What's your source for all these posts?It's always proper to show your sources! Thanks, Sandi At 08:57 AM 4/23/2014, you wrote: >Good info for genealogist: Five Things You Must >Do Before You Ditch Your Old Gadgets    >  Getting rid of your old electronics? >Whether you’re donating, selling, or recycling >your aging gear, you’ll want to take the >following steps to make sure your data stays >safe and your gear goes where it’s supposed >to. And, no, these steps are not optional 1. >Back that thang up! The first thing to do before >you part with any piece of electronics is to >make sure you have copies of the data that was >on it — especially information that’s >difficult or impossible to replace, like >photos, videos, and contacts. If you don’t use >an automated PC backup service like Backblazeor >Carbonite, you’ll want to copy files manually >(preferably to an external storage device like a >thumb drive or a DVD). If you have an Android or >iOSdevice, make sure you’ve activatedGoogle >Auto Backup or Apple’s iCloud service; you >also want to go into your data vault and make >sure that the files you need are really there. >2. Wipe it down. Do not assume that whomever >gets your old gear will remove your data from >it; be safe and do the job yourself. Otherwise >you could leave yourself wide open to identity >theft. And don’t think for one minute that >deleting your Documents folder or even >reformatting your hard drive is enough. >McAfeesecurity expert Robert Siciliano recently >bought 30 used computers via Craigslist and went >through their hard drives with a forensics >expert. Half of the machines that had been >reformatted still contained personal data from >their previous owners. InterConnection.org uses >Active KillDisk to wipe Windows PCs, which comes >in a freeware version. Mac owners can use the OS >X Disk Utility or White Canyon Software’s >WipeDrive. A factory reset should be enough to >secure most recent smartphones, provided that >you remove any SIM cards that could contain >personal info, Siciliano says. But to be ultra >safe, use BlanccoMobile to wipe Android and iOS >phones. 3. If you can’t wipe it, destroy it. >If you’re not planning to donate or resell >your electronics, it’s better to simply >destroy any part of them that contained your >data, Siciliano says. For example, I recently >recycled a laptop that was missing its power >supply, so there was no way to turn it on and >wipe the disc. Instead I removed the hard drive >with a screwdriver, ran over the drive with my >car, and then took a sledgehammer to it. (Aside >from protecting my personal data, it was also a >lot of fun.) 4. Recycle the right way. Even if >you donate or resell your old gear, some or all >of it may end up being recycled — and not all >recyclers are created equal. You wannt to make >sure that your e-waste isn’t ending up in a >landfill or dumped in some Third World country. >The best way to do that is to ask who does the >company’s downstream recycling, and make sure >it’s part of either the e-Stewards or R2 >(Responsible Recycling) certification programs, >which ensure that all materials are handled in >an environmentally responsible way. 5. Keep >records. If you donate equipment to a school or >a nonprofit, you’ll want to let the IRS know >so you can get a little something back on your >taxes. Document your donation with a receipt, >and make sure it falls withinUncle Sam’s >guidelines for charitable giving This is not a >list member. ------------------------------- To >unsubscribe from the list, please send an email >to KYMONROE-request@rootsweb.com with the word >'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message --- This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active. http://www.avast.com