Question on Returning HP TSV from Thanksgiving

NikkiColo · ‎03-13-2010

Returning this as (to me) this is a clunky, cheap-feeling laptop and I cannot stand Windows 8. Question - is there a proper and safe way to erase anything that may be personal to me on the computer (ie Hotmail)? BF said he could erase the entire hard drive but I am not sure that is an OK thing to do. Any thoughts or suggestions? Many thanks.

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

Yeah, I don't think erasing the whole hard drive would be a good idea because the operating system is a chunk of the money you paid for the computer.

There are programs you can get, and probably even some free ones, that supposedly erase all your personal info and put it back to original. They are not infallible so if somebody knows what they are doing, they can still harvest info. Hopefully, it's not full of passwords, credit card numbers, etc.

Hopefully, GLB will come along. She knows a lot of valuable stuff in this area and others.

One word to the wise is that I would make sure I wanted to keep the computer before doing ANYTHING personal on it. Plus, if you install some of your own softwares you might end up losing the license that you paid for if you ditch the computer.

I'd also not purchase the next one from a shopping channel. You can get a lot more, and more current, for your money from numerous other sources.

Nuttmeg · ‎03-09-2010

Restoring an HP to factory setting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSQEhYmz61M

Making Window 8.1 feel like Window 7 with Classic Shell. http://www.classicshell.net/

glb613 · ‎03-09-2010

I installed classic shell and really like it. Restoring to factory settings is easy. With my last HP computer, I could either do it using the recovery partition or the recovery discs I made. Press F11 during boot up or double click on the file you find in the "D" or recovery partition.

bonnielu · ‎03-11-2010

I just ordered the latest HP that was the special value. I quickly changed my mind. I called and they said THEY WOULD TRY TO CANCEL IT. So far no luck. I might just keep it if it arrives. I will take all this great advice and make it behave like Windows 7. Hate 8.

I wonder what 10 will be like. I hear they are skipping 9. Could have gotten that wrong.

NickNack · ‎03-10-2010

On 1/12/2015 bonnielu said:
I just ordered the latest HP that was the special value. I quickly changed my mind. I called and they said THEY WOULD TRY TO CANCEL IT. So far no luck. I might just keep it if it arrives. I will take all this great advice and make it behave like Windows 7. Hate 8.

I wonder what 10 will be like. I hear they are skipping 9. ${#emotions_dlg.biggrin}$ Could have gotten that wrong.

If you're home when it arrives, just refuse it. That way you won't have to pay the shipping to return it. I almost never return anything but did that once on an impulse buy I made with QVC.

The Bluebird Carries The Sky On His Back"
-Henry David Thoreau

Lynnj · ‎03-21-2010

That's a good idea, nicknack. To the OP, I would restore back to factory settings and erase the hard drive in the process before sending it back. through the sign on process and in registering the computer you input personal information. I wouldn't want anyone else to have access to that. Since the erase and restore to factory settings is so easy, better safe than sorry is the way I see it.

Buck-i-Nana · ‎09-28-2010

On 1/12/2015 bonnielu said:
I just ordered the latest HP that was the special value. I quickly changed my mind. I called and they said THEY WOULD TRY TO CANCEL IT. So far no luck. I might just keep it if it arrives. I will take all this great advice and make it behave like Windows 7. Hate 8.

I wonder what 10 will be like. I hear they are skipping 9. ${#emotions_dlg.biggrin}$ Could have gotten that wrong.

Good luck with that cancellation. I cancelled the next day and even though it sat in processing for 5 more days after my call, it shipped anyway. They will cover the return fee though.

Buck-i-Nana · ‎09-28-2010

You could create another user account on the machine, give that account admin authority and then log in with the new account and delete your original account. That will remove any personal data you entered. Then, do the HP restore to factory settings.

glb613 · ‎03-09-2010

You can also install CCleaner and wipe the free space after you delete all of your personal information and uninstall programs. It's found under tools and will overwrite the free space with 1s and 0s.

When you either delete or uninstall, the data is still there. The space it occupies is marked as free and can be overwritten or used again. Until it's overwritten and with the proper software, a person can get the data. When you wipe the drive or free space, that area is overwritten with 1s and 0s making it unreadable. So, if you format the drive and reinstall or wipe the drive/free space, your data is gone.

Using the recovery partition (most notebook computers don't have optical drives to use a disk) or the recovery data you put on a USB drive (which is what you do instead of making discs) should be fine for erasing your data. As posted, don't install a lot of personal "stuff" until you know you want to keep a computer.