Procedure for the Disposal or Relocation of Computer Equipment

When it becomes time to dispose of a computer which contains or contained confidential information, or relocate it to another individual or another department, all confidential data must be removed from it. Note that it is the responsibility of the user or department disposing of the computer to perform this procedure; questions may be directed to a Computing Consultant.

Data Removal and Cleanup

To ensure that all confidential data has been removed from a computer system and cannot be restored using data restoration tools, as well as to ensure that the computer is in compliance with all software licensing issues, all information on the hard drive should not only be deleted but also overwritten (also known as zeroing out the drive). This applies not only to computers being sold, donated, or otherwise disposed of, but also to ones going to another individual at Lehigh as that individual is unlikely to have the same access rights to confidential information as the original user of the system. Simple instructions to overwrite the drive are available for both the PC and Macintosh.
For computers which will remain in use at Lehigh, once the hard drive has been cleared a Computing Consultant can then set it up for the next user.
For computers which will be donated to an off-campus organization or otherwise disposed of, only the operating system software originally received with the computer (on the original media) may accompany the system (to ensure licensing compliance). The installation of said operating system will be the responsibility of the receiving organization and not that of a Computing Consultant.
The physical moving of any computers or peripheral devices (such as printers) is the responsibility of the department and not that of a Computing Consultant.

IntraCampus Relocation

Computers which may no longer be useful to a particular department may still have value to some other department at Lehigh. These computers must meet a minimum standard, mirroring that for WIRED Residential Networking support, before Library and Computing Services will support that computer on campus. Note that this standard may be insufficient for various uses of the Banner system. Systems may be donated to the other department, or sold, depending on the agreement. The Surplus and Warehousing option on the Purchasing Department web page is available to assist in these transactions (i.e., for posting of surplus systems or for identifying systems for possible reuse).

Computer Hardware Resale

Computers which are past their useful life at Lehigh may still be useful to other organizations that are willing to purchase them. Once a buyer has been identified, a Lehigh University Equipment Sales Agreement (from the Purchasing Department) must be filled out to accompany the sale. This form spells out the conditions of the sale including that the equipment is sold on an "as is" basis. Contact the Purchasing Department if assistance is needed in determining the fair market value of the computer being sold.

Computer Hardware Donations

Computers which are past their useful life at Lehigh may still be useful to other organizations. If you think this may be the case, prior to the disposal of computers as per below, contact the charitable or non-profit organization of your choice. Note that these organizations also may have standards for minimum configurations of computers they will accept. The following website may be used to determine what organizations are accepting computer donations in our areas: www.useitagainpa.org

Once an organization has been identifying, a Lehigh University Equipment Transfer Agreement (from the Purchasing Department) must be filled out to accompany the donation. This form spells out the conditions of the donation including that the equipment is sold on an "as is" basis.

Computer Hardware Disposal Procedure

Computers and monitors must be discarded responsibly as they contain metals and other materials that can become hazardous to human health and the environment if not properly managed. The largest source of cadmium in municipal waste is rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries, commonly found in laptop computers. Monitors and televisions contain a cathode ray tube (CRT), which contain leaded glass and are the largest source of lead in municipal waste. While there are regulations in place for organizations which deal in large quantities of these materials, and additional regulations are being proposed, as of now, the EPA has stated that smaller scale disposal of computers and monitors must be dealt with responsibly. This means that there are only two options - either donation or recycling.

Facilities Services has undertaken the task of sending obsolete computers to AERC for recycling as the University presently contracts with AERC to dispose of fluorescent bulbs and ballasts. If a department has a computer to dispose of, the procedure is as follows:

All computers should be zeroed prior to disposal. (See above.)
Call Facilities Services or send them an electronic work order notifying them of the need for computer disposal (there is a fee for this service).
Facilities Services will have someone pick up the computer(s); computers will be taken to the Service Building for storage until there are enough computers to schedule a pickup with AERC or a similar company.
When the invoice is received from AERC, Facilities Services will backcharge departments for the computer disposal recycling fee which is typically about $.25/lb.

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