How To Reset A Computer Before Selling It

Before the resale of any item, it’s critically important to reset it, both to ensure that the previous user’s data isn’t accidentally shared with a new user, as well as to provide a clean slate for new buyers. The security concerns are obvious, but imagine buying a refurbished or used computer only to find that it is password locked and you cannot access it!

The experience is awful, as this writer knows from previous experience. Or, worse yet, you are the seller and forgot to wipe the machine without a password lock! Now someone you don’t know has access to your files. And in this age of internet connectedness, that may also mean they have access to tons of different web services. The experience would be mortifying.

There are three basic computer types, organized by operating system: Windows, Mac, and ChromeOS. Most of us are familiar with either Windows or Mac, but ChromeOS, which is the operating system used on Chromebooks, is becoming ever more popular because of the low cost of each computer.

While there are many different versions of each, the latest few generations of these operating systems (the OS) function similarly, if not identically, as they have for years. This guide will detail how to reset the computer and wipe all data from it, as well as provide some additional tips concerning how each OS differs, and what to look for when resetting a computer, be it a desktop or laptop.

Windows

There are plenty of Windows versions out there, though the most common ones in use today are Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10. Windows 10, the latest OS from Microsoft, is free to upgrade to, though this writer has intentionally stayed clear of it for his main machine because of the required updates forced upon users, as well as the excellent stability and general performance of Windows 8.1, which is typically overlooked.

Resetting Windows 10 and Windows 8.1

The process to reset a computer running the Windows 10 or Windows 8.1 OS are identical. There are multiple options.

Option 1

Follow these steps:

1. Click the Windows key on your keyboard and open PC Settings. You can also search for settings and it will be the first item to choose from in the search.
2. At the bottom of the list on the left, click “Update and recovery”. True, this is confusing, but it is the correct place to go.
3. In the new page, click on “Recovery” on the bottom.
4. Choose the 2nd option, “Remove everything and reinstall Windows”.

This will begin the process, but if you want to just try it out to see what will happen, you are safe to do so here. Please note that you may find some issues at this point, which may require that you have the original Windows installation disc or file available. In my experience, this option is less likely to work, though when it does it is the most convenient method.

Option 2

If you have the operating system disc and a compatible DVD drive, then you can also use the drive to reset your computer. This will work on all versions of Windows, with some slight differences in how it works. However, the same steps can be followed:

1. Reset your computer with the installation disc in the disc tray.
2. While your computer is booting up, it may tell you which keys to press and hold to access a particular menu. This is typically Delete or F8. If your computer doesn’t say which key to press, hold down delete; if that doesn’t work, reboot again and try F8.
3. This will lead you to the BIOS screen. BIOS is the menu system for your motherboard. You’ll have to select which drive the computer boots from first; some computers will automatically start with the CD drive first, while others won’t. If you rebooted and it didn’t start the installation, then change the first drive to boot from to your CD/DVD drive.
4. Follow the installation process to install Windows with a custom installation. This will have the following steps:
   1. Select from a list of drives which to perform an action on. You’ll want to choose the drive that you’d like to reset.
   2. Once selected, a number of options will appear. Select to “Delete” or “Erase” the drive. Go ahead and delete it.
   3. Follow the installation steps to install Windows on the drive you just deleted.

Mac

Macintosh computers, or Macs for short, are as simple to reset and provide better options to restore old data than Windows computers do. They also are less recoverable, meaning if data is lost on a Mac, it’s generally gone for good, while many Windows PCs will be able to recover that data with some work. There are two basic methods to reset a Mac:

Option 1

1. Reboot the computer and hold down the Apple key and R simultaneously. Keep holding them until you see a loading circle in the middle of the screen. This will put the computer into recovery mode.
2. There will be a number of options to choose from. Select “Disk Utility”.
3. Disk Utility has an “Erase” option at the top. Open that.
4. Choose the main disk, typically called “Macintosh HD”. There are likely a few options, so be aware that choosing the wrong one may delete the installation files, which could ruin the computer altogether.
5. Click erase.

The process will take some time, but once it is completed the operating system will wipe itself completely and the data will be gone. Once the process is complete, the computer will start fresh and request an installation with some basic information to input, including an iTunes password, whether you want to restore from a previous backup, etc.

Option 2

This is a simple one: take it to the Apple store. It’s best to set a reservation and make a note that you just want help resetting the computer, and the store employees will do it for you, or at the very least walk you through it so you can wipe the computer yourself.

ChromeOS

Google’s ChromeOS is the simplest operating system of the three, and has the simplest way to reset the computer of all data. Even if you are interested in ensuring that no one can potentially steal your data, there are a number of additional steps that can be taken, such as logging out of your Google account before resetting the computer. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open settings. This can be done by clicking on the bottom right of the screen on the clock and then clicking “Settings”, or by selecting the menu option at the top right and selecting Settings there.
2. Scroll to the bottom and select “Show Advanced Settings”.
3. Scroll down further (or search) until you see “Select Powerwash”, and select it.
4. After the prompt, select “Reset”.

That is the one and only way to reset a ChromeOS device. While this is a much simpler way of dealing with the computer if and when a reset is necessary, it also means that should the computer run into any problems where it doesn’t start, there are limited options on how to fix it yourself.

Then again, if you store vital business or personal data on a Chromebook, it means that it is accessible on the web as well (in most cases) and is therefore secure so long as you are in possession of the Chromebook. And since they are typically so cheap, it may be worthwhile to throw it away and buy a new one. Should that not be an option, most manufacturers will repair or at least assist in repairs for free.

Other important details

While not all OS resets are the same, there are two major differences in how you should look at them based on the hardware:

1. Is the computer using a hard disk or a solid state drive?
2. If it is a hard disk, do you have sensitive data that absolutely must be removed?

The reason for this questioning is simple: hard disks, meaning hard drives with a physical spinning disk, have data written to that physical disk. That means that when the data is written, it stays permanently until it is overwritten, and even then some of that original data can be recovered and pieced back together. That’s great if you’ve lost some data and need to get it back… but not great if you want to sell the computer and don’t want any of that data going to someone else.

However, most computers sold today are sold without hard disks. Instead, they use a Solid State Drive, or SSD. These SSDs write the data to a memory chip, which handles it differently. Firstly, once the data is deleted or overwritten, usually within minutes it is no longer accessible because of how all three of these OS’s work: once the file is deleted, the space is cleared so that something else can be written in its place.

This occurs because SSDs function so fast and can write to any part of the drive at the same time that it isn’t conducive to have any previously used space remain used, holding deleted data. So in the time it would take to reset the computer, the disk would have completely rid of the files. Every Mac laptop sold since 2013, every Chromebook, and many Windows PCs use Solid State Drives, which are lower capacity than typical hard drives, but they are much faster and are becoming more cost efficient every day.

However, many desktop computers, as well as some cheaper Windows PCs, use hard disks instead. The simplest solution to ensure that that data is secure is to purchase an equivalent drive and replace the original with a new one, and throw the old one away. Or, if you’re very paranoid, smash it to pieces.

If you’re looking for a computer that is easier to deal with this entire process for, I recommend using a Mac, and more specifically a Mac laptop like the MacBook Pro. The desktops feature hard drives, or else you’ll have to pay significantly more to buy one with a larger-capacity SSD.

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