How to Safely Get Rid of an Old Computer, Phone, or Tablet
(Without Leaving Your Data Behind)
Think about everything on your current phone right now. Every password saved in your browser. Every banking app you’ve logged into. Tax returns. Medical records. Family photos. Text messages. Wi-Fi credentials for your home and office. Two-factor authentication codes. Credit card numbers stored in autofill.
Now imagine handing all of that to a stranger.
That is what happens when you get rid of a device without properly wiping it. A 2019 study by Rapid7 purchased 85 secondhand devices from resale shops for about $600. Only two had been properly erased. The researchers recovered over 366,000 files, including Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, and dates of birth.
Most people getting rid of old hardware are doing so because they’re moving to something better. Maybe the laptop is slow. Maybe the phone screen is cracked. Maybe a small business is refreshing workstations. If you’re looking for your next machine, Bristeeri carries both new and refurbished computers at our Columbia shop, and we set them up ready to go. But before you focus on what’s next, you need to handle what you’re leaving behind.
Why a Factory Reset Might Not Be Enough
A factory reset sounds thorough, but on older devices, it often isn’t. A reset removes file system pointers and restores default settings, but it does not always overwrite the underlying data. On Android phones made before 2015 and PCs running older versions of Windows, data left behind after a reset can be recovered with free forensic tools. A 2014 Avast study bought 20 used Android phones from eBay, all factory reset, and recovered over 40,000 photos, 750 emails and text messages, and the identities of four previous owners.
The good news: modern devices do a much better job. iPhones and recent Android phones use hardware-level encryption. When you erase them, the encryption keys are destroyed, and the data becomes unreadable. But you still need to follow the right steps for your specific device.
How to Wipe Each Device Type
Windows PCs
Go to Settings, then System, then Recovery, then select “Reset this PC” and choose “Remove everything.” The critical step most people miss is in the additional settings: toggle “Clean data” to Yes. This overwrites the drive with zeros instead of simply deleting files. Without that toggle, your data is still on the drive waiting for someone with basic recovery software. On Windows 10, the path is slightly different (Settings, Update and Security, Recovery), but the options are the same.
For older PCs with traditional spinning hard drives, this single-pass overwrite is considered sufficient by NIST SP 800-88, the federal standard for media sanitization. For PCs with solid-state drives (SSDs), the situation is more complicated (more on that below).
Macs
If your Mac has an Apple Silicon chip (M1 or later) or a T2 chip (most Macs from 2018 onward), use “Erase All Content and Settings.” Find it in System Settings under General, then Transfer or Reset. Apple’s internal storage is encrypted at all times on these machines. The erase command destroys the encryption key stored in the chip’s hardware enclave, making all data unrecoverable in seconds. It also signs you out of iCloud and turns off Find My Mac.
For older Intel Macs without the T2 chip, sign out of iCloud, disable Find My Mac, boot into Recovery Mode, and use Disk Utility to erase the drive. If it has a traditional hard drive, enable FileVault encryption first, let it finish, then erase.
iPhones and iPads
Go to Settings, then General, then Transfer or Reset iPhone, and select “Erase All Content and Settings.” Every iPhone since the 3GS has used hardware AES-256 encryption. The erase command destroys the encryption key, rendering all files cryptographically inaccessible. Before you erase, sign out of your Apple account and turn off Find My iPhone.
Android Phones
First, confirm encryption is active under Settings, then Security, then Encryption. Any phone running Android 6.0 or later should be encrypted by default. Remove your Google account and any other accounts from the device, then go to Settings, System, Reset Options, and select “Erase all data (factory reset).” On modern encrypted Android phones, this destroys the encryption keys and leaves data unreadable.
What About a Device That Won’t Turn On?
If the device is dead and you cannot wipe it through software, physical destruction is the answer. For hard drives, drilling a few holes through the platters is better than nothing, but NIST warns that drilling may leave portions of the drive accessible to forensic analysis. Professional shredding is more thorough. For SSDs and flash storage, degaussing (which uses a magnetic field) is completely ineffective because SSDs store data in semiconductor chips, not on magnetic surfaces.
If you have a dead device and are not sure what to do with it, bring it in. We handle this regularly.
The SSD Problem
Solid-state drives deserve a separate mention because they behave differently from traditional hard drives.
When you “overwrite” a file on an SSD, the drive’s controller may write the new data to a completely different physical location than where the original file was stored. The old data stays put until the drive’s internal garbage collection process gets around to erasing it. SSDs also reserve a portion of their capacity (typically 7 to 28 percent) for internal maintenance. Software wiping tools cannot reach this reserved space at all.
The right approach for SSDs is to use the manufacturer’s own utility. Samsung Magician, Intel Memory and Storage Tool, and Crucial Storage Executive all include a firmware-level erase function that resets every memory cell. These tools must be run with the SSD connected directly via SATA or NVMe, not through a USB adapter.
For Business Owners: This Is a Compliance Issue, Not Just a Privacy Issue
If your business handles customer data, improper device disposal is a legal liability. HIPAA requires healthcare organizations to render protected health information unreadable before disposing of any media, with penalties reaching over $2 million per violation. The FTC’s Safeguards Rule now requires covered financial institutions to have documented disposal procedures. The FACTA Disposal Rule applies even more broadly: any business that holds consumer report information must take reasonable measures to destroy it before disposal. The rule explicitly defines selling or donating an unwiped device as a disposal event.
South Carolina’s breach notification law (SC Code 39-1-90) adds another layer. If personal identifying information on a disposed device is accessed by an unauthorized person, that can trigger breach notification obligations with penalties of $1,000 per affected resident.
The practical takeaway for small businesses cycling out 5, 10, or 50 machines: “the intern wiped them” is not a defensible process. You need documented procedures, and if you are working with a recycler or IT provider, you should require a chain-of-custody certificate of destruction that itemizes every device by serial number, states the method of destruction, references the standard followed (such as NIST 800-88), and carries signatures from both parties.
If your business needs help building that process, or if you need someone to handle the data destruction and documentation, that is core to what we do at Bristeeri.
Where to Recycle Old Electronics in the Columbia, SC Area
Once your data is wiped (or your device is physically destroyed), you still need to get rid of the hardware responsibly. South Carolina law prohibits residents from putting computers, monitors, printers, and televisions in the regular trash. These items contain lead, mercury, cadmium, and other materials that contaminate soil and groundwater in landfills.
If you are in the Columbia, SC area, here are your local options:
-The City of Columbia operates a free electronics drop-off at 2910 Colonial Drive (GPS: 3000 Harden St.), Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. They accept computers, monitors, TVs, phones, and anything that plugs in, limited to city residents.
-Richland County residents can use the C&D Landfill Drop-Off at 1070 Caughman Road North or the Lower Richland Drop-Off at 10531 Garners Ferry Road in Eastover. Both are free, with a limit of 5 electronics per day.
-Lexington County accepts electronics at the Edmund C&D Landfill, 498 Landfill Lane in Lexington, Monday through Saturday.
-For national retailers, Best Buy accepts most small electronics for free at both the Harbison Blvd and Two Notch Road locations, though TVs and monitors carry a $25 recycling fee. Staples on Devine Street and Harbison Blvd accepts computers, laptops, printers, and monitors at no charge. Every Goodwill location in the Midlands takes electronics in any condition through the Dell Reconnect program.
When choosing a recycler, look for R2 or e-Stewards certification. These are third-party standards that hold recyclers accountable for proper data destruction, hazardous material handling, and responsible downstream processing. The EPA recommends using certified recyclers for this reason.
What Comes Next
Getting rid of old hardware the right way is one half of the equation. The other half is setting up your replacement device properly from the start, with current updates, working backups, and monitoring in place, so you are not scrambling again in a few years.
Bristeeri’s monthly service plan handles that work automatically, keeping your system updated, backed up, and monitored so the next time you move on from a device, it is a clean handoff instead of a scramble.
Whether you need help wiping a stack of old office laptops, want a dead hard drive destroyed, or are ready to set up your next computer the right way, give us a call or stop by the shop.