Hints from Heloise

Dear Heloise: When disposing of old computers, the hard drive should be removed and destroyed or retained by the owner. Even if the hard drive is erased or reformatted, files and data stored on the hard drive can be retrieved.

I found this out when I purchased a new computer a couple of years ago. Before I donated my old PC to a local organization, one of my neighborhood computer gurus removed the hard drive from it and installed it in a spare port in my new PC. It gives me additional storage space and allows me to keep old files I may need. – Jim in Greenwood, S.C.

We checked with our favorite computer guru, and he said that there are special programs you can buy that will completely erase the hard drive. He did state that it was very important to do this before donating a computer. Check computer stores for cost and availability. – Heloise