Thinking of upgrading to a new computer? Make sure you have a plan for the old one.

Most of us have very active online lives; that goes hand in hand with using our computers to help store our important digital data – from online shopping receipts to tax-related records to banking information.

Our readers of this blog no doubt have a good understanding of how to protect their computers from online threats with anti-malware software like Ad-Aware.  Something, though, that you might not consider quite as often: how do you protect all of that sensitive information stored on your PC when you’re in the process of selling or donating it to make room for a new machine?

The information you erase by placing it in your computer's trash bin or by formatting your hard drive is still easily recoverable, meaning that, when you part with your old PC, you may be giving away much more than you intended. Recently, The Christian Science Monitor took on this topic of what you should consider before letting your PC change hands. And, we might add, the article does a nice job of pointing out the security highlights of Lavasoft’s File Shredder, and how you can use it to take control of the personal information on your PC. Take a look.