1) Have you PERMANENTLY erased ALL your data from the
computer?
Before you donate your PC, delete any data which you would
not want anyone else to see. And be aware: just using Windows'
deletion functions will not completely delete the data; it
could be recovered using special utility software. So, to
delete data completely, use a 'Permanent Erasure'
utility.
For more information go to http://www.help2go.com/Tutorials/Computer_Basics/Donate_an_Old_Computer.html
and http://www.help2go.com/Tutorials/Computer_Basics/Completely_Erase_a_Hard_Drive_with_DBAN.html
You can download free software packages which will do this.
For example:
For PC's there is:
For Macs there is:
Please note we are not endorsing these products and you
choose and use them at your own discretion.
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2) Is a charity likely to want what you are offering?
For example,
Is it a Pentium PC? .... If not, then far fewer charities
will want it. All today's Windows software really need a Pentium
processor. We have also found that BBC/Acorn computers, 386
PCs and dot matrix printers are not required by charities
so we prefer donors not to post such items
Is the item in good working order? .... If not, then we would
also prefer donors not to post such items. Most charities
just don't have the time or resources to repair or manage
broken items.
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3) Have you checked (and removed if necessary) any PC
viruses?
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4) Have you deleted any software which you are not donating
with it's license?
If you bought the PC with a Windows operating system (e.g.
Windows 98, Windows XP etc) then this is legally 'part' of
the PC and must be donated with it. But for all other software,
delete it unless you are donating the software licenses with
the PC. |
