Recycling a PC...

DaSleeper

Trolling Hypocrites
May 27, 2007
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Northern Ontario,
I have a notebook that I rarely use anymore, Actualy the only time I ever use it is to update the the operating system and the antivirus every month.
I don't feel like going through all the trouble of taking out all my personal data out of it piece by piece...
There is a reset feature in Windows 10 that might do it for me.....seems like it wipes everything except the operating system
This link explains it better than I could...

How to Use the Windows 10 Reset Your PC Feature

Question: Anyone on this forum ever use it?
And does it work O K?
 

IdRatherBeSkiing

Satelitte Radio Addict
May 28, 2007
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Toronto, ON
I had an old XP machine. My son used it for a while then it died (would not boot up). I removed the hard disk and just junked the rest. I still have the hard disk as that would be the only thing that has any data.

I have seen guys un-erase a hard disk. What most OS stuff does to free it is just rebuild the block map to mark the blocks as free and available. If you want to truly wipe it you need to physically format every sector (ideally writing FF then 00 to each byte).
 

DaSleeper

Trolling Hypocrites
May 27, 2007
33,676
1,665
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Northern Ontario,
I had an old XP machine. My son used it for a while then it died (would not boot up). I removed the hard disk and just junked the rest. I still have the hard disk as that would be the only thing that has any data.

I have seen guys un-erase a hard disk. What most OS stuff does to free it is just rebuild the block map to mark the blocks as free and available. If you want to truly wipe it you need to physically format every sector (ideally writing FF then 00 to each byte).
Oh I'm just looking to see if anyone has used that feature of windows ten, which would be easier than manually deleting all my files and programs from all the hidden folder....which I have done in the past.
Then used the CCleaner free space drive wiper to overwrite thee passes which takes quite a while to do but you don't have to stay there while it's doing it.
If one is really paranoid he just sets it for 35 passes while he goes on a short or long trip depending on the size of the drive :lol:
 

IdRatherBeSkiing

Satelitte Radio Addict
May 28, 2007
14,617
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Toronto, ON
Oh I'm just looking to see if anyone has used that feature of windows ten, which would be easier than manually deleting all my files and programs from all the hidden folder....which I have done in the past.
Then used the CCleaner free space drive wiper to overwrite thee passes which takes quite a while to do but you don't have to stay there while it's doing it.
If one is really paranoid he just sets it for 35 passes while he goes on a short or long trip depending on the size of the drive :lol:

Manually deleting the files does not wipe them. However, if they actually write the stuff in the sector (even 1 time), it sounds good. But you would have to put your faith in Microsoft.

I am still using Windows 7 so I can't comment more on the new feature.
 

Retired_Can_Soldier

The End of the Dog is Coming!
Mar 19, 2006
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Oh I'm just looking to see if anyone has used that feature of windows ten, which would be easier than manually deleting all my files and programs from all the hidden folder....which I have done in the past.
Then used the CCleaner free space drive wiper to overwrite thee passes which takes quite a while to do but you don't have to stay there while it's doing it.
If one is really paranoid he just sets it for 35 passes while he goes on a short or long trip depending on the size of the drive :lol:

Wipe the drive with Win 10.
 

DaSleeper

Trolling Hypocrites
May 27, 2007
33,676
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Northern Ontario,
BTW I'm not trying to dump it but give it away......every year the hospital auxiliary have a "Hey day" <spelling>, where they sell recycled stuff to profit the local hospital...
It,s like a huge garage sale....in early September, indoors at the arena...
 

EagleSmack

Hall of Fame Member
Feb 16, 2005
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BTW I'm not trying to dump it but give it away......every year the hospital auxiliary have a "Hey day" <spelling>, where they sell recycled stuff to profit the local hospital...
It,s like a huge garage sale....in early September, indoors at the arena...

Ahhhhh....

Well hey... as the mobsters say... why take a chance?
 

IdRatherBeSkiing

Satelitte Radio Addict
May 28, 2007
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Toronto, ON
BTW I'm not trying to dump it but give it away......every year the hospital auxiliary have a "Hey day" <spelling>, where they sell recycled stuff to profit the local hospital...
It,s like a huge garage sale....in early September, indoors at the arena...

And you don't want to make them swim for it. How nice of you!
 

spaminator

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 26, 2009
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you can try deleting all of the partitions.