"Pass IT On For Good" helps repurpose old computers

What should you do with your old computer? Chances are that no one will want to buy it, but you don’t want to just throw it away. Recycling or donating are possibilities, but how do you know that all of your personal information is really deleted from its hard drive? Well, that’s where the "Pass IT On For Good" project comes in. It supplies you with a USB card that deletes all the personal content on your computer, installs educational software, and then instructs you on how to donate it for use in schools in developing nations.

After purchasing and receiving a Pass IT On For Good USB card, you boot up your old computer, hook it up to the internet, plug the card’s flip-out dongle into its USB port, and launch the integrated software. That software then assesses the computer’s specs and condition. From there, the program lets you know if your machine is up to snuff for donation, or if it should simply be recycled.

 In either case, the software then proceeds to permanently delete all personal information from the hard drive. If the computer is bound for donation, a new operating system will then be installed. That OS will contain educational content specific to the intended destination of the machine.Finally, you will be e-mailed a certificate of erasure, along with information on where to take or ship your computer for donation or recycling.

Source: gizmag.comAdded: 16 April 2013