how to erase everything -__-

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triarii3

Gawd
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Jul 24, 2010
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I just sold my laptop and would like to erase everything on it. How do i approach this reformat/delete process? please help.

reset windows? sorry i am a complete a noob on this.
 
I'd write zeros to the drive and re-install Windows personally. This way it makes data retrieval nearly impossible. Run DBAN or something on your drive.
 
drescherjm said:
Not if the OP does not have windows install disks and sold the laptop stating it has windows. However a recovery partition may help.
Click to expand...

The title: "how to erase everything".

I'm not a mind reader, he'll have to figure out his own consequences and act accordingly. I just report on the "how". =)
 
Restore the computer with builtin recovery partition, then run CCleaner with the erase empty disk space option checked, that should cover it. If your laptop has a recovery DVD, then run dban, wipe the disk clean, then restore it.
 
I have done this to my computer before and im sure its prolly not right but i will put the windows 7 disk in the computer then click restore then reinstall the os system.....
 
i dont have the windows 7 disc. so whatever i do i cannot erase windows, i have no way to reinstall it. based on this what is the best way to clean the hard drive?
 
is "return your computer to factory condition" a good choice? it seems like the only thing i can do right now
 
IMO if you value your private data then don't sell the laptop without fully wiping the drive as you can never be sure you got everything otherwise. If you don't have suitable media and can't get it then either sell the machine without OS, buy a new copy or don't sell it at all.

But first things first see if your laptop vendor has provided a tool for creating recovery media and/or is prepared to supply it at a nominal cost.

If you can get hold of a generic win7 CD then you may be able to activate using the key on the COA sticker, worth a try anyway. IIRC there is also a way to turn a generic copy into a big brand OEM copy.

If you can't get hold of media somehow then you will have to decide if the laptops resale value is sufficiant to jusify purcasing a copy (a system builder version of win7 home premium seems to run at $99 at the moment).
 
triarii3 said:
is "return your computer to factory condition" a good choice? it seems like the only thing i can do right now
Click to expand...

Yes that will do the "basic" trick. Then the ccleaner idea for scrubbing any recoverable data.
 
If there is a recovery partition, you can back up the disk with acronis or similar, then dban the whole thing, and restore only the partition table and the recovery partition and finally restore to factory settings from the recovery partition. (and if it doesn't work you still can restore everything and not just the recovery stuff.)
 
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