has died and you are getting rid of it. Or you are replacing it with a newer one. A lot of people will throw it out or give it away. But, before you do, there’s something you should know.
Your computer probably still has a lot of information on it that someone else can get. Even if you think you got rid of everything.
There are files you have saved, possibly financial and medical information, letters you’ve written, and pictures you’ve stored. There is probably a significant amount of information about places you have visited on the Internet, searches you have done, and possibly even copies of the pages you have visited. Even if you deleted all these files and emptied the recycle bin, the chances are good that there is information on that computer that you haven’t been able to get rid of.
In fact, a lot of the techniques that people use to try to get rid of their data are not nearly as effective as they think they are.
So, before you get rid of it, make sure your data isn’t falling into someone else’s hands.