Windows 10: How to wipe/ factory reset my old 2007 Windows Vista Home Premium desktop computer

I'm looking for help on how i can wipe my old desk top completely, i've tried to look online and i couldn't find much, and when i did find something it never worked. I have the old desktop Window Vista Hoe Premium with Windows 7 on it, and i can't figure out a way to reset it all completely because we're trying to get rid of it. Any help would be appreciated TIA

:)

 

Factory Reset Microsoft Vista

I own an old laptop with Microsoft Vista and want to factory reset it and remove all the data so that I can sell it away.

I have googled and tried 2 methods:

1) Control Panel -> Backup and Recovery -> Advanced Options

But I couldn't find the option to do a factory reset like how I did for a Windows 7.

2) I have also tried holding f8 when the computer is turning it on. Instructions stated that an option "Repair Your Computer" would be the first in the list, however I do not see this option.

Note that I do not have the CD to reset the laptop.

Please do assist!

 

Can't reset computer to factory windows 8.1 upgraded from Vista

I have an old computer that I want to get rid of. It was Vista upgraded to 8.1.

I am trying to wipe the hard drive. It says files are missing so I created an 8.1 file on a usb drive to re-install them. It wants the product key, but the one I have is for Vista, not for 8.1 and it will not accept it. The 8.1 product key listed in
the system doesn't have enough digits, only 20, not 25. How can I proceed to wipe the hard drive?

Larry

 

how to factory reset a windows vista pc

Hi adamvv023:

What is the make and model of your computer? Every manufacturer has a slightly different method for performing a factory reset.

Please be aware that there is a known issue with Vista SP2 computers where Windows Update can hang on "Checking for updates..." for several hours (or even days) and cause serious performance issues - see the FAQ
How to Fix Vista SP2 "Checking for Updates..." Hangs and Slow Windows Updates in the VistaForums.
If you reset your computer back to factory condition you will have to restore all your personal files from a backup, remove all the outdated third-party software installed at the factory that is no longer supported (e.g., old trial versions of antivirus software
like McAfee, Norton, etc.), update all your hardware drivers and reinstall your third-party software. Once you reinstall the SP1 and SP2 service packs for your operating system you will find that Windows Update will begin to hang on "Checking for updates..."
and prevent you from patching Vista SP2 with several years worth of missing security updates until that problem is fixed.

If you are having issues with your Vista SP2 computer post back with the details. It might be much easier for you to fix that problem than to get your computer working again after a factory reset.

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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.7.3 * Norton Security v22.14.0.54

HP Pavilion dv6835ca, Intel Core2Duo T5550 @ 1.83 GHz, 3 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS