Windows 10: If you return a PC to a store-FACTORY RESET IT!!!

An informative article I found at ars technical:

How Best Buy’s computer-wiping error turned me into an amateur blackhat

Reset Windows 10

:)

 

What happens if it is necessary to do a Factory Reset

hope we will get the free upgrade even after factory reset. But I have created an ISO of Windows 10. So that I can be safe even after free upgrade was over

 

What happens if it is necessary to do a Factory Reset

You can download and save/copy and install all of Windows Updates, 7, 7.1 8, 8.1, including SP1 packages.

Go to..

Microsoft Update Catalog

Also you can enter in update numbers, like KB3068708

 

Your welcome. Note on Eight forums, ARC1020 made a very good point, the this specially goes for phones.:

 

An interesting article.

One other thought I had though - in the article the suggestion is that the original buyer took the machine back to the store, presumably to get it repaired, and handed over their password.

Although I now know a couple of things about Windows from reading Eight Forums and Ten Forums, I know little about hardware, and in any case if something failed while under warranty I'd probably take it back to the store before having a go myself.

So if you took a computer back in to the store under warranty, and the store said they needed the computer's password to fix it, and the only login/password on the computer is for your Microsoft Account (which gives access to lots of information on the cloud), what would you do...?

For me, it just reinforces something I do which I've mentioned before, which is to setup a local account with Admin rights, while the computer is working.

I think the lesson is more than just resetting the computer (which in any case might not be possible if the computer had already failed in some way - suppose a power supply connector had failed for instance).

 

They have absolutely no need to get into your account to repair a PC. To help with setting up you should remain there after logging yourself. Leaving you PC with ANYONE is like leaving money in your hotel room, sometimes you get lucky, and they're honest. Your personal information is $$$$ these days

 

This article makes me glad that I have learned how to repair my computers.

 

Same here.. plus I have a great local shop if I need to go that route.

 

It feels a lot better if you build your own PC. You don't have to bring your PC anywhere else. *Smile

 

I actually enjoy building, or updating the hardware in my own PCs. Hardware I understand, but software...ah....not so much! *Biggrin

 

I haven't built my own computer since they stopped having computer shows locally. I still get the emails but I'm not going to drive to to Maryland to go to one. It was nice when they use to have the shows at the University of Delaware. I just checked my email and there's a computer show this weekend in Laurel MD.