(http://tinyurl.com/25386h)

Then slide through all the CDs and DVDs you need to destroy. The CDs and DVDs come out in strips less than 1/4 inch wide and about 3/4 inch long. One CD takes about two seconds to destroy.

When you’re done destroying the CDs and DVDs, dump the shards of plastic in a paper bag, shake it really good, then take the contents out and separate the pieces among five or six trash cans. That way, even if someone — such as a government agency — recovered part of the CD or DVD and could somehow manage to recover information, the entire CD or DVD would not be in one place. All the shards would be a mixed lot, which comes up as a blessing in disguise for you.

As for PDFs, CutePDF is okay. For a freebie, though, pdfFactory from FinePrint.com is best, IMHO. For full functionality, scanning, OCR (opticxal character recognition — or having a program recognize the text in a scanned document, as well as for the best possible security and privacy settings), nothing’s better than the most current version of Adobe Acrobat Professional. Sure, for most people, Adobe Acrobat Standard will be enough. If you’re serious, though, check out Acrobat Pro.

On Windows, I don’t know what you would use for scanning and PDF conversion that would be free, but the free version of the Copernic search engine does an *excellent* job of indexing PDF documents (along with pretty much any other type of office document). So if you can find a free PDF conversion program, then Adobe Acrobat is unnecessary.

How can you know which documents you won’t need the originals for? (Other than automobile titles, and birth certificates)

I have been using PaperPort from Nuance for a few years and find it very easy to use to both file and search for electronic records. It’s much cheaper than ADOBE, and stores all scans as PDF files.

It has built-in keyword searching for folders that you set it to manage.

The other option for searching is the free Windows Desktop Search from Microsoft (which I use) or Google Desktop Search. They can both have filters applied to search PDF documents.

I think you missed two of the largest advantages to storing documents this way though: One is that the space it takes to keep documents grows much faster for paper than for data. (10 years of docs fits easily on a DVD.) The second is that you can easily have a copy of your data somewhere safe, like a bank deposit box, without spending a fortune. A house fire no longer means you’ve lost all your paperwork, pictures, and important data.

One word of advice for those looking to do this though: Make sure you scan at a good quality! (300 dpi minimum, 600 is preferable!) It make take a little more space, but if you need to print copies later you’ll want that density for a good copy. And be careful converting to PDF, as most PDF programs default to convert images down to 100dpi, which is not what you want in this case!

i would also recommend getting a wiping program for those going to electronic documentation. instead of deleting the file, wipe the file after you are finished using it or storing it somewhere else.

i keep my files in an encrypted archive on both an external HD and back up to dvd’s monthly in case of HD crashing.

address verification in the US is the same plonkee, but the operative word is “copy”, which means that if you scan the document it will be a copy and suffice.

i get all electronic bills, so i can download them as pdf files anyways. moreover, some banks and credit cards offer like $25-$50 for going paperless.

Also, there may be free alternatives to Acrobat – I have never had any reason to investigate them because I have had full Acrobat for years, and I’m merely describing the system that I use.