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Tips for Retiring Your Old Computer
If you think cleaning off your hard drive and tossing your computer in a dumpster is the best way to get rid of an old computer, there are some dangers you might not be aware of.

Getting a new computer is always fun and exciting! However, when your new computer is out of the box and all set up, you may find yourself asking, "Now what do I do with this old computer?"

There are some very important things that you need to know about properly disposing, donating or even recycling a computer, as it's much different than getting rid of an old TV, stereo or microwave.

The risks associated with improper disposal of a computer hard drive can include: identity theft, loss of personal and financial information, and even fines for improper, unlawful disposal.

Things to Consider Regarding Data Destruction

Contrary to popular belief, data destruction is not just for businesses that choose to retire outdated equipment. Proper data destruction is necessary for every individual that disposes of a personally owned computer.

You can start by deleting everything possible from the hard drive; however this isn't enough. Even though you may think you have scrubbed the hard drive clean, there could still be files hidden in what is called the "slack space" or "unallocated space," which is the unused space on your hard drive. You may not be able to see it, but it's still there. And this means that data recovery would be possible if the computer hard drive fell into the hands of a technically savvy thief.

The most effective solution is to overwrite the existing personal and proprietary data with new random data. There are many software programs available that will properly perform an effective overwrite procedure, generally by using a carefully selected pattern of ones and zeros. The more times you perform an overwrite, the better! For instance, the US Government, Department of Defense standard is a seven time overwrite.

There are programs available that will help perform the multiple overwrites that are desirable for secure data removal. You can purchase software to do this or you can even find some good choices on the Internet, some of which are downloadable and free. One such software is Eraser 5.7 - the Eraser 5.7 utility uses the Guttman method, which boasts a 35 time overwrite.

Want to Donate a Computer?

You may like the idea of donating your retired computer to a local school, church or other nonprofit organization. This is an especially good idea if the computer you're retiring is less than five years old. However, you will still want to destroy your personal information before the donation.

You may also want to donate your equipment to a nonprofit or school-based refurbished, rather than directly to a charity or school. Refurbisher will ensure that equipment passed on to nonprofit organizations and schools is working well and runs legal copies of software. They also know how to properly dispose of non-usable parts, otherwise known as "e-waste." You may also donate your computer to us. SPC Computers will repair and donate to a family that is in need of a computer and does not have the money to purchase one on their own. The repairs that we do on the computer, we would donate our time to make the correct repairs so the computer is in good working order before we donate the computer to a family. If you would like to donate a computer to us working or not. Please e-mail us at donatemyoldcomputer@spccomputers.com and we will contact you about the computer that you would like to donate.

There are many things to consider when planning a donation. Compumentor, a provider of technology assistance to nonprofits and the home of TechSoup.org, has published an article entitled, "Ten Tips for Donating a Computer." TechSoup.org can also help you find a refurbisher to accept your donation.

Be Friendly to the Environment. Properly Recycle all Computer Equipment!

E-waste is a term used for discarded electronic products that are obsolete or considered by the owner to be "at the end of their useful life." Often it's cheaper and easier to purchase a new computer than to upgrade an old one!

The refuse from e-waste often ends up in landfills or incinerators instead of being recycled. And that means toxic substances, like lead, cadmium and mercury, that are commonly used in these products can contaminate the land, water and air.

Several of the most popular computer manufacturers such as Dell Computers and HP offer recycling services that ensure your computer will be recycled in a secure and environmentally friendly manner. You can also check for other recycling centers in your area that specialize in e-waste recycling by looking in your local phone book or doing a quick Internet search using the keyword phrase, "computer recycling," followed by your city and state.

The Charter Internet Security Team hopes that you find this information helpful! It's just one small step to protect not only your identity and finances, but the environment as well.

Remember.....
Computer Security includes:
Installing a Firewall
Updating the Operating System
Installing Anti-Virus Software

Top 10 Mistakes PC Users Make

Here at SPC Computers we see the results of PC users' most common mistakes. Well, now, you can benefit from their misfortune by reading about these common problems. Contact us if you have any questions, suggestions to add to this newsletter.

1. Unsafe Web Browser - Internet Explorer is the default browser on well over 90% of new PCs. Don't use it! Even on a fully patched install of Windows XP, the spyware can get you. Internet Explorer is responsible for most of the computer problems we see. Really.
So just download and use the Mozilla Firefox web browser. It's free, it's safe, and it has more features than IE, like tabbed browsing and popup blocking. If you feel like your PC has already been compromised, feel free to e-mail us and ask about getting it fixed.

2. Antivirus protection - Most PC users know that they need to have antivirus protection. But many don't realize that you have to keep the program up to date in order for it to be effective at stopping the latest viruses.
Most antivirus packages include 1 year of free updates. After that, you must purchase an extended subscription, or uninstall it and install the next year's version. We recommend Norton or McAfee antivirus, or If you're a Charter Commucations Subscriber and have Charter's Pipeline 10MB service you can download Charter High Speed Security Suite from there web site for free! if you're a home user on a budget.

3. Backup your data - We deal with damaged PCs, hard drives, and data loss on a regular basis, and we've noticed that few PC users, even small business owners, make regular backups of their data. So what's the best way backup your data?
Well, there are many options. First, don't rely on floppy disks; they are too delicate, slow, and only hold 1.44MB of data. CDRs are a popular choice, since they are inexpensive (about $0.29 each in bulk), most PCs have CD-writers, and you can backup 700MB at a time. Some also use flash drives, or send backup data to another PC on their network or upload their data to their hosting site if you have room on your hosting site since they do there regular backups.
Small business owners may want to consider a more automated backup system, like using an external hard drive or tape drive. Also some data is more tricky to backup, like e-mail files and address books. e-mail us if you need assistance.

4. Unsafe programs - The practice of downloading and installing free programs from websites on the internet can be dangerous! Why? Many of these programs bring along with them viruses or spyware, like the ancient Trojan horse.
Especially be careful of those free peer-to-peer (P2P) programs that are often used to download music and movies, like Kazaa, Limewire, Weather bug, Yahoo toolbar and so forth. Also beware of free utilities, screensavers, games, and so forth. Do some research before you download.

5. Surge Suppresser - Most PCs that are damaged by surges and lightning, by far, are hit through the TELEPHONE line, not the power cord. Most modern surge suppressers include phone line protection. Use it. And be sure it's a good one, like an APC; we've seen cheap ones that failed and let the PC get fried anyway. Spend the money and protect your investment.

6. Keeping Windows Updated - You need the latest security patches and service packs to avoid the latest exploits that hackers and viruses use to attack your PC. All window users should either turn on automatic updates or manually get the updates. Microsoft has a new update that will check your version of windows to see if you have a genuine copy installed on your computer. If you do have a genuine copy on your computer you should be ok! For those of you that don't have a genuine copy on your computer, beware that Microsoft update will bring you to a website for you to purchase a genuine copy of Windows XP and will keep bugging you that you don't have a genuine copy and then after a while will stop you from using the Windows copy that you are currently using.

7. Inkjet Printers - Inkjet printer ink is priced a little higher than gold right now. Seriously. So when you're shopping for a printer, check the ink cartridge prices too. Don't be tempted by that $39.99 Lexmark deal. If you price the cartridges, you'll see where they're making the money.
Also, if you are a small business owner and you print in large volumes, you NEED a monochrome laser printer. Remember to look past the higher price for the printer and the toner cartridge, and instead calculate the MUCH lower cost per-page and all the time you'll save. If you think you'll miss color, see #8 below. You might want to consider buying an Epson Printer, you ask why? Well we sell the OEM ink cartridges cheaper than the ones that you would buy from Epson. about 1/2 the cost and we us the OEM ink cartridge ourselves on our Epson printer and, they work great and they are not ones that you refill with that ink mess. These ink cartridges are like your would buy from Epson, after you are done with them throw the empty one away!

8. Printing photos - If you just read #7, you know that operating an inkjet printer can be expensive. So consider sending your photos to a place like Walgreens, Walmart, Snapfish, or Shutterfloy. You can simply e-mail or upload your photos directly to them, or in the case of Walmart and Walgreens, just bring in your camera and choose the shots you want printed.

9. E-mail Attachments - This is one of the biggest area of frustration for new PC users. The first mistake is usually trying to send a file that is too large. What is too large? Well, consider the rate at which the other person will receive the file.
On a dial-up connection, which most of your friends are probably still using, they'll be receiving the files at about 4 or 5kB per second. So if you send them a photo straight from your 3 megapixel camera for instance, at about 900kB it will take 3 to 4 minutes per photo to download. Ouch. So resize that photo first before you send it.
Also, it's important to remember not to send someone a file that they can't open. For instance if you use WordPerfect to create a document but your friend uses Microsoft Word, they won't be able to view it. What can you do? Pick up PDF Creator (free) to create a document that anyone can view and print, or you could both switch to OpenOffice (also free). You can download Acrobat Reader 7.0 free from Adobe.

10. Protect your PC from your buddies - That's right. Your friends and family can be one of the biggest threats to the health of your PC. The first thing your friend is likely to do is open the dreaded Internet Explorer web browser and invite untold amounts of garbage onto your PC. Then, to make it worse, they make decide to do you a favor and download their favorite spyware-ridden program, like Kazaa or some screensaver.

What can you do? That's easy. If you use Windows 2000 or XP, just turn on the Guest account and make them use that. See, the Guest account doesn't allow users to install programs, like spyware or that annoying screensaver, or to change system settings. So thusly you can preserve the sanctity and safety of your computing environment. Or you can tell your your family and friends and be nice to stay off you computer and get their own computer and let them screw it up! This way they will see what happens when they do those dumb things

This newsletter may contain links to third party web sites ("linked sites"). The linked sites are not under SPC Computers control, and SPC Computers is not responsible for and does not endorse the content of, or any link embedded in, any linked site, whether or not SPC Computers is affiliated with the sponsors of the linked site. You enter a linked site at your own risk. You are responsible for your visit to any linked site and are expected to read and follow the terms of use and privacy policies posted on any linked site. SPC Computers is not responsible for any transmission or product received from any linked site, nor is SPC Computers responsible if the linked site or any product featured on the site is not functioning, is damaged or is unavailable. SPC Computers shall not be responsible for slower access speeds while linking to or visiting third party sites (access speeds may vary). Any delivery of and payment for goods and services, any warranties or any other terms of use for a linked site or linked site product are strictly between you and the third party, and SPC Computers is not responsible for any transaction between you.