Make sure data secured when you discard your computer

While most hackers will not target random discarded hard drives, identity theft is a very real threat, and wise users will take steps to protect themselves. One option is to perform a security wipe on the hard drive, which reassigns each bit on the drive three times in order to obscure the data completely. A less costly route is simply to destroy the hard drive. So if you are discarding an old computer, and there is no concern about the functioning of the system, there is an element of fun in harvesting the old hard drive.

Laptop hard drives are much easier to access. On the bottom of the laptop there are usually access doors for the battery, RAM and the hard drive. RAM access will show a rectangular symbol with teeth, resembling a stick of RAM. The battery symbol looks like a C or D battery. The hard drive access will often show a stack of disks, and may be on the bottom or on the side. Remove screws and slide it out to the side, or remove the access door on the bottom and the hard drive will tip out and disconnect from its connection.