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I've just bought a laptop from an ebay seller of refurbished laptops.
A search by serial number on the Lenovo website shows that all drivers are available.
This PC > Properties shows that Win 10 Pro is activated.
Shall I run Windows 'Reset this PC' > 'Remove Everything'? Or should I format the disk and re-install from a USB?
Anything else I need to do?
I’ve just bought a 2nd hand laptop. What do I need to do?
Run a file recovery program. Look for password files, financial data, and homemade porn for blackmailing.
Shall I run Windows ‘Reset this PC’ > ‘Remove Everything’? Or should I format the disk and re-install from a USB?
Does it still have old data on it? The previous owner may have done that already.
Personally I'd do one or the other of those - both should achieve broadly the same end result - purely from a paranoia perspective.
As said, look for porn, duh.
Run a file recovery program. Look for password files, financial data, and homemade porn for blackmailing.
I love how utterly predictable this place is LOL.
I’d try turning it off and back on again as a start.
Then wipe it clean, then reinstall whatever software you want to put on it.
Unless it already has one, install a SSD, then build from new.
Otherwise, if it boots straight to desktop rebuild it, if it goes through the normal new windows machine process don't bother.
I would download a fresh installation USB drive (on another computer if feeling especially paranoid) and format / install from that. Not only do you then eliminate most of the remaining (admittedly slim) risk of anything nasty being left on it, but a fresh installation from up-to-date media appears to end up with more free disc space than running all the updates on an older installation.
Doesn't refurbished usually mean somebody opened the packaging and then changed their mind? In other words is it really used/second hand, or just a return? Not much chance of pron if the latter.
I would download a fresh installation USB drive (on another computer if feeling especially paranoid) and format / install from that. Not only do you then eliminate most of the remaining (admittedly slim) risk of anything nasty being left on it, but a fresh installation from up-to-date media appears to end up with more free disc space than running all the updates on an older installation.
That's what Disk Cleanup is for, but yes, agreed.
That’s what Disk Cleanup is for, but yes, agreed.
True, but IME (tainted admittedly by a frustrating week of trying to get a cheap laptop with a 30GB drive usable), it's not as effective.
It also doesn't entirely remove the (slim) chance that an unscrupulous refurbisher has put a key-logger into the OS.
I probably would have done a fresh install from the advice above... but I couldn't find a USB stick so went for the reset. I'll blame Cougar if I'm hacked.
Too late for the extra info now, but it's a 4 year old Lenovo X1, so definitely used and already has a SSD.