Selling my laptop but what should i do?

[gino_76ph]

Hi.

I am selling my 1-year old HP Windows 7 Pro laptop. i know i need to back-up my personall files but what else i need to delete off it in order for bad people not to hack into my other personal details and stuff.

And any recommendations on what to buy next? another laptop or a touchscreen desktop? my issue with laptops is the fan heats up easily or the fan starts to become noisy if say you are watching a movie for 2 hours. my reservations with a touchscreen PC is that the touch panel is not that responsive and only applicable on the Windows 7 software side of things and not on any websites for instance. and also they are quite big and bulky if you need to carry it for repairs.

what do you think guys?

Thanks.

 

[brookheather]

Do you have a Windows DVD to reinstall with?

 

[dc8900]

For most people, doing a clean install is enough, however you can always do a one pass zero wipe of the HDD before you do the re-install: Erase hard drive by [email protected] KillDisk. Low Level Format. (only do that option if you know what you're doing)

 

[maf1970]

Newer HP machines come with a restore partition to reinstall OS. You have to cut the install media yourself and it should be one of the first tasks you do with a new machine.(You need install media if your machine suffers HDD failure).
If you are selling the machine the only way to be sure is to scrub the drive and reinstall the OS. So :-
1. Backup your data.
2. Check BIOS so that machine can boot from CD/DVD drive.
3. Download and cut disk for wiping tool.
DBAN Download | Darik's Boot And Nuke
4. Boot to wiping tool and erase laptop HDD.
5. Reinstall MS OS and all MS Updates.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/laptops-netbooks-tablets/1300073-laptop-should-i-buy-questions.html
Please look at this thread and use template to post details about what type of machine you are looking for.

 

[gino_76ph]

"Zero filling" and "7 passes" or "zero wipe" are a bit too technical for me. what does it exactly mean?


What is your budget? [I]£800 max.[/I]

What size laptop do you want? 15"-17"
(In terms of screen size)
Netbooks are usually less than 11"
Ultraportable laptops are usually 11" to 13"
Standard laptops are usually 14" to 16"
Desktop Replacements are usually over 17"

Do you have resolution requirements? Must display 1080p
For example "must display 1080"

Do you want a matte or glossy (reflective) screen? I suppose something that is anti-glare or that is not too glossy

What will you be using the laptop for? Mainly internet, watching movies, organising music files, transferring files, MS Office, odd gaming
For example, Browsing, Gaming, Word Processing, Video Editing, Web/Graphic Design

If you will be gaming, what games do you need to play? N/A

How long does the battery need to last? Must be at least 8-10 hours minimum

Does it need to be portable? Mainly at home but being portable would also be nice
Will you be taking it out and about or just leaving it at home on a desk

Do you require Blu-Ray? No. Not neccesarily.

Do you require HDMI output? Yes.

Do you have a preferred brand? Had an HP and they are really good. Would also like to try Toshiba, Lenovo, Acer 7 Samsung
For example Dell, HP, Acer

Are there brands you would prefer to avoid? Dell or Sony. maybe because they are generally expensive for their specs.

Would you be happy with a refurbished laptop? Preferablly a new one.

Any other details you feel necessary... Colour; Webcam; Good quality speakers; general spec: CPU, RAM, HDD space, SSD; Operating System or anything else you can think of.
Windows 7 Home Premium or Pro
4GB RAM minimum
Second Gen i5 Processor
1.3MP webcam
500GB minimum HDD space and better if its an SSD (maybe perhaps they load faster)


please advice....

 

[maf1970]

"Zero filling" and "7 passes" or "zero wipe" are a bit too technical for me. what does it exactly mean?

Zero Filling - means that the wiping operation will write a 0 to all space on the drive.

7 Passes - means it will do the wipe operation 7 times.

DoD Short & Gutmann - Are pre-defined methods of erasing a drive.

 

[maf1970]

ACER Aspire 5755G 15.6" Laptop buy online | Currys
SAMSUNG RF511 15.6" Laptop - Black buy online | Currys
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Lenovo IdeaPad G770 M533RUK

HP Pavilion dv6-6156ea 15.6" Laptop - Steel Grey buy online | Currys
Acer Aspire TimelineX 5830TG LX.RHJ02.175

 

[gino_76ph]

Wow..first of thanks very much for the PC recommendations.

But, what programme or software i need to download in order to wipe those important private files off my laptop?

 

[maf1970]

Seeing as you are selling the machine I would backup your data first. If unsure about whether to back something up or not then back it up. If you don't need it then it won't matter but if you do and you didn't....................

If you haven't done so cut the install media for the machine. This is a useful plus point for selling as it is a backup to the recovery partition.(recovery partition is useless if you have drive failure)

Use the recovery partition to reinstall the OS. Create a user called 'User' and keep a note of all passwords as you will need to pass these on to the new owner. Once reinstalled login as User and run the Disk Defragmenter. Once that has finished connect to the internet(via wired would be easiest) and download and install Eraser. Run Eraser and create a new task to run immediately that will erase unused disk space. Any erasure method will be acceptable.(I prefer 3 pass when selling a machine on)
Eraser