You can just toss that old hard drive in a drawer, which is the cheapest way to be sure nobody will access it, but if you’d just like to be rid of it, I’d recommend destroying it.

A reader asks for guidelines on clearing data and disposing of old electronics, like cell phones and computers.

How to delete your personal information However you choose to dispose of your computer, you need to do several things if you don’t want a stranger to access your data.

However you choose to dispose of your computer, remember to remove personal and financial information that someone else could access.