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Is this a good pc to buy?

VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
Fixes: 20
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: Is this a good pc to buy?

Windows will mix your data with the OS.
What about log files/cache files/registry files? Not to mention any phone home stuff it may have done.

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

chillypenguin
Grafter
Posts: 4,729
Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: Is this a good pc to buy?

DBAN will clear the lot, was the laptop supplied with restore disks?
If it just had a restore partition, then DBAN will remove that too, so you need the restore on disk.
shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
Thanks: 3,769
Fixes: 65
Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Is this a good pc to buy?

@evie.  Have you got CCleaner installed?
Have you set the Options > secure deletion > secure file deletion> drop down menu and choose the one with 35 passes.
Now go to your "personal files" and folders, that you want to  delete.  select one, and right click on it, click on the word Erase, and it will show a box "confirm erasing" and "options"  > click "Options" then check "erase with...."  Gutmann    showing 35 passes    Select that one, then click  OK this returns you to the previous box.....  then click  YES. 
It will take some time to run through the file with 35 passes.... but it should prevent anyone finding your personal information `from that file`....  Of course, you could just run it on the 7 pass DOD version, which would make it very difficult for someone to read the file....
You will have to spend some time doing ALL your personal files, and folders.... there would no need to do this to programs that you have loaded. 
I am not sure, but I don`t think DELL would worry too much about what programs were left on the HDD if it were returned.
Not applicable

Re: Is this a good pc to buy?

Dell won't be bothered about the HDD you are returning. If anything, they'll be happy that you've already taken care of your data removal so you won't even have to question their methods of destruction.