How do you securely dispose of a laptop?

How do you securely dispose of a laptop?

4 Easy Steps To Proper Laptop Disposal

1. Back-up your old hard drive.
2. Properly delete your data.
3. Destroy the hard drive.
4. Dispose of the hard drive correctly and in compliance with local disposal and recycling laws.

Is it safe to throw away my old laptop?

Recycle your old laptop. Don’t trash it. According to the EPA “recycling 1 million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by more than 3,500 U.S. homes in a year.” Plus, discarded electronics harm the land, water and air. In addition, most Best Buys accept laptops for recycling.

How do you destroy a laptop hard drive?

1. BEFORE YOU BEGIN.
2. STEP 1: Remove the hard drive from your computer.
3. STEP 2: Access the hard drive’s platters and circuit board.
4. STEP 3: Remove the read/write arm, and scratch the platters with a screwdriver to destroy data.
5. STEP 4: Break the circuit board.
6. STEP 5: Recycle the computer’s components.

How do you destroy a laptop?

If you don’t plan to resell the hard drive (which is a good idea), the smart thing to do is just destroy it entirely. Use a hammer and crush it, drill some holes into it, really tear it up.

Can you destroy a hard drive with a drill?

“The three best ways to destroy a hard drive are with a drill, where the disc is physically not capable of being read anymore, microwave oven, or my favorite — thermite,” said Robert Hansen, vice president of WhiteHat Labs, WhiteHat Security.

How do you destroy a broken laptop?

What to do before selling your old PC?

The first thing you need to do before selling your computer is backing up any important data you want to keep, such as documents, photos, and programs. If you have a small amount of data to keep, you can use any cloud storage service such as Dropbox to do the backup, or directly copy and paste the files into one removable device.

How should I get rid of an old laptop?

Getting Rid of the Laptop Sell your computer. Trade in your laptop for cash or gift cards. Donate your old laptop. Take it to an electronics recycler. Throw it away as a last resort.

How do you dispose of an old laptop computer?

Disposing of Your Old Computer Contact the manufacturer. Trade your computer in when you buy a new one. Use a computer recycling or disposal firm. Salvage any usable parts before disposal.

How do you destroy old computers?

Destroying a Computer Entirely Use protective gear. Lay out an old towel or blanket. Set aside a sledgehammer. Lay the computer on the blanket. Place a second blanket over the computer. Hit the computer through the blanket until every piece is broken. Clean up after yourself.