| Knowing when, and how, to clean a hard drive is | | | | consider that many of us use our personal computers |
| important for every computer owner. It is important for | | | | for such sensitive things as banking, shopping and |
| every owner of a computer to know when it is | | | | investing, it is easy to see how a computer in the |
| appropriate to wipe the data off the hard drive and | | | | wrong hands could easily put you and your identity at |
| start again from scratch. While the computer | | | | risk. Even if you have total trust in the new owner of |
| hardware and software on the market today is | | | | the computer, you have no way of knowing where |
| generally of high quality and very reliable, both | | | | that PC and the information it contains will eventually |
| hardware and software do fail, and when this happens | | | | end up.That is why it is so important to clean the hard |
| it may be necessary to remove the data from the | | | | drive carefully and completely. It is not enough to simply |
| hard drive, replace the hard drive or otherwise repair | | | | delete the files and empty the recycle bin, as the files |
| the system.One appropriate time to clean a hard drive | | | | are still out there on the computer and will be quite |
| is after a failure has occurred. If the hard drive on your | | | | easy to recover for those with the skills to do so. It is |
| computer has failed and been replaced with a new | | | | important to clean the hard drive by using a quality |
| one, it may still be a good idea to clean the failed hard | | | | wiping program. There are many such programs on |
| drive. It may seem unnecessary to remove data from | | | | the market, including software products by Symantec, |
| a failed hard drive, but the fact is that there are many | | | | McAfee, Computer Associates and other large |
| people who will be able to recover data from the drive, | | | | manufacturers, as well as some excellent programs |
| and if you simply put it out with the garbage there is no | | | | written by independent programmers. These cleaning |
| telling where it may end up.Many communities have | | | | programs not only erase the data; they also overwrite |
| recycling programs in place for computer equipment, | | | | it with useless information, making it virtually impossible |
| and if your neighborhood has such a program you | | | | for those with malicious intent to gain access to your |
| may want to dispose of the failed hard drive that way. | | | | personal information.Cedric has been a technical writer |
| If no such program exists, you can try magnetizing the | | | | of a computer magazine for over 6 years. He also |
| hard drive by passing a powerful magnet over it, using | | | | has a website that helps people with their technical |
| a special wiping software to overwrite the data with | | | | computer problems as well external hard drive |
| useless information or even destroying the hard drive | | | | reviews. Visit for a technical priority list on what items |
| with a hammer.It is also important to clean a hard drive | | | | to look for when choosing a hard drive for your new |
| thoroughly if it is to be sold or given away. When you | | | | computer. |