In today's day and age of technology, it seems as if there is something new and improved coming out all the time. You never know what smartphone, computer, tablet or television is going to be released. Trying to keep up with it all could be quite costly. Because of this, people often stick with their old electronics until they don't have any other choice.
If your old computer stopped working, you are probably trying to figure out what to do. Instead of just throwing your computer into the trash, why not consider recycling it? Before you send your computer to the recycling center, make sure you do a few things with it first.
Delete All of Your Personal Information
How many times have you deleted a file and thought it was completely gone from the computer? Tons of people assume they have nothing to worry about, but that isn't the case. You need to do more than just delete a file. All of the meta data is still stored on the hard drive. You need to do a complete system restore to erase the memory of the computer. This puts it back to factory settings to make sure nothing of yours can be recovered.
Most of the time, your personal information is stored in the my documents folder on your computer. However, you might want to check the music, photos and videos folders as well for anything that you downloaded to your computer. Go through the downloads folder and see if there is anything in there that you need as well. Making a back-up of these items will help to prevent your losing out on files that you cannot replace.
Make Money on Your Computer Parts before Recycling the Rest
Depending on whether you have a tower computer or desktop computer, there are different components that you might be able to sell before letting it be recycled. From the graphics card to the disc drives and more, you would be surprised at what you can pull out of the computer and sell to someone who is looking for parts. This is a great way to earn a few bucks to go toward your new computer.
By following the tips above, you can recycle your computer without having to worry about whether you are going to lose out on information or your discs. Have the peace of mind you need in knowing that you are doing something good for the planet when you recycle your computer through a company like STS Electronic Recycling.
