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May 27th, 2015 14:00

Factory Installed Os, want to Wipe hard drives for sale

So I was looking to sell my pc soon, but my os is factory installed. Was wondering if factory reseting the pc would remove all the data on it or will I have to wipe the hard drive and buy a new OS because my pc did not come with a cd for os installation?

7 Technologist

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16K Posts

May 28th, 2015 13:00

I have a 2011 Alienware Area 51 alx, on windows 7 home premium 64bit. I was hoping that factory resetting would just remove all the data, and make it impossible to get anything I had on it before. Rather then wiping the drives and a fresh install of windows 7 that I do not have a CD for.

Make installation media (bootable USB recommended, bootable DVDs not recommended). Once the media is made check it boots and then remove it from the computer:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/dell-backup-and-recovery-1-8-1-71/

After the media is made, securely wipe your system with DBAN:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/cleaning-up-a-drive-format-vs-secure-wipe-ssd-and-hdd/

Once the secure wipe is complete reinstall the factory image from the USB flash drive. It'll be as good as new and your data will be wiped.

2 Posts

May 27th, 2015 19:00

I have a 2011 Alienware Area 51 alx, on windows 7 home premium 64bit. I was hoping that factory resetting would just remove all the data, and make it impossible to get anything I had on it before. Rather then wiping the drives and a fresh install of windows 7 that I do not have a CD for.

7 Technologist

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16.3K Posts

May 27th, 2015 19:00

Yes, resetting the system to factory will erase all installed apps and data, returning it to the state it was in when you first purchased it.

Even if you wiped the drive, that doesn't mean you'd have to buy a new OS.

What model system are you talking about, and which OS?

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