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Restore PC

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goldshirt*9:
Son wants to reset his pc (no longer needs) to sell. An old gaming computer approx 4 yrs old.
Is there a way to remove all personnel data easily or is it a long haul to remove all programs and personal data one at a time.
Believe its Windows 10/11 ???

Thanks

smokester:

--- Quote from: goldshirt*9 on January 01, 2023, 10:11:45 PM ---Son wants to reset his pc (no longer needs) to sell. An old gaming computer approx 4 yrs old.
Is there a way to remove all personnel data easily or is it a long haul to remove all programs and personal data one at a time.
Believe its Windows 10/11 ???

Thanks

--- End quote ---

You can use the built in windows reset function, just type "reset this pc" in the start menu, and as you go through the options you can tell it to delete all apps and use thorough mode or data erasure on which will prevent sensitive files from being recovered.

Regards. TNG.

dweez:
If you're really concerned about making sure any personal data is removed, you can use a disk eraser like DBAN to securely wipe it. You need to put DBAN on a thumb drive and boot off it. The default options should be more than sufficient.

Then you can reinstall Windows clean. Here's an MS doc for reinstalling Windows 10 or 11 as well as a link on how to get the needed installation media.

If just a fresh install is sufficient for you, the MS links also have instructions for that.

goldshirt*9:
Cheers all, I have no doubt I will end up doing it  8) 8) 8)

8ullfrog:
Another option is to swap the drive out.

It's not nearby, but the electronics goodwill I go to sells 1tb spinny drives for $13.

They come pre-tested, so all he'd really need to do is slap the windows license on the new drive.

Or he could sell as-is and just pull the drive.

Pulling the drive gives you 100% confidence that your files are off the box.

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