Chapter Seven
Recycling is very dangerous
Repairing and upgrading is even more dangerous

Yes I am buying a brand new computer or maybe you have decided computers really are the devil and you want to just get rid of the darn thing.
“ Well hold on thar buster”
You wouldn't sell or throw out your filing cabinet with all the files still in it would you?

This is one of the most important pieces of information you can comprehend.

It is quite a well known but little publicized fact by police that most fraud and identity theft crime occurs when people resell or recycle or trash their computers. Corporations are notorious for this kind of ignorant disposal. However personal computers are being ignorantly disposed of in an increasing number.

Companies and people that buy used computers, auctions, and recyclers are also the majority of people who commit these type of crimes. There you were laughing at those “idiots”who bought all those crappy old computers for so much money.

Now I know you are asking yourself “what to hell do I do with my old computer?”

My biggest tip here is the simplest, don't sell give away or dispose of your computer with your old hard drive inside it. Remove it or replace it if your selling your computer.
There are a million myriads of techniques available that claim to completely remove your files from your hard drive. They are all to varying degrees incompetent at this important task. Lots of tech savvy criminals have tried only to discover the police or FBI were able to recover their data.
Once again the only safe way is to remove your hard drive.

Then destroy your old hard drive properly.
Drill several holes through the hard drives platter.
Buy a degausser at radio shack and also drill holes in it and then sledge hammer it. Then my favorite part don't throw it out together throw it out on separate dates. If you need to resell it or give it to someone else and you don't know how to put a new hard drive in your old computer then find someone you know to do it for you. Here is an excerpt that explains the process very well from http://technopedia.info/tech/2006/06/07/killing-hard-drives-for-fun-and-profit.html Therefore, it’s necessary to open the drive case before pounding on it with a hammer. Whacking away at the case might be cathartic, but it does little actual damage to the platters. You’ll need to take the hammer to the platters themselves.

The type of hammer is also important. A rubber mallet is totally useless for data-destruction. A claw hammer is good, but it can take five to ten minutes of vigorous pounding to satisfactorily smash the platters. A sledgehammer is the best of all. Ideally, you’ll want a twenty to thirty pound sledge, something you need to lift over your shoulder to swing properly. The cumulative force of several sharp blows will quickly render any hard drive platter unreadable.

For those preferring more finesse, drilling holes through the platters is a favored method. Keep in mind that a power drill is a dangerous tool; it can drill through skin and flesh with minimal fuss, and you’ll want safety goggles to guard against flying metal shavings. If you have access to a blowtorch (and the training to use it safely), consider using it to destroy old hard drives. A half-melted drive platter is useless for data storage (though it does make a spiffy paperweight).

In the modern age of phishing, spam, eBay fraud, and identity theft, paranoia must be your watchword online. Extend this paranoia to your old hard drives. Safe online practices will do you little good if someone pulls all your information from the old computer you left at the recycling center.

I have personal experience with the sledgehammer technique and I can tell you it was a hoot but very dangerous too. I was in charge of destroying over $100,000 of computer inventory for security reasons.
I was in a warehouse for two weeks with two huge sledgehammers and goggles and a cement floor. One of the best times of my life “eat your heart out Tim the tool man”. Well there was an office attached to the warehouse and one day someone from the office decided to check out all the noise. He opened the warehouse door just as I was slamming a circuit board. I looked up as I was swinging and of course missed most of the board as I was looking at the door and just caught enough of a corner of it to send it like a missile threw the air and inches away from their head and right into the wall. He stood their frozen staring at the board still vibrating in the wall and then safety procedures were implemented very quickly.

A new hard drive is $75 and think of the trouble you are saving yourself not to mention potential stolen money.
Yes it gets even worse before it gets better. Send your computer in for repair or upgrade? Absolutely not!
And you scream “What? What to hell am I supposed to do when it breaks down?”
The people who repair and update computers, also are some of the people who commit these crimes. Your local mega department store or small computer store are not the place to expose your personal data to.
“ yes go ahead replace my hard drive”You have got to be kidding right?

There is no need to have your computer leave your house or office for repair or upgrade.

It is simply not worth the risk. Do it yourself or have an online technician walk you through it step by step. If you cant do the above, destroy it as I outlined previously. There are hundreds of online technicians now. Most computers or software have online technicians to help you. But most importantly get someone you trust first.
You need to change your attitude about computers. Once you buy a computer it is your own personal diary and should never be exposed or lent out or resold or put in the garbage without doing the above steps first.

“ look this is a huge pain in the @#$%$#@ I didnt sign up for all this crap. I give up.”

All right I told you I would it would get better and I give you the good news in the next chapter on how to avoid all of this crap completely in the first place.