Disposing of old laptop - how do I ensure all personal files are deleted?

[MrsBertMacklin]

I know how to erase internet history, temporary files, programs etc., but I'm sure there are going to be some files hidden in the C drive folders (that I never open because I don't understand what they are for), that need attention.

Any advice, please? And also, once I have deleted everything, what's the best way to dispose of the laptop? It works, but is very very old and very very slow, could it be donated to charity, or sold for parts?

I took a hammer to the harddrive.

Watching this as I have a similar problem . I have 3 laptops which eventually fire up, and I want to get rid but am scared of personal files being accessed.

I've considered dunking them in a bath, but also thought if there was a secure way of disposal, might be of use to somebody somewhere?

Use DBAN to wipe the drive securely.

Remove it and smash beyond all recognition. Its surprisingly therapeutic : )

Thanks, I'll give DBAN a try.

I use a program called Eraser - it will do sweeps of the 'empty' portions if the drive to completely destroy the files (DBAN is probably the same).

Files are not actually removed from the drive when you 'delete' them so can be recovered, and even when the same part of a drive has ben used to store a new file, the old file can sometimes still be read with the right equipment.

Wmittens, thanks, that's what I'm worried about. I'll check out Eraser as well.

Once you've wiped it with the right tiools, you will probably find a good home for it on Freegle or Freecycle.