Move all your files to a new PC

Out with the old
But what about the computer you are replacing? It may be a bit outdated and not up to certain tasks but this does not mean it is entirely useless.

While high-street charity shops will generally not be interested in computer equipment, there are a number of organisations that specialise in the distribution of old hardware to those in need. The Waste Online website has links to local computer recyclers and refurbishers who accept donations of computers and peripherals.

Donate A PC enables anyone with an unwanted computer to list it online, ready to donate to interested parties ­ simply post details of what you have and anyone interested will be able to get in touch. It is also worth checking with your local council to see if other recycling facilities are available in your area ­ don’t throw old PCs out with the rubbish. Before disposing of your computer, ensure that it has been wiped and contains no personal information. See our free Workshop on secure deletion.

You might able to make a small profit by selling the PC using a service such as Ebay but there are important security steps to take before handing a computer over to someone.

Your PC is likely to contain a large amount of personal information, but deleting files is not enough. To ensure that private information does not fall into the wrong hands it is important to wipe the hard disk of the PC which is being disposed of.

One of the most comprehensive is Darik’s Boot and Nuke. Unlike other programs, this will automatically wipe any hard disks that are detected so there is no need to worry about manually wiping any partitions that have been created or additional hard disks you have installed. Darik’s Boot And Nuke runs from CD or DVD and a disc must be created first. Visit www.dban.org, click the Download link at the top of the page and then click the ‘CD and DVD media’ link under the Stable Releases heading. The software is supplied as an ISO file and as this is only 2MB in size it will not take long to download. The file must be saved to a disc before it can be used and while this can be achieved using disc-burning applications, all is not lost if you don’t have one. You can download Imgburn free of charge. Don’t download and use this tool until you are certain you are ready to wipe the hard disk ­ there will be no way to backtrack once the process begins.

Download, install and launch the program and insert a blank recordable CD. Click the icon labelled ‘Write image file to disc’ and then click the small button marked with a folder and magnifying glass. Select the ISO file you downloaded from the Darik Boot and Nuke website and then click the large button at the bottom of the program window to start the process.

Once the disc has been created, the computer needs to be configured to boot from the CD. Restart the computer and press Del (or whatever key is indicated by an on screen message) to enter the Bios. Head to the section called ‘boot priority’, ‘boot order’ or something similar and ensure that the CD or DVD drive is first in the list. Save the new settings, insert the newly created Darik’s Boot And Nuke disc and restart the computer.

When the blue menu screen is displayed, press Enter and wait for the interface to load. Press the M key and use the arrow keys to select one of the disk wiping methods. A description to the right indicates the level of protection offered by each method and describes how many times data will be overwritten. After you have made a selection, press Enter and use the arrow keys to select each available hard disk in turn, pressing the spacebar to flag it up for wiping. Press F10 to start the process and before long the selected hard disks will be empty and the information they contained rendered unrecoverable. As noted earlier, this program should be used with extreme caution. Be sure to only use the disc in a computer which is to be wiped. Active@ Kill Disk is similar to Boot and Nuke, but it runs from within Windows or DOS.

Once the hard disk has been wiped, you can reinstall Windows to return the computer to its original state without any worry that personal data remains ­ it can then be sold, donated or recycled.

Demote your old PC
Recycling, donating or selling is not the only option for an old PC. While the hard disk installed may not be of the same capacity of modern drives, it could still provide valuable backup storage for a new computer. In many instances it will be possible to simply open up the new PC’s case, and assuming the relevant connections are available, plug the drive in and start using it straight away. If this is not an option, an old internal hard disk can be converted into removable storage through the use of a caddy. Enclosures such as Startech.com’s Infosafe (around £35) will house a standard hard disk in a special caddy which can then be connected to the computer with a USB cable. Components such as keyboards and monitors can almost always be reused, which can help reduce the costs of buying a new PC.

Buying a new PC will almost always get you a more powerful machine capable of running more demanding games and software than it’s predecessor. While this is an exciting prospect, the fact that the factory default settings are likely to differ radically from the old computer can be a daunting thought. But as usual, a seemingly mammoth task can be greatly simplified by turning to the right tool.

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