Step1
Back up any information that you wish
to save to a new
hard drive or compact disk. Once you clean your old hard drive you will not be able to retrieve any files or data.
Step2
Go through your
computer and make sure all sensitive information is deleted. You will also want to uninstall unneeded programs.
Step3
Search the Internet for
software designed to clean your hard drive. Include terms such as “erase,” “wipe” and “shred”
in your search to return more results. Many of these programs will be available at no cost. A popular program is Eraser.
Step4
Download and install the program to your
computer.
Step5
Run the program to clean your hard drive.
The program will overwrite any deleted files multiple times to make sure that they have been erased.
Step6
Remove the hard drive from the computer
if you are just upgrading your computer and install the new hard drive.
