Preparing my PC for selling, need advice

[01MB01]

So I'm selling my PC and want to completely restore the computer to when I first used it.

I built the computer and installed windows 8.1 from a USB. My girlfriend however deleted over the files on the USB stick.

I still have the ISO image of Windows on my drive.

What can I do to completely refresh the PC? I want all files and history cleared, and a reinstallation of Windows.

What's the best way to go about doing this? I totally forgot how I prepared the USB stick. Think I used some windows programme that did it, can't remember which. Can I not just boot the image from the drive?

Hope you guys can help.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Prolly a bit easier than when you did it 1st time .... now couldn't be simpler

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/windows-usb-dvd-download-tool

 

[01MB01]

Prolly a bit easier than when you did it 1st time .... now couldn't be simpler

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/windows-usb-dvd-download-tool

So if I just boot from the USB after preparing it with that tool, will it take me back to scratch again? Formatting/clearing the drives? Or will it just clear the c drive?

 

[kyllien]

Or go to setting then update & security then recovery. You may not need the ISO or the thumb drive. If you used a retail Windows 8 purchase and you want to take it with you however you need to remove Windows 8 from the computer by partitioning the hard drive and formatting it.

 

[01MB01]

Or go to setting then update & security then recovery. You may not need the ISO or the thumb drive. If you used a retail Windows 8 purchase and you want to take it with you however you need to remove Windows 8 from the computer by partitioning the hard drive and formatting it.

I don't mind leaving this same copy of Windows on the computer, but I do want to restore it to default again and uninstall all my applications. I also wants to reset the drives back to the state I had them in when I bought them.

 

[captaincharisma]

well then boot into the windows setup with a copy of it on CD or USB and delete the partitions and format. if you are selling it though it may be best to just buy a new HDD for it if you don't know the person you are selling it to because there are ways to recover the old data even after formatting the drive

 

[01MB01]

well then boot into the windows setup with a copy of it on CD or USB and delete the partitions and format. if you are selling it though it may be best to just buy a new HDD for it if you don't know the person you are selling it to because there are ways to recover the old data even after formatting the drive

I'll do what you suggest then -just boot from the USB. I'm using software to permenantly delete the traces on my D drive. After that finishes I'll just boot from the USB and hope for the best.

 

[captaincharisma]

well then boot into the windows setup with a copy of it on CD or USB and delete the partitions and format. if you are selling it though it may be best to just buy a new HDD for it if you don't know the person you are selling it to because there are ways to recover the old data even after formatting the drive

I'll do what you suggest then -just boot from the USB. I'm using software to permanently delete the traces on my D drive. After that finishes I'll just boot from the USB and hope for the best.

formatting the data in windows doesn't really permanently erase the data. if someone knows what they are doing they could possibly recover some or all the data that you have eraced

 

[mcnumpty23]

best bet run boot and nuke on the drive to at least DoD 5220.22-M level or if really paranoid use Gutmann Wipe these take

a long time though but better to be safe than sorry

then reinstall from the usb

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Unless you work for the NSA, have a HD loaded with trade secretes, or have incriminating data on the HD, I wouldn't worry about leaving traces that would take someone with considerable expertise to recover. A full format should more than suffice, especially if ya have a SSD.

 

[01MB01]

Used Auslogistics to wipe the d drive. Don't really have anything to hide. Thanks for the help.

 

[captaincharisma]

its not that you would have anything to hide it's trying to protect info like passwords and other personnel info that could be stored on the drive to prevent your accounts getting hacked or something worse like identity theft

 

[01MB01]

its not that you would have anything to hide it's trying to protect info like passwords and other personnel info that could be stored on the drive to prevent your accounts getting hacked or something worse like identity theft

Guys, urgently need a response, I've rebooted, a I'm wanting to install windows now, so it's at the partitioning section. I have a drive c and a drive d. I want to install windows on c. For c I have:

Drive 1 Partition 1: Recovery 300MB type: recovery
Drive 1 partition 2: 99MB Type: system
Drive 1 partition 3: 128MB tpe: MSR (Reserved)
Drive 1 Partition 4 465.2GB Type: primary

What is my next step? Format or delete? and which one? I tried installing to partition 4 but it says that it cannot instal to this disk because the selected disk is of the GPT partition style. What now? -I just want the c drive clearing and a reinstallation of Winows, like when I first used it.

My c drive is an 840 EVO SSD 500GB. Motherboard Z97i-plus.

 

[mcnumpty23]

delete all the partitions that will leave one large space for windows to install to

 

[01MB01]

delete all the partitions that will leave one large space for windows to install to

But aren't those partitions important?

 

[mcnumpty23]

no they arent since you are going to reinstall windows it will create new partitions