September Monthly Bulletin
Preparing Your Old Computer for Donation, Selling or Recycling
Buying a new computer? Regardless of what you’re planning to do with your old computer (PC or Mac), the first, and most important thing you should do is to completely erase the hard drive. Your best option for this is to use the recovery software on your computer to reset it back to the way it was when you first bought it. This will not only erase your data from the computer, it will also make your computer usable by the next person who owns it. While this isn’t as important for recycling, it is very important if you’re selling, trading or donating your computer. I’ll go over the standard way of doing this first, and then I’ll provide an even more simple option.
Regardless of which version of Windows you’re using, your computer likely has a small section set aside on the hard drive for system recovery. Since most of you are using a Windows 10 or 11 computer, I’ll use these as examples, but this also works the same for Windows 8.1.
If you’re using Windows 8.1 or 10, follow these steps:
- Select Settings (the gear icon on the Start menu).
- Select Update & Security, then Recovery.
- Choose Remove Everything, then Remove files and Clean the drive.
- Click Next, then Reset and Continue.
- You may be asked whether you would like to remove files quickly or thoroughly. Select thoroughly to ensure that data cannot be recovered.
If you’re using Windows 11, follows these steps:
- Select Start > Settings > System > Recovery.
- Open Recovery settings.
- Next to Reset this PC, select Reset PC.
- Open the dropdown table and select Remove Everything.
- Data erasure will be set to on by default. Leave it at that setting for a full system wipe.
If you’re using a Mac Computer:
When performing a system wipe on Mac computers, there are a few extra things to be aware of. The steps can change based on which processor your Mac has, and potentially which update of macOS it has. There is one method for older Intel processors, and another for the proprietary Apple Silicon chips that have been released in the past couple of years. To make sure you use the proper method for your Mac, follow the guidance Apple provides on their website.
https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/erase-and-reinstall-macos-mh27903/mac
Now, for that more simple option I promised you…
If you’re planning to donate your old computer, regardless of what kind it is, please consider donating it to our Technology Access Program (TAP). All you need to do is bring your computer to our TAP office, located under the Thai Bistro (enter from the rear parking lot). The very first thing TAP will do in preparation for refurbishing your old computer to repurpose it for needy children or families, is to completely wipe the hard drive…so you don’t have to do it.
TAP uses a certified military grade hard disk erasing station that renders your hard drive completely unrecoverable, even by data retrieval experts. This means you don’t have to go through the process I recommended earlier, plus you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing your old computer is being refurbished and repurposed to a deserving home.
You, our members, are the very best part of the TVCUC and we appreciate your involvement. Speaking of involvement, we are still looking for candidates for three positions on our Board of Directors that expire at the end of 2022. These positions do not require that you be a geek or computer enthusiast, but that you simply have a willingness to help us help our members and make our organization even better and stronger. We are seeking candidates for the positions of Vice President, Secretary, and Director-at-Large. If you would like to volunteer a couple of hours a month to any of these positions, please send an email to the TVCUC Nominating Committee.
Larry McJunkin, President