How to Properly Decommission a Computerin sales

Whether you’re retiring a personal computer or a networked business unit, it’s important to follow certain steps to protect your personal and professional privacy. Beyond data breaches that could lead to cyber-crimes like identity theft, you also want to make sure your programs work when you boot up your new system. Here are the steps you need to take.

Back Everything Up

Before you start working on hard drive destruction Boston MA, you need to be sure your files and programs are safely copied. If you’re doing this at home, backing up to an external hard drive is a great move. At work, backing up to a secure network server is even better.

Uninstall Programs

If you’re planning on transferring software to a new computer, you should go into its settings on the old computer and follow the steps to uninstall it. Make sure you have first backed it up and have serial numbers to activate it on a new computer.  If you don’t, reach out to the software company before you uninstall it to see if it can be emailed to you or remedied otherwise.

Deauthorize the Computer

When you’ve backed up your files and uninstalled your programs, it’s time to say goodbye. Go into the computers’ master settings and deauthorize it. This way, your operating system or any other programs that may still be installed will not recognize the old computer as an authorized device, which may prevent you from authorizing a new one.

Wipe the Hard Drive

After the computer is deauthorized, it should be a blank slate. But it’s still important to erase the data on its hard drive.  Generally, you can go to the computer’s settings and hit “reset. This should do the trick.

Proper Disposal

For both safety and environmental reasons, you shouldn’t throw an old computer in the trash. Take it to an electronics recycling center or drive for proper disposal, after you’ve performed all these steps.