Hello.
I have a old laptop that i would like to sell and because of that re-install Windows 7, so that all traces of me gets deleted and also so that its like someone just bought from a store, what options do i have ?
Thanks.
From your other post it looks like your laptop has a platter hard drive. Acer Aspire 7551 specs | laptop spec
This is good in terms of trying to sanitize your data off the drive because trying to do this in a flash based drive like an SSD or NVMe is a lot harder to do in terms of making sure the data is really wiped. Without getting into all the details, flash based media needs an elevated amount of voltage to ensure the cells are wiped. And this is something only the manufacturer of the drive will know. They sell so called USB wiping tools and crap for hard drives. That can't be trusted, plus you put unnecessary wear and tear on a flash based drive that has a finite write cycle.
Since it appears you do have a platter based drive and not an SSD you can use DBAN. I used this all the time back in the day. However, it's been years since I used it since I have not needed to wipe a drive. I see they have gone on to full on marketing mode with real DoD 5222.2M certification. In actuality, the proper way to wipe a platter is with a few thousand dollar degausser. DoD spec this and that be damned.
What you first need to know on how to run an OS or install an OS via CD is how to either burn the ISO to USB or use what I use and that's Ventoy. Others use something called Rufus.
It might be more attractive if you install windows 10.I have a old laptop that i would like to sell
If you have the coa key on a sticker, you can use that with windows 10.
If you don't have the coa sticker, install win7, use slp activation, then upgrade it to windows 10.
Are you good at following instructions? Then read on to wipe the drive. I'll give you the easy way and the more elaborate paranoid way. As far as OS installation, I'll leave that up to others who may chime in. If not I guess I'll try and help. Do you still have the OEM install disk though?
1) Platter data erasure the paranoid way.
A) Download Veracrypt from here. You'll want the Windows executable (exe). Now install it to the laptop being sold.
B) Launch Veracrypt. At the top go to System | Encrypt system partition drive. Chose the HDD, select the whole damn thing, chose the hash (SHA512 will work), chose an encryption of a cascade of three ciphers. Like AES, Twofish, Serpent or something. Chose the option to save recovery media and not write to a disk like a USB drive. Don't chose wipe free space and let Veracrypt encrypt. It may take a very, very long time. Like over night.
C) Download Hiren's Boot CD here or DBAN from the link I gave.
D) Download Ventoy from here.
E) Write Ventoy to a blank USB drive.
F) Copy/paste the ISO or image file of DBAN or Hiren's Boot CD to the USB drive that was formatted with Ventoy.
G) You now boot the USB drive. Read how to do that here. (Scroll down to where it says "How do I boot from USB in the BIOS?." You want an F key that ASKS what drive to boot from. You don't need to monkey in BIOS its self. Unless BIOS has no option to ask you which drive to boot from. In which case you need to set up boot priorities in BIOS so that the USB drive is first to pick from.
H) If successfully booted from USB the Ventoy menu appears and you can now start DBAN or Hiren's Boot CD. If using Hiren's Boot CD you want to find the program Eraser and use that to erase the entire drive.
1) Platter data erasure the easy? way.
Start from step C above. I'm done typing. LOL
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He/she is not going to know how to do that. Just guessing...
Most laptops has a Factory Recover function that you can launch from BIOS
It will clean the drive and install an image stored on the Recovery partition. You will have Win 7 as the computer came from factory.
To do a Win 10 clean install without having to upgrade first
Clean Install Windows 10 Directly without having to Upgrade First | Tutorials
HeHe,
If the laptop is with a platter hard drive, then better go Windows 7 than 10/11 unless he would upgrade to SSD.
I did re/install Windows 7/10/11 often. my experience is to install OS 7-11. i.e.
1. If computer with SSD, then install Windows 11 (I skip Windows 10), the fast hardware can take advantage of newer OS.
2. If without SSD (SATA PATA IDE, , ,), then Windows 7 is best choice. compact and fast on old hardware.
To install Windows 7, start from here.
Update your Win 7 installation media by SIW2
acer aspire 7551 series model ms2310
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i think the hard drive is SATA, i definitely know its not SSD. I might check out that DBAN. But is there no ways to to do it without CD or USB ? I just made Rescue Media with Macrium Reflect for my new pc on my USB and made a backup of my OS on my external SSD for my new pc, so i dont have more space, i guess i could delete that and then do what you are saying and then after delete what you are saying and either make Rescue Media or a backup of my OS again.
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Can you still upgrade for free to Win 10 ? I remember doing that on my old stationary. When you say coa key on a sticker, do you mean the sticker on the backside of the laptop where it says what type of Windows i have, product key, etc. ?
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Sometimes im good at following instructions lol. Im not sure what OEM means, but no i dont have any discs for it. I have that sticker on the backside of it with the product key that SIW2 is talking about though. But what you are talking about here is that the same stuff as you mentioned in your other post ? I see you are mentioning DBAN again, so i guess so ?
and i have once installed Windows on a old stationary, cant remember what Windows though its 14 years ago, then i bought a new pc, i downloaded Windows 7 from a torrent homepage and booted it from BIOS and installed it that way (from what i remember), upgraded that pc to Windows 10, now just bought a new stationary that came with Windows 10 installed though.
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Maybe i should go with Windows 10, since i know you are selling pc's yourself and thats what my plan is aswell and Windows 10 does seem more appealing than Windows 7, unless the pc is to bad to handle Windows 10 ?
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Clean Windows 10 installation might be the best, since Fox that is in here and selling pc's is saying that aswell, so he kinda know what people wants and that also makes sense that more people wants Windows 10 over Windows 7, since its newer and support for Win 7 stopped back in 20 i think ?
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how do i know if the hard drive is platter ? I know its not SSD, but i thought the only other option was SATA ? Fox that is selling alot of pc's, wich is what im going to do with this one aswell is saying that Windows 10 would be more appealing though ?
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Thanks to everyone for your answers, i have to figure out what im going to do though and im thinking maybe upgrading to Windows 10 is the smartest move, instead of a clean install of Windows 7, since Windows 10 is more appealing to most people, the question is if the pc is good enough for Windows 10 though, i would have to look up what minimum specs is recommended for Win 10 before deciding on that, but if the laptop is good enough for that, is it still possible to upgrade for free to Win 10 from Win 7 ? I remember i did that years ago on my old stationary.
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its good enough for Windows 10, i just checked the minimum specs you need for Win 10, the question is just if you can still upgrade from win 7 to Win 10 and if all i need for that is the sticker on the back off the laptop for that or do i need something else ? I will check out what everyone wrote with Windows 10 again, but i need to go to work soon, so will have to do that later.
My suggestion: If the laptop has 4G or less memory, install win 10 32 bits.
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