Delete Data From Old Lap To Dispose

[countrykid]

We have two old laptops to dispose of/recycle(?)
Can anyone advise easy way to delete content - we've backed up whatever we wanted to keep and transferred to new laptop a while back. We realise that what we consider to have been "deleted" can often be retrieved by those "in the know". I don't know how to do this, but should I remove the hard drive? If yes, do I then need to physically "smash it" to prevent it being reinstalled or "got into" by some means or another. I have been told by someone in the past when I was still working that businesses often use specialist companies who "drill" the hard drives. I'm not looking to spend a fortune to dispose of these!!!
In short I just want to safely dispose of these two laptops and feel confidant that whatever personal stuff is on them is not able to be viewed. All help very much appreciated by this "not ever so techie" ABer

[Quoi]

If you look on ebay - lots of laptops are sold without the hard drive - safest way to do it.
Personally I would remove the hard drive and smash it to peices & sell the laptop without it - even if its an old model people might want it for spares.

[derek-33]

you could do a reinstall if you have the disc that clear off everything

[Quoi]

I dont think so Derek-33 - only a low level format will overwrite the data fully and this takes HOURS depending on the size of the disc. This is why I would smash it up to be safe.

[fender62]

take the hard drive out and put it in a usb caddy, for mat it in wondows
then you can use it as a backup drive.

[Hymie]

Quoi is correct in that only a low level format (which involves overwriting every part of the disk) will completely remove the data. Formatting in Windows (as fender62 suggests) will leave most of the data intact.

[countrykid]

Thank you for all responses. Seems removal of hard drive is my solution. I presume this is done by undoing some of the screws on base? With regards the suggestion of using it as a portable/back-up hard drive (fender62), I'm not sure what is meant by "putting it in a usb caddy". I guess it might become clearer once I've removed the hard drive and can physically see what it looks like. Am I correct in thinking that the hard drive is the only place where data etc is stored. In other words, if someone put a new hard drive into the laptop, any old data isn't "somewhere" else on the laptop to then be accessed and saved to the new hard drive? Sorry if this is a stupid question!!!

[bhg481]

This is a caddy:

Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation

You can remove the bottom from your laptop to get to the disc - sometimes there are screws, sometimes it will just slide off.

Remove the disc, insert it into the caddy and connect to your new computer with a (supplied) USB cable.

The caddy I showed is USB 3.0 and I have 3 or 4 of them. Otheres are available but I've found that one reliable, fast and easy to put the disc in as no screws are involved.
You might have to do a little work to get the new computer to accept it since it has been a system disc. It's straightforward and quick and you will find help on here if it needs doing.

[bhg481]

I should have said; many laptops have room inside for a second hard drive, particularly the larger-screen ones. Take the bottom off your new one and have a look; it won't wreck the warranty as you are allowed to do that to add memory, if you wish. If you can do that it can save you the cost of a caddy, although you might need to buy a cradle for the second disc instead. It's much more convenient with the extra storage inside but isn't so secure for backups if your laptop is stolen.

[countrykid]

Thanks BHG481. I haven't had chance yet to take a look at removing the hard drives, but I have clicked on the link you gave and ordered that caddy. Thanks for the recommendation, I had no idea you can do this. One of the laptops is much older - a 17" Toshiba, the other a 15" Acer. No idea what physical size a hard drive is but I'm hoping that at least the one in the newer Acer will fit the caddy. This might be a silly question, but once the hard drive is removed, if the pc is switched on (if it can be with the drive removed) are desk top icons still displayed or were they displayed via the hard drive? Many thanks again.

[bhg481]

With no hard drive and no bootable CD/DVD in the reader the machine cannot boot. It is safe.
All laptops, to the best of my knowledge, have 2.5" hard discs, desktops tend to have 3.5" hard discs. The larger ones are a little faster, heavier but cheaper than the smaller ones, the size and weight making them less suitable for laptops.

[countrykid]

Thanks again for extra reassurance. Once I've got the hard drive out, in the caddy and connected, I'll do a bit of googling to get info on how to format/reformat the drive. I don't mind if the original content gets erased but it may be a bonus if it remains. I know I can always come back to answer any if I get stuck!!