Question re clearing everything off a PC.

Discussion in 'Bulletin Board ARCHIVE' started by Guest, Nov 21, 2005.

  1. Gue

    Guest Guest

    I'm giving my PC away and want to clear everything off it. Is there a simple way to return it to its virgin state or do I have to do it the long way?

    Ta.
     
    Guest, Nov 21, 2005
    #1
  2. Gue

    Guest Guest

    reformat?
     
    Guest, Nov 21, 2005
    #2
  3. Caz

    Cazi New Member

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    Did you get a recovery disc with it? Sometimes you are supplied with a CD that takes your PC back to its original state.
     
    Cazi, Nov 21, 2005
    #3
  4. Gue

    Guest Guest

    No.
     
    Guest, Nov 21, 2005
    #4
  5. Rev

    Revvie P Well-Known Member

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    RE: No.

    OK. What operating system did it have (ie what version of Windows) and do you have a disc?
    Does the machine have a sticker on the side or back with Microsoft authenticity markings and a serial number?
     
    Revvie P, Nov 21, 2005
    #5
  6. Gue

    Guest Guest

    RE: No.

    No disc, no sticker.

    It's XP Pro.
     
    Guest, Nov 21, 2005
    #6
  7. Tek

    Tekkytyke Well-Known Member

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    If you have anything ..ahem..sensitive... remember reformatting does not actually remove data but just the 'indexes'. It's a bit like going round removing all the street names and house numbers but the houses are still there! Someone with the right software can recover a lot of data you thought was deleted. So if you are selling it on and have personal data you wish to keep from others you need software that will make several passes and removes all the data.

    PS if you have a PC with XP and no sticker or disk you may have a problem especially if itis OEM as you can only re-install it by activating it with the numbers from your certificate and/or sticker. otherwise it's going to be like selling on a car without the engine.
     
    Tekkytyke, Nov 21, 2005
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  8. DAV

    DAVID IN LINCOLN New Member

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    Programme called "Evidence Eliminator" Read about it on Google or their own website.
    I use it to clear all the crap off my pc.
    Don't know if formatting the drive clears everything. They do say the only way to ensure peace of mind is to scrap the hard drive, and then fit another I suppose.
     
    DAVID IN LINCOLN, Nov 21, 2005
    #8
  9. Gue

    Guest Guest

    Cheers.

    There's nothing sensitive on it, I just want it nice and clean for the person I'm giving it to. Maybe some software's a good idea.
     
    Guest, Nov 21, 2005
    #9
  10. Rev

    Revvie P Well-Known Member

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    RE: No.

    OK. Download and run this   
    http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/kf141.zip

    Write down your serial number carefully.

    Then get yourself an XP Pro disc and put it in.
    Reboot the PC.  You may need to change the boot device order in the BIOS to make it boot from CD as first choice.  Follow onscreen prompts and you should be fine.  Have you installed XP from scratch before?
     
    Revvie P, Nov 21, 2005
    #10
  11. Rev

    Revvie P Well-Known Member

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    What software do you have in mind?
    If you install XP pro it has Internet and Email software.
    For a (M$ compatible) Office suite I wholeheartedly recommend openoffice.org - works a treat.  Download it and stick it on a CDR ready to install on the PC after Windows.

    For burning CD's, if you don't have any software that came with the machine, this works quite well: http://www.cdburnerxp.se/

    Anything else the new user will need?
     
    Revvie P, Nov 21, 2005
    #11

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