3 Essential Tasks You Should Perform before You Sell Computer

Since a British mathematician, Charles Babbage invented the first computer, computers are evolving day by day. Although you can use your computer for quite a few years, if you’re extremely tech-savvy or a hardcore programmer or gamer, you may want that your computer is always updated. In that case, instead of upgrading its configuration, buying a new computer is anytime feasible. And in such a condition, it’s good to sell your old computer to get some of its cost back to invest in the new computer and also to make room for the new one. But before you sell your computer, you’d have to perform certain tasks in order to retain your data, maintain your privacy and secrecy, and clean it while handing it to your buyer. Here they are.

1. Backup All Your Data and Wipe it from Hard Drive

It’s very important to retain all your personal data before you sell computer, otherwise you will not only lose your data which may contain your photographs, bank details and anything in between, but also it may go in wrong hands and get misused to create hazardous consequences. Use a cloud backup like Google Drive or Dropbox, a writable DVD or an external hard drive to make a copy of your data.

Once you backup your data, you can delete it from your hard drive so that no one can get hold of it. However, even if you do that, residual data usually remains back and can be easily recovered. Therefore it’s advisable to use a disk wipe utility.

Still you should remember that it’s not impossible that someday a super intelligent can discover a system which can retrieve data wiped out even with the best tools. Therefore many sellers choose to keep their old drive rather than wiping it. It doesn’t take up a large room and can be used for other projects like using them to transfer data from one computer to another when a network is unavailable.

2. Run a Scan

It’s also important to scan your PC before you sell it to remove malware, such as spyware, viruses and worms. You should not pass any security threats to the next owner of your PC. Malware can also considerably slow your computer down. Removing it is not only safe, but also offers your computer some energy.

3. Remove All DVDs and Other Removable Media

Some people tend to leave a disk in their PC’s DVD drive for years and forget. If you have such a tendency, unless you want to hand over your DVD to the new owner, make sure you remove it and all other removable media from your computer, including a USB drive.

Take all these measures before selling your old PC to have the desired peace of mind, so that you can enjoy your new computer without worries.