But before you do anything with that old computer you need to make sure you delete all of your personal information. Think about what could be on there. Did you do your taxes on that computer? Track your finances in Quicken? Let your browser save passwords for you? Track your genealogy (what’s your mother’s maiden name)? You should delete all of that information. You also should delete any email and contact information that is saved on the computer. Don’t forget the sent box, and don’t forget the archive that Outlook has likely created for you.
Remember that time you deleted a file and your favorite program stopped working? Don’t worry about that. Now is the time to delete anything you think might be personal. If you’re not sure, err on the side of caution, which in this case means delete it. When you’re done, don’t forget to empty the “Recycling Bin” — until you do that, it’s not really deleted.
That last thing you should do before you shut the computer off for one last time is change your password. Ideally you would change it to a random series of letters, numbers and symbols eight-plus characters long, but in this case blanking it out will do.
Now you can’t just throw a computer away, though some people may try to hide it in a City of Portland trash bag and hope that the trash guy doesn’t notice. This is a bad idea for two reasons. First, computers contain toxic chemicals that you don’t want buried in a landfill or incinerated. Second, City of Portland trash bags hardly have the strength to hold regular household trash, never mind the sharp corners of a computer.
So what can you do with that old computer? There are a few good options.
You may be able to donate it. This generally costs money, but your old PC may still be able to do some good. PC’s for Maine (www.pcsformaine.org) takes donated equipment and sells complete, low-cost systems to schools, libraries, non-profits and low income families. The Computer Donation Network (www.computerdonationnetwork.org) does the same but focuses on schools and non-profits.
You also could inquire whether your computer manufacturer has a take back program. You package up the computer and ship it to them, and they pay to have it recycled. Different manufacturers have different rules. Apple requires you to purchase a new Mac computer from Apple directly. Dell and Sony will take back anything with their name on it at any time. Dell will also take any computer if you purchase a new Dell from its website. Contact the manufacturer of both your old and new computer to see what programs they offer.
As a last resort you can bring it to the transfer station, and pay them to recycle it.
Jeremy Hutchinson, owner of Foreside Technology, assists local businesses with purchasing, configuring and maintaining computers, servers and networks. You can reach him at Jeremy@ForesideTech.com.