Desktop Computer Packages

How can I safely prepare my computer for sale?

My fiancee wants to get a laptop, so to come up with the money we are going to sell the Desktop she bought a couple years ago. Problem is, she has no idea where the install CDs are. I want to make sure we wipe the thing clean before selling it, but not sure how we can do this without making the computer useless. Any and all help is very appreciated.

Public Comments

1. Use Darik's Boot And Nuke from http://www.dban.org/ It will wipe all the data so it cannot be recovered. It won't damage the computer or lessen its lifespan in any way.
2. Hey Nicolas, Here's an excellent blog post that deals with precisely this: http://blogs.zdnet.com/storage/?p=129 Here's another one: http://www.webopedia.com/didyouknow/computer_science/2007/completely_erase_harddrive.asp Hope this helps. Cheers mate!
3. For total security, remove the hard drive (s) and buy one to put in your tower.
4. Use Tune-Up Shredder