Since computers often hold personal and financial information, the most important thing you can do is ensure that its hard drive doesn’t become a treasure chest for identity thieves.

For starters, you should understand how your hard drive works. When you save a file, especially a large one, it is scattered around the hard drive in bits and pieces. When you open a file, the hard drive gathers the bits and pieces and reconstructs them. And when you delete a file, the links to reconstruct the file disappear.

But the bits and pieces of the deleted file stay on your computer until they’re overwritten, and they can be retrieved with a data recovery program. To remove data from a hard drive permanently, the hard drive on your old computer needs to be wiped clean.

Here are some items on how your hard drive works, what to do to clean it and how to dispose of your old computer.

Understand Your Hard Drive

Computers often hold personal and financial information, including:

• passwords
• account numbers
• license keys or registration numbers for software programs
• addresses and phone numbers
• medical and prescription information
• tax returns
• files created automatically by browsers and operating systems

When you save a file, especially a large one, it is scattered around the hard drive in bits and pieces. When you open a file, the hard drive gathers the bits and pieces and reconstructs them.

When you delete a file, the links to reconstruct the file disappear. But the bits and pieces of the deleted file stay on your computer until they’re overwritten, and they can be retrieved with a data recovery program. To remove data from a hard drive permanently, the hard drive needs to be wiped clean.

How to Clean a Hard Drive

Before you clean a hard drive, save the files you want to keep to one of the items below:

• a USB drive
• a CD Rom
• an external hard drive
• a new computer

Check your owner’s manual, the manufacturer’s website, or its customer support service for information on how to save data and transfer it to a new computer.

Utility programs to wipe a hard drive are available both online and in stores where computers are sold. These programs generally are inexpensive; some are available on the internet for free. These programs vary:

• Some erase the entire disk, while others allow you to select files or folders to erase.
• Some overwrite or wipe the hard drive many times, while others overwrite it only once.

Consider using a program that overwrites or wipes the hard drive many times; otherwise, the deleted information could be retrieved. Or remove the hard drive, and physically destroy it.

If you use your home or personal computer for business purposes, check with your employer about how to manage the information on your computer that’s business-related. There are laws that require businesses to follow data security and disposal requirements for certain information that’s related to customers.

How to Dispose of Your Computer

Recycle it.

Many computer manufacturers have programs to recycle computers and components. Check their websites or call their toll-free numbers for more information. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has information about electronic product recycling programs. Your local community may have a recycling program, too. Check with your county or local government, including the local landfill office for regulations.

Donate it.

Many organizations collect old computers and donate them to charities.

Resell it.

Some people and organizations buy old computers. Check online.

Remember, most computer equipment contains hazardous materials that don’t belong in a landfill. For example, many computers have heavy metals that can contaminate the earth. The EPA recommends that you check with your local health and sanitation agencies for ways to dispose of electronics safely.

If you have any questions on this or other topics of concern please give us a call and we will be happy to assist you in any way we can.

If you do, I’ve got three tips that’ll help you make the most of it.

1. Buy the cheapest HDMI cable you can find. You’ll need one to connect the Roku to your HDTV, but it’s a mistake to pay $20-50 at your local home-theater or electronics store. It’s been proven time and again that dirt-cheap no-brand HDMI cables work just as well as expensive, over-packaged ones. Indeed, I use nothing but cheapies in my house, and I’ve had nothing but good results.

You can routinely find great deals on Amazon. For example, at this writing, a third-party company has a six-foot HDMI cable for $2.96 shipped. And the user reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

2. Control it with your iPhone. Roku’s new iOS app lets you control your box via your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. Why would you want to? For starters, there’s an onscreen keyboard, which makes typing out search words way easier than with the Roku’s remote-controlled keyboard.

Furthermore, the app affords one-tap access to your favorite channels, which is a lot faster than hunting for them in that scrolling channel menu. Best of all, the Roku app is free.

3. Use a wired connection. Even if you’ve got a strong signal between your Roku box and your Wi-Fi router, the reality is that you’ll get better video and faster performance from a wired connection.

That may mean running some Ethernet cable between rooms and even floors, but if you prize a sharp picture and stable connection, it’s worth drilling a few holes. Alternately, consider a PowerLine Ethernet kit, which affords the same benefits without the hassles.

1. Use an Anti-virus: Despite growing awareness of today’s Web-borne threats, many people still don’t use even a basic antivirus solution on their computers, leaving themselves vulnerable to infection, data loss, and identity theft. If you already have an anti-virus, remember that it’s equally important to keep it updated so your computer stays protected from the latest threats.

2. Update Your Computer: It’s easy to ignore those pop-up notifications asking you to update your operating system and applications, but those patches and security fixes are vital to eliminating vulnerabilities that can be exploited by cybercriminals. Restarting the computer takes a lot less time than eliminating a malicious Trojan or rootkit.

3. Routinely Scan your System and Connected Devices: Today’s threats can be here today and gone tomorrow, only to be replaced by some other epidemic. So it only makes sense to scan your computer daily — and don’t forget to scan all those other storage-enabled devices — like USB drives — that you connect to your computer … they’re all capable of spreading infections. Most anti-malware products have a way to set up a daily scan that runs automatically, so take five minutes to set it up. You won’t regret it.

4. Strengthen and Change Passwords: Even amateur cyber criminals can gain access to private account information if they can persuade you to hand over your password. If you’re not sure a site or email is genuine, don’t hand over your password! Make a phone call to check out the request. Maximize password security by combining upper/lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Avoid expected combinations like birthdays and addresses, and change passwords every three months.

5. Securing your business interests: If you are a business owner, the risks of not keeping your computers protected are substantial and can result in lost revenues as well as minimize employee productivity. Secure business networks and sensitive data by investing in solutions that protect all threat vectors: endpoints, e-mail and the Web. Also remember that sources of computer infections are changing rapidly, and security practices have to be adjusted appropriately; Panda Security’s recent Social Media Risk Index survey found that 33 percent of small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have been infected by malware propagated via social networks. The report provides many more tips for keeping your business secure.

Cyber security is something everyone should be thinking about whenever they log on to email or fire up their browser. Hackers and other cyber criminals are constantly coming up with new ways to exploit vulnerabilities, fool users, and steal data, so now is the ideal time to visit your own security awareness and take the necessary steps to stay safe online.

What this means is when you put in the disc – even the upgrade only disc, the disc will erase all files on your hard drive, install the new operating system and start everything over fresh. If you are a Windows XP user and plan to upgrade to Windows 7, you need to backup your files, or risk losing them!

Get a head start on that upgrade with an external hard drive or USB flash drive, and make sure you don’t lose your memories and collections!