ccleaner is great, I use it as well and very highly recommend it.

however if you kept your files in my document, downloads, or some other  folder.... it won't erase those.

just add a new account, log in to that,
and erase your old account.

then drill down to suspected folders and make sure your files are erased.

or you can just start a system recovery and revert back to factory default settings. this method would be best. this can be done if your pc is from popular vendors who installed this recovery software in a different hidden location. look for the option to start recovery by finding it during boot up.

The only way a user can be assured of removing everything from being easily recovered by another user is to wipe out the HDD contents aka "fdisk the drive."

If you need to cover you tracks from a forensic level, which is not likely needed here, you'll need tp "sanitize" the HDD with an app that does that to DOD standards.

I use CCLeaner all the time. I wouldn't feel safe with the results you are claiming, especially gving the pc to a kid afterwards.


HH

Hardrives can sometimes survive even a bulldoze.

The case is much stronger than the rest of the laptop.

However, if the OP knows where he kept his downloaded files, doing the above step I suggested should be good enough. Deleting everything, creating new account, deleting old account, emptying the trash, and running Cccleaner with wipe free space option turned on would suffice for me.

But those who don't know what they are doing, a clean system recovery to factory preinstalled state would be easiest.

 Or just wipe the drive using killdisk but this requires re-install hassle and op most likely doesn't want to go through that lengthy process.

have you tried wiping a harddrive with a household magnet? it wont work reliably

old floppy disks had the media exposed so a typical bar magnet worked by running it against it.

but the harddrives mostly have a thick  metal casing that blocks out the magnetic field from a neighboring magnet so it wont work unless you take the drive apart.... or if you have a very vert strong magnet placed directly near the platter

the drive might also be  a new solid state which does not contain a magnetic media

Planning on giving old pc to nephew.  Anyone recommend a good software program to delete all "hobbying" files?

Thxs in advance.

free edition, download lnk below.  In the tools section gives your choice of overwrite multiples.  I may take some time to run fully.  
I have just installed & run on my old computer which is getting traded in...  also have on both my active computers & run periodically.

The other way is to remove & reinstall the programs but that creates the question as to why it was done...  although I ended up doing so to straighten out a used laptop I bought.  
skb

or link being found inadvertently.

Bulldoze it, then dispose of it.

Dump and reload OS that really cleans everything off.

Prolly cheaper to use KillDisk software though.

used for bulk wiping reel to reel.  I bet that would do a number.  Anybody have a computer for me to try it on?

Use Darik's Boot n Nuke and do a DoD wipe with 3 passes.

Promise I am not being snarky, but why download anything you don't want to be found eventually.  Paper and pencil for contacts ....then paper:small pieces: flush

he wanted to bulldoze the laptop.... so destruction was clearly the intent.

I am a scientist. But when I hobby, I write highly cryptic notes on a sliver of note paper. Only I know what the information in the note means. Some hobbyists fall too deeply in love with electronic devices, that love comes back to bite many of them.