I want to pass my PC onto someone else and I can't reformat the PC. How do I go about deleting all the files that I have created on the PC? Some of the files I have created have sensitive information , so I don't want to have info floating around in the PC for them to find. Cheers
How to delete all files on PC?
- Thread starter ashdavid
- Start date
Why can you not reformat the PC?
Do you at least have a recovery/restore disc? With that, you could restore the computer to factory condition-- without any files you added since buying the machine.
Otherwise, you could create a new profile and delete the old one, telling Windows to delete all associated user files. If you have a separate place you would save data, be sure to delete that area too.
Make sure you empty the Recycle bin. Maybe use a shredder tool to over-write those data areas to prevent the next user from trying to recover he sensitive data.
Do you at least have a recovery/restore disc? With that, you could restore the computer to factory condition-- without any files you added since buying the machine.
Otherwise, you could create a new profile and delete the old one, telling Windows to delete all associated user files. If you have a separate place you would save data, be sure to delete that area too.
Make sure you empty the Recycle bin. Maybe use a shredder tool to over-write those data areas to prevent the next user from trying to recover he sensitive data.
claptonman
New Member
Are you planning on giving him the computer with the OS on it, or can you give him it without it?
Since you have no recovery disk, try going to your boot menu and see if there is an option to boot to a recovery partition.
If not, then you have no way of installing the OS back onto the PC. Try killdisk.
http://www.killdisk.com/
You can make a bootable disk with that, boot to it, and it will erase your hard drive, and then write over it several times so the data is unrecoverable.
Since you have no recovery disk, try going to your boot menu and see if there is an option to boot to a recovery partition.
If not, then you have no way of installing the OS back onto the PC. Try killdisk.
http://www.killdisk.com/
You can make a bootable disk with that, boot to it, and it will erase your hard drive, and then write over it several times so the data is unrecoverable.
I'd imagine that since he doesn't want to completely erase the disk the intention is to pass the system over with an OS installed.
Does the machine have a windows key sticker on it somewhere? If it's OEM (Dell, HP, etc) it should, and you can use a normal windows disk and enter that key to reinstall.
