How can personal and sensitive information be removed from a computer I intend to donate?
The hard drive can be reformatted and that will erase the data from all but the most talented hacker. Very specialized software can restore almost any data. The only way to be 100% sure is to remove the hard drive and smash it with a large hammer. For most of us, reformatting the hard drive and donating the computer to a reputable source such as the Bella Vista Compute Club or other local non-profit organization is more than adequate.
