Many people today keep their most important information on their computers. Whether it be passwords to bank accounts, private photos, or confidential documents it’s important that you take the following steps before selling your used computer or laptop to someone you do not know or trust.

Back Up Your Files

The last thing you want is for your private information to be lost or shared without your permission. To ensure that you do not lose any vital information on your hardware, take the time to back up all of your most important files to an external hard drive. It will then be easy to transfer that information to a new computer if desired.

De-authorize Software and Programs

Different types of digital software programs such as Adobe and iTunes have the ability to hold on to and store your personal information. It’s very important to individually de-authorize these programs prior to selling your computer to ensure your login info will not linger behind.

Clear the Hard Drive

The process for clearing a hard drive will depend on the type of computer you have. This can be a time-consuming process as the computer manually goes through and deletes off any and all information that it had stored. Sometimes computers will require you to reinstall the operating system in order for it to properly reboot.

Final Thoughts

The team at National Computer Repair understands how valuable and sensitive your private information is. We are committed to helping customers in the Madison, TN community remove passwords from their computers, install new hard drives, resolve formatting issues and much much more.