I would use the scrubber and donate it. I donate to Bethesda Gently Used Store, they have a man that will check out electronics an get them in working order if possible and they sell it. The money goes to a very worthy cause. The workers are all volunteers except the manager. Like you I don't have anything on there that I would worry about people seeing.

Thanks Anne_ct., I think though. That I will go ahead and use the scrubber on it after I check my pictures, etc. then just wait until I can get someone to take out the hard drive. I think I was hoping you all would say it was sufficient to scrub it so I could go ahead and donate! Lol!

Emma, I think the place I go send all electronics away to be either junked or any parts salvaged. They don't care how old the items are. I took two windows 95 laptops there last year that were just gathering dust! :)

If I used a "disk scrubber" that overwrote every bit at least once, personally, I'd feel okay donating a drive.

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/secure-deletion-a-single-overwrite-will-do-it.230855/

http://www.noah.org/wiki/Dd_-_Destroyer_of_Disks#Tinfoil_hat_paranoia

http://superuser.com/questions/215852/is-using-multiple-passes-for-wiping-a-disk-really-necessary

http://www.howtogeek.com/115573/htg-explains-why-you-only-have-to-wipe-a-disk-once-to-erase-it/

Disk scrubbers are effective ... very few people have the megabucks it takes to buy and use one of the sooper-seekret disk readers that exists in spy nobvels.

Run it in double or triple overwrite and the casual computer re-user can't get anything off it.

I agree, disk scrubbers are effective. Free versions are available for download, google for articles to see which are the better choices. For most people, there's little to be concerned about anyway.

Old PCs are like all the left-footed shoes you find alongside roads and highways (ever notice that?). They're numerous, were once useful, but are really of no value today. As with most old electronic stuff they're mostly processed as scrap, as mary said.

The disk scrubber I bought is from iolo.com. It says it securely erases all data from any drive. I am assuming I would want to erase "c" ?

lazy_gardens, what do you mean to run it in double or triple overwrite?

thanks everyone!

"I am assuming I would want to erase "c" ?"

You'd want to wipe the entire drive that the partition "C:" resides on.

Does DiskScrubber allow you to burn a CD that you boot to? If so, it should allow to to see, select, and wipe the entire drive.

This video is for Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN), not DiskScrubber, but the method should be similar...

The articles I linked to above state one overwrite is sufficient.

The guy in the video chooses seven.

Myself, I'd probably go with one, or possibly as a compromise, two or three.

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Then again, I doubt I'll ever have a hard drive I can't use. Backups, etc.

Thank you Richard! The paper that came with the cd says to "pop in the cd and reboot." The computer will boot to the cd. I don't care if it wipes out everything as I will not be using that computer again. If it gives me an option, I will go for two.

We've had this discussion before and for most of us any of the commonly available "wiping" programs are more than sufficient. Since there is nothing to be lost but time (and a little electricity) why not use multiple passes to ensure everything is truly gone. There's very little value in old computers anyway so the parts are just sent off to some salvage facility when the valuable metals are retrieved.

If you have run afoul of the NSA, have valuable industrial secrets, or have information that would embarrass you should you become a reality TV star, then a thorough wiping followed physical destruction of the drive is a better choice.

Thank you so much everyone! It puts my mind at ease and I can go ahead and use the disk , donate it and have it gone. Liked Win. Xp though ! :)

have you considered removing the HD and converting it to an Ext HD for additional storage?

About $25.

Carmeneld, that would be a good idea and would consider doing that if I hadn't bought an external HD last year. Thanks for the suggestion though!