The essential steps of wiping and disposing of your computer or laptop

The essential steps of wiping and disposing of your computer or laptop

Disposing of your computer – It seems that hardware upgrade cycles are becoming shorter and shorter these days, which leaves behind a lot of outdated computers and laptops that need to be disposed of responsibly. In situations where you need to dispose of a large amount of computer equipment then Able Skips are on hand to help you, but besides the physical disposal of the computer or laptop equipment, what else do you need to know?

First of all… back up all of that sensitive data

Getting rid of a computer can be a data security nightmare – just think of all of that sensitive information buried away on your hard drive that you would rather not get into the wrong hands.

Of course, that might lead you to hurriedly delete everything, but there’s another danger here – of erasing something you later realise you needed to keep. That’s why your very, very first step should be to back everything up.

As for how to do that, we suggest using a DVD or Blu-ray disc, not least as once you’ve established there’s definitely nothing you need to retain, you can simply severely scratch or crack the disc to ‘delete’ the data on that as well.

Consider whether you need to get rid of the hard drive at all

While you may prefer an upgraded computer, it may be that the existing hard drive is not obsolete and could continue to serve your needs just fine.

You might therefore be able to move it into a new system and not have to worry about erasing data or getting rid of a hard drive that may still hold lingering sensitive information.

But even if you’re keeping your hard drive for now, it won’t last forever. You might therefore want to take the chance now to start implementing some basic data security practices, such as wiping your Internet browsing history and cached files regularly and storing your information on a separate server rather than on your computer or laptop itself.

Encryption is another option

Erasure isn’t the only way to render files on your old hard drive inaccessible, with encryption being pretty much as good, provided that anyone who might otherwise be interested in prying on your data doesn’t have the correct decryption key.

So good is encryption as an alternative to erasing data, in fact, that some hard drive manufacturers even offer self-encrypting disks. When the time comes that you want to dispose of the drive, all that you then need to do is use the manufacturer’s encryption tool.

Don’t forget the WEEE regulations

The WEEE, or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive is a European directive with which you will need to comply with disposing of your old computer or laptop in the UK. It seeks to reduce the amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment that ends up in landfill.

With that in mind, you may be interested in an environmentally friendly skip hire service like that of Able Skip Hire Ltd when you come to dispose of your unwanted computer or laptop. We can supply you with a skip of any of a wide range of sizes as part of our complete, eco-friendly approach to computer disposal, so why not obtain your quote from us today?

Book Your Skip Hire below or Call 01772 622342

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Delivering Skips throughout Lancashire

We are now able to offer a larger coverage area for Our services as we have established links with partner companies within the County who share Our ethos of Reliable Service, Affordability and a pro-active approach to Recycling. Please visit the Delivery Areas section of the site and use the Map to see if we can service your Location and obtain a quotation.

We deliver to:

Adlington, Blackburn, Chorley, Leyland, South Ribble, Preston, Bolton, Lostock, Wigan, Fylde