WFAA-TV

Walt holds an old hard drive in his left hand and an external enclosure in the other.

I received an e-mail the other day from a viewer who generously wanted to donate an old computer to someone who could get some use out of it. But my correspondent was wary about hidden files on the hard drive that could include passwords, photos and other personal information.

So I sent our viewer some information about software designed to "wipe" a hard drive clean shredding all data on the disc. There are a number of programs designed to do this; some are free (like Heidi Eraser), and others are available either separately or as part of utility bundles (like Norton SystemWorks).

But maybe this is the wrong way to go.

When you get rid of a computer, I think the best policy is to keep your hard drive.

A drive salvaged from a desktop PC is about the size of a small book, so it's not difficult to store. If you've got personal information saved on it (and who doesn't?) you could even keep it in a safe deposit box or hidden somewhere in your home away from the computer desk.

With most desktop computers, there is some disassembly required to get at a hard drive for removal, but most recently-built cases put you just a few screws away from the device. You'll have to pull off two cables, in most cases: a wide "ribbon" cable (which carries the data) and a second power cable.

If you want to use the drive (or just check what's on it) after removal, all you need is something called an external enclosure. This is a relatively inexpensive (under $50) item that lets you pop in a drive and attach it to your desktop or notebook PC using a standard USB connection.

You can even use the enclosure for multiple drives (one at a time, of course) if you need to access another retired drive temporarily.

Not sure what's on an old drive? Install the free Google Desktop software to scan your disk and let you easily search and view its content.

Of course, when you take the hard drive out of a computer, you essentially make it useless if you're donating it. Many individuals or agencies would simply be happy with a computer and will spring for the price of a new hard drive and operating system.

You could also add a fresh new hard drive to the donated computer. They're available for under $100, and if you are feeling particularly adventurous, you can load it up with a variant of the free Linux operating system, which gives the new user almost all the functionality of a Windows or a Mac computer. Go to Linux.org to determine which version is best for you and find out how to download a copy.

In the end, I think you'll be much happier knowing your personal data is secure and available if you need it at a future date.

You've already seen the stories about what happened to Heath Ledger, and it's clear that the Internet has certainly changed the way people learn about—and react to—the death of public figures.

News of the actor's demise was by far the most-requested item on the WFAA.com Web site on Jan. 22. Like many media outlets, we gave our visitors a voice to vent their feelings in an online feedback survey.

While TV screens were filled with reactions from friends, family and fellow actors, perhaps the most raw and poignant postscript to Heath Ledger's death came from his fans, who sat down in front of a Web cam, shared their shock, and posted it on YouTube.

"Heath Ledger died!" exclaimed one young woman. "What?!"

"Heath Ledger, the actor," said a young man wearing a red headband who looked distraught after just learning about Ledger's death. "That is so damn insane."

Another young man apparently used a cell phone to record his instant reaction: "It's just hard when you're a young person and you read about how all these other young people are passing away before they even get to live their life."

"It's just insane," said a pensive, dark-haired young woman with a ring through her lower lip. "I'm sure he has a lot of fans, and they're going to be depressed as hell, and it's just crazy."

For fans of the young Australian actor, the Sydney Daily Telegraph Web site is like a shrine. A special tribute section is a repository of stories, photo galleries, tributes, blogs and video clips.

Watch Computer Corner every week on News 8 Midday at noon (usually seen on Wednesdays), or online any time.

E-mail askwalt@wfaa.com