Removing Every Thing From An Old Xp Computer

[BUDDY HOLLY]

I have an old XP computer which I want to get rid of, how do I remove every thing from the hard disc

[jackthehat]

Take out the Hard Drive and drill through it. Then take to the tip with your old PC.

[Old_Geezer]

There are, or were last time I checked, free progs that'd overwrite the whole disk with many passes. Try a websearch. Saves the vandalism effort.

[PsalmEquipt]

DiskGenius is free software that thoroughly wipes a computer's internal hard drive, including OS. https://www.diskgenius.com/how-to/how-to-completely-wipe-a-hard-drive.php

[ToraToraTora]

yep what JTH said. Failing that format it.

[renegadefm]

Believe it or not even after the hard drive is erased, there is software which can undelete things from your hard drive. 

 

One such software is called exactly that unerase. 

 

I was working on a computer for someone because they wanted so family photos that where deleted by mistake restored. So I used unerase and recovered all sorts, bank documents all sorts, so drilling it really is the best option. 

[newmodarmy]

^ unless you want to sell the computer

[Old_Geezer]

Depends. Format doesn't destroy the data but hides it. Many passes of writing random stuff should get rid of whatever was there previously.

[ToraToraTora]

12:49, yes but there is an option that does actrually splat it it's the one that takes longer. Though in all fairness I tend to cut the thing in two with a chop saw.

[BUDDY HOLLY]

Thanks everyone.

[Peter Pedant]

his is the grand daddy of erazer programs

https://eraser.heidi.ie/

Why not just re-format the hard disk?