SEATTLE — Our digital devices are doomed to die or become obsolete. As we've reported, electronics contain a terrible mix of toxic chemicals and materials, so you should dispose of them properly. But ...

You can wipe a hard drive much easier now with the help of your Windows 10 Settings menu and the Disk Utility manager in a Mac's Recovery Mode. It's also possible to wipe a Mac data drive through the ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The church publishes the ...

Whenever you sell your electronics to a reseller (or even return an item to the store after having used it), you should always be sure to erase the data from it completely. You can’t count on the ...

Memory sticks are convenient tools for storing data on compact, easily transferable devices. After a time, you may wish to remove sensitive information from a memory stick -- perhaps data related to ...

Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Got an old laptop laying around? By selling it or donating it to someone, you can clear up space in your home, maybe earn ...

Note: As of September 28, 2011, this software has been discontinued by the vendor. The developer’s fuller-featured Data Destroyer software is still available. Simply formatting a drive has never been ...

If you own a smartphone like an Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone, you already know the PIN you enter whenever you turn it on is designed to prevent data theft if someone gets their hand ...

With the rise of new technologies in the consumer electronics world, it’s no surprise that consumers are buying the latest laptops or PCs as soon as they’re released. While it may be a good idea to ...

The Android operating system partitions the internal storage of your device into different sections, including sections for user data and cached data for frequently-accessed apps. You can clear the ...

So that old, ancient, worn-out, first-generation iPhone is headed out the door. Maybe you'll sell it on eBay. Maybe you'll give it to a friend. But before you send it on its way, you need to get all ...

You’re ready to replace your aging smartphone with a newer model, but how do you plan on removing all the content that’s on your existing phone? If you answered “factory reset,” here’s something you ...