Sorry for late reply mate - work and all that.
So it's quite an old machine isn't it?
Hmmmm as I said my mate got it from one his wife's work colleagues and not knowing that he should have got the disk off this bloke - there isn't one to hand.
Yeh the machine was originally Vista as it has the NEC and Microsoft Vista compliance sticker on the bottom (the one with the Vista OEM Activation code, Serial No. etc).
So when I tried to factory default it absolutely nothing happened which immediately made me think the original owner had either completely wiped / destroyed the MBR or replaced the drive with new one.
Now the second theory I don't think is quite right as the HDD is only a 120Gb one, and who in their right mind would replace it with such a small one??
So I am guessing that the owner put on a pirated or "acquired" OEM version of 7.
He has used it for a while himself (or someone has) and then sold it on hence my finding those porn cookies still in it.
OR I am beginning to have a rather nasty suspiscion that he might have been sold a "fell off the back of a truck or bought it from a bloke in a pub" machine if you get my drift!
I've set some security on it for him - MSE & the free Malwarebytes as it had nothing and it works just fine. I don't know how he wants the email set up as it has Office on it and anyway that is his decision.
I am going to contact him in the next couple of days to find out where it came from but am not going to hold my breath that he will be told the truth!!
I'm just really angry at some person selling this machine to him as he doesn't have a lot of disposable income being disabled. Plus I guess any chance of him getting his money back is going to be negligable.
Hey but look thanks so much for having a look for me as I don't understand that stuff - and to the other guys input too everyone in this forum is SO pleasant and I am in your debt and very appreciative!!