want to remove personal info on computer

  • Thread starter Thread starter Carroll
  • Start date Start date
C

Carroll

Thanks for all your help on prior questions. I bought a
used laptop, tried to use it, found the Windows xp
professional os was a pirated copy, etc., etc. I had
loaded software and tried to set up the laptop hoping that
I could get seller to provide me with legal os, etc. My
credit card company now says just to mail the laptop back
to the original owner.

Sooo...how do I make sure all personal information is off
the laptop before I return it -- like sign-in info for
msn.com -- and disable system restore so original owner
can't reconstruct sensitive, personal information.
 
i would do a full hard drive format and repartition. I am
sure he still has the boot leg version he can reinstall
the os
 
This laptop sale and return will probably be contended, so
we want to return it essentially in the condition we found
it with the os on it == just without any personal
information on it. Surely that is possible? Or isn't it?
 
It's certainly possible, but definitely time consuming. And if not done
thoroughly, you're run the risk of leaving things behind. To do it, you're
going to have to look at every file that possibly could contain personal
information, and manually delete it. That includes the registry.

If you don't know which files are likely to contain personal information,
that means you're going to have to poke through a lot of files. You could
pay someone to do it for you, but it would be costly, and someone else isn't
going to be as concerned as you are about your files.

You'd be better off formatting the drive.
 
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