How to properly dispose of your computer or smart phone.

Do you have a phone/ computer you want to get rid of maybe by selling, donating or recycling? Right, you do not just throw it away in the Hysacam thrash truck or anywhere else if you want it off. You sure have personal information in it that ranges from passwords, addresses, maybe account numbers, tax returns and other vital documents, which should rather not fall in wrong hands. Here is what to do before you dispose of your computer or smart phone.

Save important files.

Backup your files by transferring them in a new computer or storage device (external hard drive Flash drive, SD card). You could also use cloud storage services such as Box (10GB free file storage + unlimited access for around 10,000frs or $15/year), Google drive (15GB of free storage you could buy other bundles up to 10 Terabytes for $99.99/month) or Microsoft OneDrive (5GB of free storage and other bundles too)

Backing up your data in a cloud storage helps you access it easily in another computer or smart phone wherever you have internet connection.



Wipe your hard drive clean.

Deleting files from your computer/phone does not wipe them, not clean at all. Until you clean it, anyone can use a data recovery program to retrieve it. Here is how to clean it:

For Windows Personal Computer users with hard drives, try File shredder (free)

Alternatively, if you do not want to sell/donate the device, you could just remove the hard drive or solid-state drive whichever one you are using and destroy it. By destroying, I mean using a hammer to break it into pieces

De-authorized your computer.

Some programs like Microsoft Office 365 allows you to install the software only in limited computers or allow a limited number of computers to access your files. Make sure to de authorize your accounts in the old computer before you uninstall the program else you run the risk of not accessing your files.



Delete your browsing history, which might contain a lot of personal information or keys to personal information



Uninstall your programs: Some programs are developed to manage your personal or private information, if you have such programs, make sure to uninstall them before disposing of your computer/phone.

Consult your employer about data disposal policies. This is necessary when the computer was also used for business purposes. Businesses have their different t ways through which they dispose of data, check with your employer.

After all those, it is now time to clean your hard drive and reset your computer. For smart phone users it is quite easy, you just factory reset your phone but for PC users, in order to be fully sure that your data is gone from the old machine, Download/ and install the latest version of Eraser for PC, follow the tabs to wipe the hard drive. Make sure to uninstall the program when you finish.

The last step is to:

1. Recycle the computer with a licensed recycling company, of which I do not know of any in Cameroon, or

2. Trade in your Computer. You could sell it to another person who will continue using it or to a computer repairer shop.

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20/04/2020. 12:29am

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