17 Posts
0
722
How to prepare Dell XPS 8700 PC to be sold?
Hello,
I like to sell my Dell XPS 8700. What can do to wipe the personal data clean from he PC? There is Windows 10 on it. Do I give the person buying the PC with Windows on it? I see there is a option in Windows to reset windows and remove personal files. Should I reformat the HD?
Thanks,
Paul
JOcean
7 Technologist
7 Technologist
•
12K Posts
0
March 3rd, 2022 20:00
I would never sell a PC with a copy of Windows 10 that is licensed to me. Wipe the drive as per this web page and you should be fine. The new owner can then purchase a copy of Windows 10 for their own use.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
8 Wizard
•
17K Posts
1
March 3rd, 2022 20:00
1. OK. However, are you sure there is no family member or friend would could use it?
2. You can do the "Reset My PC" procedure (selecting the "erase all my files and start-over" option.
Or, Nuke-and-Pave the machine and clean-install Windows with microsoft.com Windows-10 Media Creation Tool. Activate with your Windows-7 key (should still be on a sticker on machine somewhere). I would likely even check Device-Manager real-quick and be sure there are no device-errors (missing drivers). Give it an easy UserName like Owner. Easy password like owner, password, or 1234. Tape those to top of machine so they are easy to find.
3. Personally, I would. Could even be a selling-point. The machine holds a legit license to Windows-7, which AFAIK, still qualifies for a free Windows-10 upgrade.
4. Correct, that is one way (see #2 above).
JOcean
7 Technologist
7 Technologist
•
12K Posts
0
March 4th, 2022 05:00
Great points by @Tesla1856 . I guess I am very biased against it having had a very bad experience with a system I sold to a "trusted" user that had Windows installed on the drive.
Chino de Oro
5 Practitioner
5 Practitioner
•
4.7K Posts
1
March 4th, 2022 08:00
Windows 10 (digital) license is married to the hardware IDs, no option for deactivation. Therefore, you have no option to give the buyer Windows or not, if they install Windows, it will be activated.
If you have concern about your data could be recoverable, just remove your hard drive and sell the machine without it. A person with computer knowledge wouldn't want to put OS and data on a 7 years old drive which likely to fail at anytime. If it is an SSD, it's unlikely recoverable after wipe but if it's a hard drive, there are ways to recover some data after being formatted.