Over the years, you may have accumulated a collection of old computers, phones, or tablets. Sometimes old hardware can be donated, or handed down to a new user, but often the devices are too beat up or out of date to be useful. Even though these devices have little or no economic value, they all contain components that are both toxic and reusable, and should be properly recycled. 

Whether you are donating, handing down, or recycling, it's imperative to remove all your personal data from your device. Here's how to prepare your device for safe disposal:

Windows computers - The easiest way to prepare a Windows machine for recycling is to remove the hard drive. With most desktops the process is relatively simple - you open the case by removing one or two thumbscrews, and the hard drive is attached to a cage or brace inside. Laptops can be more complicated, as they might require more disassembly. You can often search for the model number and find a YouTube video with instructions. Once the drive is removed, your personal information is no longer on the computer and it can be safely recycled. You can label and store the drive, in case you ever need to retrieve data from it, or you can destroy it with a power drill and recycle it as well.

Apple computers - Very old Apple systems might be accessible like a PC - if so, follow the same procedure of removing and destroying the drive. However, anything built in the last 12 years or so requires some special tools and techniques to open up. If your Apple computer is still working, turn it on and sign out of all Apple services, such as iCloud, iMessage, and iTunes. Then e rase your hard drive and reinstall MacOS prior to recycling.

If your Mac will not boot, give me a call. If it powers on but doesn't load the MacOS, I can handle the data destruction for you.  I can also take the drive out of a MacBook, but I don't have the tools to disassemble an iMac. If your iMac will no longer turn on at all, you should take it to the Apple store for secure recycling. 

Android phones and tablets - Make sure you remove your SIM card and any SD cards in the phone. Then factory reset the phone to remove all your personal data. If the device is working, follow these steps to securely erase and reset your phone. If your device turns on but won't load Android, try booting into recovery mode and doing a factory reset there. If you cannot get to recovery mode, try attaching it to a computer and formatting the device like an external drive.

If the phone cannot turn on at all, there are no good answers other than partially disassembling the phone and physically destroying the logic board.

iPhones and iPads - Turn on the device and sign out of all Apple services, such as iCloud, iMessage, and iTunes. Make sure you turn off "Find My Phone", especially if you plan to donate it or trade it in as a usable device. P erform a factory reset. Remove your SIM card from the phone. If the device cannot be turned on, take it to the Apple store for safe disposal.

Where to take your device once it's ready for recycling - Electronics stores such as  BestBuy and  Staples collect devices to recycle. Some items are recycled for free, and some, such as monitors, have a surcharge. The Apple Store will take any Apple devices, sometimes offering you a small amount in trade. In addition, check with your town. They often have electronic recycling available on a scheduled basis. To dispose of multiple systems, and for secure hard drive destruction, I go to Electronics Redux in Norfolk.

Keep in mind, if you haven't turned a device on for a while, you might need to leave it plugged in and charging for an hour or more before it will start up. If you need any help preparing your devices for recycling, please give me a call. I work with all types of devices and regularly help people get them ready for disposal, either as a house call or a drop off service.  

Many of you have made the switch from an old email address to either Gmail or Outlook.com in the last year or two. I think that's a good idea, but there is one feature, turned on by default in both Gmail and Outlook.com, that I find annoying. That is conversation view. 

In conversation view, multiple emails about the same topic are grouped into a single threaded email.  Conversation view can  show you how the conversation   evolved, and eliminate the need to open several emails to follow the  conversation.  However, it can also be confusing, difficult to find the "new" part of the thread, and it might group emails that have the same topic but aren't actually related.

I personally don't like conversation view, and turn it off on all my devices. I've met some clients who love it, but I've also met many who feel the same way I do, but don't realize that it can easily be turned off.  The controls can be at the server level, for Gmail and Outlook.com, in the email client, for Microsoft Outlook and Apple Mail, or on your phone email app itself. Here's where to look:

Gmail	Click on the gear icon below your name. Choose "settings". Go to "general", click on "Turn Conversation View Off"
Outlook.com	Click on the gear icon, then choose "View All Outlook Settings". Scroll down to "Message Organization" and choose "show email as individual messages"
Apple Mail	Click the View menu. Uncheck the setting that reads "Organize by conversation."
Outlook	Click on "View". Uncheck "Show as Conversations"
Gmail on Android	Tap on the three lines ("hambuger" icon) and scroll down to settings. Tap on "settings", then "general settings". Uncheck "Conversation view"
IOS Mail	Open the Settings app. Scroll down to the Mail app's preferences. Scroll to the "Threading" section and turn off "Organize by Thread"

Every month I post several articles of interest on   my Facebook page . For those of you who don't follow me on Facebook, here are some of the stories I've featured in the past few months.

• If Chrome says it's "managed by your organization", you might just have been affected by a rogue profile and need a virus cleanup.

• I've recently subscribed to a great newsletter, run by the New York Times, called The Wirecutter. Here's a useful article about clearing the clutter off your phone.

• It's the end of the road for those cheap laptops with 32 GB drives, like the HP Stream - the most recent version of Windows 10 needs more space than that just to run!

• And finally - if you use Facebook on your phone, it knows everywhere you go. Here's how to stop it from tracking your every move.