[OT]Does anyone know how to wipe a laptop so it can be sold
I’m a total computer retard. But since getting my MBP the wife had my lappy. But she never uses it so we are thinking of selling it. Is there any easy way i can wipe everything from it, remembering I’m not the most tech savvy person in the world!
Do you have the original install disk…like an xp installation disk from dell or whatever company made the laptop?
If you have the disk then you can just reinstall xp and the drivers and it will be in like new condition.
Otherwise you can go through and manually uninstall all the programs you put on there and use a utility to wipe all your history and caches.
Key would be to reinstall windows cuz it will make the laptop perform faster hence making it easier to sell.
Format?
Use this…
Don’t just re-install the OS. It won’t get rid of your files and they’ll be easily recoverable to people who know how.
+1 on dban, just used it myself a week ago. Default settings are all good, no need to mess around.
yeah +1 on dbans boot n nuke, its what i was gonna suggest
if u dont wanna reinstall the os, try this Download CCleaner | Clean, optimize & tune up your PC, free!.
I use uit all the time on customer machines to either clean’em up or to wipe for sale. theres an opion to do a wipe of all things, including: cookies, passwords, firefox data, clean space, etc etc. very useful tool.
That won’t get rid of everything though.
Its will wipe all PRIVATE data. It will work I have used this hundreds of times on customer machines. He can even remove the programs if he wants all from this program. This program is very powerful.
Like i said, its just another option if he dosnt feel comfortable reinstalling the OS.
The dban software is not for the non-tech savy crowed. he will have to burn a disk and then figure out how to boot from it. not easy for the non techys. if the bios is set to just boot from the HD, he will never get it to boot. he’ll have to go into the bios and make changes. unless he knows how to use the boot menu option on his laptop. he said hes technically retarded so cc cleaner would be the easiest way to get what he wants.
Sorry iv dealt with hundereds of non tech savy people i know how they think. Dban will be very hard for him. not to mention it looks like dban wipes (formats the drive) whats he gonna do with a formated hard drive? he may not understadn how to use the os disk and how to reinstall from scratch. Also if his resource disk is on a seperate partion what happens if he formats that at the same time?
sorry 10 years in IT.
Although Dban might be very usful for me, since the site says it cn be used in business. 
thanks for the link 
I must emphasize that I am very much non techy!
and thats what i got from ur OP. so as the second poster said, do u still have ur Resource disk from the manufacturer(Dell, HP, acer)? also somtimes these resource disk are installed on a hidden partion on ur HD. This is probably the “best” way to acomplish what u are try to do. if u dont feel comfortable with reinstalling the os and drivers. then try cc cleaner it works very well, and if u need any help just PM me and ill try to help u out. there are few boxes u need to check in order to do a full blowen clean.
I’ll have a hunt for the disks. I’m sure I’d have kept them, but sometimes the safe place i keep things tends to be the hardest to find!!
Thanks for the offer of help, I’m sure I’ll be in touch soon!!
No worries doood, glad to help.
Here is what I like to do:
Take out the hard drive out of the laptop and attach it to my desktop. Run a program called Erasure (http://eraser.heidi.ie/) which over writes the hard drive multiple times. Reinstall the hard drive into the laptop. Install the operating system fresh.
It is probably over kill, but it works.
+1 for DBAN. IT Recycling is part what i do for a living, and that’s what we use.
I wouldnt have the first clue to know how to remove a hard drive and attach to my desktop!
What is your laptop and model?
U would need an USB Hard drive enclouser. Or atleast the part that goes USB to SATA. while this is a good idea and would be somthing i would do for myself. for those that are not tech savvy, this would be a major pain in the ass.
dell inspiron 1525
Not if he wanted to completely the wipe the hard drive of anything (including the OS). I know what CCleaner is, I use it myself. But there is no way it can get rid of ALL user data.