How do I remove personal info off PC before returning

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Ned, starting with Windows 8, you don't have to access the boot menu to restore factory settings (luckily!). But when I wiped my last Win 8.1 drive, I still had to Google how to do that. They don't want to make that TOO easy to do, I guess.  ;)

That's a result of Secure Boot and UEFI.  You get to the recovery options in Windows 8.1 and 10 through the PC settings, Update and Security, Recovery, Advanced Startup.  Since this isn't something that's done often, I don't mind it being put there and removed from the boot time function key options.
 
You'll soon find the same things happening to the HP.  Part of it may be caused by all of the pre-installed stuff, known as crapware. 

There are several ways of getting rid of crapware.  I've found www.majorgeeks.com to be a great resource.  Use their search function to find 'crapware removal' and choose whichever one appeals to you.  I've used De-Crapifier in the past but I don't know how current it is now.  I build lots more computers than I buy these days and haven't needed it in a long time.
 
herekittykitty said:
SeilerBird, I am not disagreeing with you, but for someone who's not quite sure what they're looking at/what's going on, you've pretty much just said, "Don't use your computer."  :D

Not that I have the catch-all solution, but in defense of the semi-computer literate, it's getting harder and harder these days to know what's okay and what's not. Even my favorite malware detector couldn't clean out the last "shopping virus" I managed to contract a couple of years ago, but in my case I knew exactly what it was and what I had to do to get rid of the nasty thing.
No I did not tell him not to use his computer, I told him how to use it properly. I have been using computers over 35 years and I have never gotten a virus or malware and I have never run anti virus or anti malware. Follow a few simple rules and it becomes almost impossible to get a virus or malware. You just have to restrict yourself to safe sites and not download off the Internet, pretty simple.

I use a Chromebook as my main computer and that really simplifies things.
 
Try spending a bit more money...buy a Mac and you won't have to look back.
The only reason to have a Microsoft computer is for personal self torture.
Amazing, just amazing.
 
SeilerBird said:
No I did not tell him not to use his computer, I told him how to use it properly. I have been using computers over 35 years and I have never gotten a virus or malware and I have never run anti virus or anti malware. Follow a few simple rules and it becomes almost impossible to get a virus or malware.

Yes, Sir.

I know you don't like it when I disagree with you, and I'm not, really. I'm just pointing out that it's not "pretty simple" for most of the computer-using public, and I don't want to scare anyone away from asking questions; nor do I think it's necessarily the right answer to tell someone not to use a tool to its full potential.

FWIW, I download things from the web and from email every single day without consequence -- things I need and use, things I went looking for; even (gasp!) executables. I have to; it's part of my job. Very few of them are carriers of malware and viruses. The trick is knowing what is hinky and what isn't, and that can be very difficult for most users, and it just gets more and more difficult every day.

Even though I'm "only" 57, I, too, have been using computers for 35 years. I started out by writing code, though that is far beyond me now. I owe virtually everything I know now to not being afraid to "mess around" with this tool.
 
I haven't ben using a computer as long as some. My first was a home built wit a screaming fast 8088 chip running 10 megahertz in "turbo" Didn't have to worry about downloading from the internet. It hadn't ben invented yet by Al Gore.
Bill
 
Some people are more vulnerable to this stuff. My mother falls into that category. I had to whack her old computer twice, because the malware she had downloaded made it unusable. I gave her a new machine last year, and it was dog slow in a week!

She clicks on every link she stumbles across and installs games like crazy. For a while, I would go over for dinner once a week and clean up the computer while we ate. Maybe it was a ploy to see the grandson!
 
8Muddypaws said:
You'll soon find the same things happening to the HP.  Part of it may be caused by all of the pre-installed stuff, known as crapware. 

Hopefully not.  I just want to point out that the web sites I use and forum sI go to, I have used for a number of years.  And I do not have this problem on my old desktop or my lap top that I use when traveling.  Therefore I'm convinced there was a problem with that specific Dell.  I have had excellent service from previous Dell computers so I'm not picking on Dell.
 
For sure any computer user needs to install an anti-virus and needs to keep it updated automaticly.
Some users don't use antivirus or malware are just computer ignorant users, the reason being that even if they go to "safe sites" how in the world do they know that it is a safe site ? They must be genious to know that !
The same goes for e-mail received from your close friends... they can be infected e-mails that even your close friends don't even know that they are infected...
 
I'm sure you have returned it by now.  But for what it's worth for others facing a similar situation, here are my thoughts.

Costco has really good return policies.  There was a video floating around the Youtubes of some college morons who bought a pool from Costco, the big backyard kind with an inflatable top ring.  They put it in the living room of their apartment, filled it, and used it for a few months that way.  Eventually growing bored of a big pile of water in the place, then eventually drained it, and threw it off the balcany - out the slider, left it there til it had accumulated much algea and slime.  They finally bunched the thing up, dragged it back in, AND RETURNED IT!!!

Not saying they will accept a computer with wiped hard drives.  But they are really REALLY good about returns.  I would probably stop in at the service desk, tell them my privacy concern, and ask if I could return it after wiping the hard drive.  I wouldn't be surprised if they took it, even if you didn't check in first.
 
legrandnormand said:
For sure any computer user needs to install an anti-virus and needs to keep it updated automaticly.
Some users don't use antivirus or malware are just computer ignorant users, the reason being that even if they go to "safe sites" how in the world do they know that it is a safe site ? They must be genious to know that !
The same goes for e-mail received from your close friends... they can be infected e-mails that even your close friends don't even know that they are infected...
I have never used anti-virus and I never will. It is totally unnecessary if you know what you are doing. And anti-virus is not 100% effective. It is still possible to get a virus even with the latest and greatest installed. If gives you false security. After 35 years of being virus free I am not worried in the least. I am certainly not saying anyone else should follow my lead. Most people either don't know enough about computer security or don't have the reserve to do it my way. I am just saying it is wrong to say everyone should use anti-virus and that those who don't are ignorant.
 
SeilerBird said:
I have never used anti-virus and I never will. It is totally unnecessary if you know what you are doing. And anti-virus is not 100% effective. It is still possible to get a virus even with the latest and greatest installed. If gives you false security. After 35 years of being virus free I am not worried in the least. I am certainly not saying anyone else should follow my lead. Most people either don't know enough about computer security or don't have the reserve to do it my way. I am just saying it is wrong to say everyone should use anti-virus and that those who don't are ignorant.


IMO a anti-virus is required to protect your computer, basicaly, just like a key to lock your house or your car, it won't protect you 100% but at least the offender won't have a free pass to your personnal stuff. Not using them, IMO is pure ignorance.

 
A lot depends on how paranoid you are. I have purchased several used PC's with tons of personal stuff on them.

But: Level one:

There are several "Drive wipe" programs out there,, Let me see if I can find one: O,k that did not work.

Some of these programs will do multiple writes of 1s and 0s and 101010s  and 010101s to the drive, The more you overwrite every track and sector the deeper they need to :"Tunnel" to find it, Eventually it gets to the point where only government funded hackers have the needed hardware.


Then there is the military method (Which is a bit much in my book but.. Well, for military grade information, perhaps not)
Drills, Hammers, Magnets, Flame throwers, Hand gernades, Run over the hard drive with a tank. Drop it in a vat of acid, (All of the above)

As you can see, that would not leave you anything to retrun so that's a bit much.. But it is the Army way.
 

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