Windows 10: Just Bought a Used Computer but theres some of the old users files on it.

Just bought this nice computer from a nice family and I saw him reset it in front of me after testing but there's still files on it probably from him and how can I delete them? Thanks for your time! Sorry if the pictures look bad

:)

 

I bought a used computer but the old user account is still there.

I bought a used computer but the old user account is still there. I tried just factory resetting the computer but it said I needed more space to reset it. What can I do?

 

I bought a used computer but the old user account is still there.

Hello Andy, this is Emily.

Can you currently sign into the computer at all with your own user, in addition to the old user? If so, can you tell how much free space is available in C drive if you view it in File Explorer > This PC?

We can try to make some room and see if that helps. To do so -

Type sysdm.cpl in the search on the taskbar and hit enter, go to Advanced tab, click on the "Settings" button at the User Profile section. Then delete the old user profile.

Then see if you can reset after that. If you still cannot reset after that, or if you cannot even sign into the computer, you need clean install. I will attach the instruction in case you need it.

To perform a clean installation of Windows 10 using the Windows Media Creation Tool. You do need to get access to another computer so you can download the Windows installation files into a flash drive, then use the flash drive to help your computer. Hopefully you have a spare computer, or you can have friend or family help you.

The following steps should be done on a working Windows computer:

Download the Windows Media Creation Tool from Microsoft's official website. https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/win...

Run the tool and select "Create installation media for another PC."

Choose your language, edition, and architecture (32 or 64-bit) and select "Next."

Choose "USB flash drive" as the media to use for the installation and select "Next."

Connect a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of free space to your computer.

Select the USB flash drive you want to use, and then select "Next."

The tool will then download the required files and create the installation media.

=====================================================

Now these steps will be done on your problematic computer:

Go to the computer's BIOS boot menu to have it boot from the USB drive.

Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows 10, making sure to choose "Custom install" and select the option to delete all existing partitions.

Once the installation is complete, you'll have a clean installation of Windows 10 on your computer.

 

Old user account with Microsoft account reappeared on the computer

Hi Graham,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



It is very unusual that the old profile has reappeared on the computer.



Ideally, the old profile will only reappear if System Restore has been performed on the computer. We would like to if you are aware of any changes made to the computer.



As you have mentioned that your Microsoft account is linked to your old profile, I would suggest you to convert the Microsoft account to a local account by following the steps mentioned below:

1. Login to the old account.
   
2. Press Windows Logo key + I, to open
   Settings.
   
3. Click on Accounts and select
   Your info from the left pane.
   
4. Click on Sign in with a local account instead.
   
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
   

After converting the account to a local account, if you wish to delete the account, refer the steps mentioned below:

1. Login to the newly created account.
   
2. Press Windows Logo key + R, to open
   Run dialog box.
   
3. Type control and click on
   OK.
   
4. Select Large icons from the drop down for
   View by.
   
5. Now, click on User Accounts.
   
6. Click on Manage another account and select the user account that you want to remove.
   
7. Click on Delete the account and select
   Keep Files (if you want to keep the files of the user account) else select Delete
   to remove the account.
   

After deleting the old user account, to convert the new user account to a Microsoft account, go to
Settings (Windows Logo key + I) >> Accounts >>
Your info >> click on Sign in with a Microsoft account and follow the on-screen instructions.



I hope the information provided by me is helpful for you.



Let us know if you need any further assistance, we will be glad to help you further.



Regards,

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community - Moderator