Step 3: Refresh the operating system The quickest way to make your old computer feel new again is to reset the operating system to its initial state. I do it for my desktop PC every few years.

At the same time, dealing with an old, sluggish computer is a frustrating experience. If apps and websites are taking ages to load, it can seriously impact your productivity.

Here’s how to make sure your data is really gone—even on a computer that won’t start up.

Even when an old computer won’t start up anymore, the hard drive is still in there. From financial data to private photos, that drive could hold all sorts of private information.