Thanks for that site Phyl I am sure it will be very handy---now I need to know how to get the HD out of my old machine and copy it to a disc

Plan B - if your old computer wasnt fried or had a virus etc and just was old - why then can you not take the new one off your monitor etc and put the old one on boot it up and copy to disc. Only need a monitor to see what you are doing. Just a thought.



this is a handy link on how to back up.



http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308422



You will need to download the bit to do it if not already on your old computer. Also a good idea to put it on new.



Then back up to disc. then you can put it on your new one which is the aim probably:)



Hope that is a help.

The USB ports didn't seem to want to except a flash drive--or the external Hard drive--and it only had a CD burner so not enough room on a CD to down load all so I will get someone to take it out and burn the stuff off it and then I can safe it that way.

Arh - I see you want to make sure no one can read it.



Is it old OS - if so I think you can format the HD.



Gerry will be better at describing how to do this as I havent had a lot to do with earlier OS than XP myself always used a tech - now do it myself - cheaper.



there is a program called Cyberscrub that formats the HD but it will only do the so called white spaces and it actually just formats 101010101010 writing over everything like that. Delete all files and it will work.

I am not sure if it is trial version - for 30 days - most likely is - I bought it some years ago but don't use it these days as use C Cleaner for most of this. But is does not do the job that Cyberscrub did.



www.cyberscrub.com



If you can get rid of stuff - I think you could use it as an extra HD and plug it into your new one so you have back up outside the actual HD of new one in case.



Have a look around before burning it as it can be useful I am sure - I have an old one myself and must do something similar and use it as a back up HD. havent as this computer has a huge RAM and HD is even bigger and I havent used much of it to date.

Doesn't really worry me if some one reads it--it would be pretty boring lol--but just have quite a few photos on there that I don't want to loose.