Deactivate Vista

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rosie
  • Start date Start date
R

Rosie

I am disposing of my PC, which has Vista Premium (Retail) installed. I know
I have to deactivate it on the PC, before I can install it on my new
computer, which came with Vista Home. I've tried booting up the PC with the
Vista Premium CD in the drive, but I am not getting a list of options as you
do with XP. What do I do?
 
Rosie said:
I am disposing of my PC, which has Vista Premium (Retail) installed. I
know I have to deactivate it on the PC, before I can install it on my
new computer, which came with Vista Home. I've tried booting up the PC
with the Vista Premium CD in the drive, but I am not getting a list of
options as you do with XP. What do I do?
Click to expand...

No Windows OS can be "deactivated". Just wipe the hard drive and you're
done.

Alias
 
--
Ian

Rosie said:
What is the easiest way to wipe the drive, bearing in mind that I am
non-techie?
Click to expand...


You need a MS start-up disk with fdisk on it. Come back if you do not
understand.
 
Nothing quotable because he insists on posting below the signature
delimiter.

Ian - please fix your posting so those of us using newsreaders can
easily quote your posts. Most newsreaders strip out everything after the
signature delimiter. Here is what you wrote:

--
Ian

Rosie said:
What is the easiest way to wipe the drive, bearing in mind that I am non-techie?
Click to expand...
installed. I know I have to deactivate it on the PC, before I can
install it on my new computer, which came with Vista Home. I've tried
booting up the PC with the Vista Premium CD in the drive, but I am not
getting a list of options as you do with XP. What do I do?

You need a MS start-up disk with fdisk on it. Come back if you do not
understand.
*****

This is incorrect information in any case. Fdisk will delete/create
partitions but 1) will not format them; 2) deleting partitions and then
formatting will not make the data unrecoverable.

Rosie - If you are selling or discarding your computer, run a disk wipe
on it. A free program that will do this is Darik's Boot and Nuke.

http://dban.sourceforge.net/

Download DBAN for CD/DVD. You need third-party burning software to burn
the .iso. You will then boot the machine with the media you created and
let the program do its thing. This will effectively wipe the drive
completely. There are instructions for using DBAN at the link above.

Acronis Disk Cleanser is an excellent program that does the same thing
and is more user-friendly than DBAN but it isn't free.

If you have a computer repair shop you use regularly, they may do this
for you for nothing or for very little money. I offer this service to my
clients for free, for example.


Malke
 
--
Ian

Malke said:
Nothing quotable because he insists on posting below the signature
delimiter.

Ian - please fix your posting so those of us using newsreaders can easily
quote your posts. Most newsreaders strip out everything after the
signature delimiter. Here is what you wrote:

--
Ian


installed. I know I have to deactivate it on the PC, before I can install
it on my new computer, which came with Vista Home. I've tried booting up
the PC with the Vista Premium CD in the drive, but I am not getting a list
of options as you do with XP. What do I do?


You need a MS start-up disk with fdisk on it. Come back if you do not
understand.
*****

This is incorrect information in any case. Fdisk will delete/create
partitions but 1) will not format them; 2) deleting partitions and then
formatting will not make the data unrecoverable.

Rosie - If you are selling or discarding your computer, run a disk wipe on
it. A free program that will do this is Darik's Boot and Nuke.

http://dban.sourceforge.net/

Download DBAN for CD/DVD. You need third-party burning software to burn
the .iso. You will then boot the machine with the media you created and
let the program do its thing. This will effectively wipe the drive
completely. There are instructions for using DBAN at the link above.

Acronis Disk Cleanser is an excellent program that does the same thing and
is more user-friendly than DBAN but it isn't free.

If you have a computer repair shop you use regularly, they may do this for
you for nothing or for very little money. I offer this service to my
clients for free, for example.


Malke
--
Click to expand...
Malke, fdisk will not format but the MS Start up disk has the Doss format
on it. Try not to confuse people.
 
Ian

FDISK and Format are not enough to completely remove data from a drive.. all
they do is remove the data flags.. much of the data could still be
recovered.. even writing zeros does not completely obliterate data on a hard
drive..


Ian Betts said:
--
Ian


Malke, fdisk will not format but the MS Start up disk has the Doss
format on it. Try not to confuse people.
Click to expand...

--


Mike Hall
MS MVP Windows Shell/User
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/
 
OK, I guess you're one of those tiresome people who can't admit they're
wrong. Sad, really because sometimes you have something useful to say.
This wasn't one of those times.

For the record, an MS startup disk (Win9x) will have fdisk and format on
it - and a few others things if you care to add them such as CD-ROM
drivers - but it will not do what the OP needs which is to wipe the hard
drive and make the data unrecoverable.

Keep your day job and let's all hope it has nothing to do with
computers. Don't bother to reply because I've killfiled you. You're not
worth any of my time.

*plonk*


Malke
 
Go to your local computer shop and inquire about a program called "Wipe
drive"...This is a D.o.d (Department of defense) approved program and will
eliminate everything on the drive...I have used it several times on
computers I have disposed of...There will be nothing left just like a new
drive.. software I believe will run you 20 bucks and can be used any number
of times...It also comes with a program called "Wipe media" that will
remove any other stuff you might have on disc's .just my 3 cents
 
I am disposing of my PC, which has Vista Premium (Retail) installed. I know
I have to deactivate it on the PC, before I can install it on my new
computer, which came with Vista Home. I've tried booting up the PC with the
Vista Premium CD in the drive, but I am not getting a list of options as you
do with XP. What do I do?
Click to expand...

You don't deactivate, you just delete it.

Get DBan, Darik's Boot and Nuke to wipe the drive.
http://dban.sourceforge.net/

Stephen
--
 
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