Recycles.Org  BETA Nonprofit Materials Exchange Network Computer & Office Electronics Recycling & Reuse

Date: Thursday, 2 June 2005

Title: Destroy Stored Computer Info

Source: http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/

Remarks: None

When deciding to get rid of an old computer, Call 4 Action reporter Meghan Jones says a few security concerns must be addressed. How do you shred the information on your hard drive? Is it safe? Is it necessary? It's important to remember that any information that has ever appeared on or been stored in your computer is still on the hard drive. Not even anti-spyware programs and firewalls destroy that information. "When you delete a file, it's like taking a folder out of the top drawer of a filing cabinet and putting it in the bottom drawer," said Larry Rogers, of the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute. "You can't find that file where it used to be, but it's still there." Computer users who plan to clean their hard drives should look for programs that say they are "military grade" or "Department of Defense grade." There is also another way to go. "Certainly, destroying a hard drive by physically manipulating it so that it is unreadable is the best solution," Rogers said. Goodwill Industries on Pittsburgh's South Side receives hundreds of donated computers per month. Dennis Abbott, the computer recycling center coordinator, said Goodwill offers hard-drive crushing as a low-cost option to ease donors' concerns. The service is called Kil-A-Byte, and it costs $20. "We send out a certificate of destruction," Abbott said.