Is it safe to sell an old laptop or computer?

Is it safe to sell an old laptop or computer?

Robert Siciliano (Identity Theft Expert and CEO) gives expert video advice on: Is it safe to sell an old laptop or computer?; How can I prevent my laptop or computer from being stolen by identity thieves? and more...

In the event that you decide to sell your laptop or computer make sure that you completely reformat your hard drive, removing any and all traces of any data whatsoever that could compromise you, your family, or your clients if you are in business, because if they computer is resold that data is extracted that could compromise peoples identities. Reformatting a hard drive is essentially reinstalling the operating system. If you don't know how to reinstall the operating system you should have somebody else in your life do it for you. Otherwise, there are software systems you can buy and you can actually look up on the internet and search out keywords like "wipe hard drive info" in quotes and you'll find software programs you can then download and install that will reformat the hard drive for you.