old PC laptop NEED to Recycle/Destroy...where? (hard drive, how to, wipe)

[ramsey]

I have an old COMPAQ laptop that I need to wipe clean with all my personal information on it and then recycle or throw away. Is there a business or company or something that could do this for me? I am computer illiterate and will need MAJOR ASSISTANCE in accomplishing this if I were to do it on my own, thus needing and wanting a trusted professional to do it. Thanks in advance and much appreciated!

[NHDave]

If you want to tackle it yourself dban Darik's Boot And Nuke | Hard Drive Disk Wipe and Data Clearing will securely wipe the hard drive, although it's much easier just to pull the hard drive out and store it or destroy it before disposing of the computer.

If you're not capable of doing that then find a local shop and pay them to do it for you.

[thecoalman]

Use Dban as already suggested. Couple of other steps you can take... Remove the drive from the machine and place it or parts of it in a nontransparent bag for disposal like a potato chip bag. Physically destroy the platters, most people suggest drilling through it however there is only going to be a few screws holding the drive together. Take it apart, the discs you find inside hold the data. I just put them on the belt sander for a seconds. Dispose of the pieces piecemeal in non transparent bags.

Personally I wouldn't hand anything over to someone else unless they had an industrial shredder and I got to watch it get shredded.

[Peregrine]

Be nice if we knew where you lived. Why don't people use that location field?!?

[Mr. Lee]

Turn over the laptop and take out the hard drive, you can look up your make and model along with the words remove hard drive and you should find youtubes like the ones below showing how to take out the hard drive, then put it on a concrete floor and smash it with a hammer and drill holes in it if you can, then give the laptop without the hard drive to a store like Staples for disposal.
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...20hard%20drive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DUYM3NTAy4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qle1T_6ThKc

[smarino]

Just throw it in the trash. I'm SURE all of your personal information is all over the internet anyway, just like all of us.