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04-19-2023 09:41 PM
Our town is having an electronics disposal this weekend. I have an old laptop (mac) and some old tracfones. How do I "clean them" ready for disposal? I am NOT tech savvy!!
04-19-2023 09:59 PM
Remove then shred your hard drive.
04-19-2023 10:08 PM
@bargainsgirl I would check out the many videos on YouTube on how to safely clean your laptop for resale. They will show you step by step.
04-19-2023 10:37 PM - edited 04-19-2023 10:40 PM
@bargainsgirl Step by step instructions from Apple.
support.apple.com/en-us/HT201065
Step by step video instrutions can also be found on their YouTube support site.
youtube.com/@applesupport
For cell phones...... take a hammer to it. Take the shredded pieces to the electronic dump.
"Never argue with a fool. Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."
04-20-2023 08:53 AM
Removing the hard drive on many newer computers is impossible as they can be soldered directly to the motherboard. The directions to wipe the drive is effective for most users. If you're fabulously rich, famous, or store top secret documents on the computer, you want to take extra precautions, but for a "normal" person the directions for wiping the hard drive should prove adequate. Data can still often be retrieved, but the cost/benefit ratio gets bad for the people retrieving the data. It can cost tens of thousands of dollars to retrieve data from a wiped drive.
If you're concerned about the risks, simply find a shelf on a closet and put the laptop there and forget about it. Most of us have a shelf or cupboard that's a pain to get stuff into and out of, so those spaces make a good place to stash an old laptop.
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