Indeed! The "Bob Ross" of Tech. I love that analogy. I can almost hear him talking about "lots of happy megabytes". For the record, I am a fan of Bob Ross (RIP).
Couldn't stop giggling. This man could've cut all the "Get ready" loading screens but he chose to wait with us through most of it making small talk to make the wait less awkward 😆😆😆 subbed!
I am 79 yrs old and you are the only one that makes it simple enough for me to get things done. Thank You. , You are better than Bob Ross (whom I love). I have watched a lot of his videos and still can't paint.
I got a computer from my school that they allowed me to keep because they were buying all brand new models. But it had all of the admin restrictions on it, and wouldn't allow me to do a full reset. This guide worked to install a brand new version of windows without the administrator restrictions that would normally block me from using it for recreational and personal use. Thanks so much!
I know that this is a 6 year old video but I will be sending this video to all of my company's customers that question whether or not our refurbished computers are legitimate or trusted. I work for a great company called Discount Computer Depot that is one of the few "Microsoft authorized refurbishers" so all of the computers are completely wiped and reinstalled with windows 10 (for now, but possibly windows 11 in the future). You would be surprised by the amount of people that are upset that they have to go through the process of setting windows up themselves. They call in asking if we can do it for them because they hate having to go through the few steps to set windows up. We have to tell them that it is a clean install for their benefit and security and unfortunately our policy won't allow us to set it up for them. Thank you for making this video. It will help our customers to better understand that the way we do things is for their benefit.
I've just bought my first refurbished rather than new machine, and this is a fantastic guide thank you. I was tech-savvy twenty years ago but I'm well out of the loop with modern OS systems and this guide was just what I needed to satisfy my data security concerns of buying a used machine. Thank you. Update: my refurb helpfully booted straight into windows, and had four partitions set up. This guide has been very handy for sure!! I would have factory reset it anyway, but wouldn't have got there so quickly without this very clear process to follow, so thank you again.
Probably the best video on the internet to demonstrate this process. I bought a used laptop on craigslist and sure enough found out the seller intentionally installed spyware which would have compromised all of my personal information and passwords had I not wiped the drive as demonstrated in the video. Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video.
Thank you for this great step by step video on how to load Windows 10 software into a PC. I followed your steps, loaded Windows into a five year old desktop computer, and got it working! Now the PC can be used. You video save me money and frustrations. Thanks for helping us "fixers" to be able to do the work ourselves. Glad I been a subscriber for many years.
Great job explaining how to prepare a computer for sale or donation. You remained "On Point" while taking care to explain why simply deleting files and apps isn't enough! My Dell XPS 13 is currently in the reboot/reset process at 27% complete.
Thanks for taking the time to go through the slow boring steps for new people to see with you. Some parts are routine but others are so critical. people just don't know which is which.
As a Tech myself I was so happy to see a "go back to basics" video like yours. :) I do this like clockwork so much I forget people need to be informed of this safety tip.
Thanks, glad you liked it! :) Likewise, it was only buying this machine and turning it on to "Preferred Customer" and seeing stuff like uTorrent installed and I was thinking, "well, I have to nuke this", then I thought, "wait a minute, I'll bet a lot of people don't know to do that!"
I'm not tech savvy, but can research and follow instructions. After lots of other tutorials, this finally made sense of things, saved me money and much frustration. THANKS! SUBBED!!
Really appreciate the details. So often when I watch a how-to video things work smoothly -- in the video -- but when I try to do it on my machine there are frustrations that weren't addressed.
If you've never installed Windows before this is a must watch video - I wish I'd seen it years ago! I've now got a nano-USB stick with Win10 installer, NVidia and Radeon drivers, overclock utilities and hardware monitor on it. Its my one-stop PC creator!
I really, really liked this. I am awaiting delivery of a refurb. and have never done an install before. I'm also not very computer literate! I believe that this will be my guidance for my "sticker" version of 10. You've answered all my questions, and relieved a lot of stress. I only wish this could have been a step by step video. But, there's no way that it could have been, given the fact of not knowing what the seller has performed/not performed. I am impressed with your down to earth knowledge, and have subscribed. Thanks again! 😃
The hardest part of a Windows 10 install is thinking of something to do when the files are being copied and you don't want to just sit there. Read a book or something. Also, do yourself a favor and go to the channel of a computer tech guy who teaches PC building and how easy it is, Carey Holzman. His channel goes with this one really well.
Actually the hardest part is fixing windows after you fresh install it. I had a brand new NVME SSD, Titan Xp, and my Ryzen 1700 I put Windows on 4 days ago. It completed, but Edge couldn't click on anything (so I couldn't download Chrome because it requires you click accept and install button). Had to install Firefox, then use Firefox to install Chrome... Its stuff like this that always happens (if it didn't happen to you, you just haven't noticed it yet). Its also easiest to remove all drives but the one you want (this time it didn't even let me install it with my 3TB drive plugged it). And yes, I immediately tried reformatted and reinstalling Windows hoping this would fix it, but same thing. And yes, I've used DVD, multiple different USBs, and even SSD's through USB converter to put the windows install tool on (and my internet connection is great with Gigabit speeds even), so its just windows, it just never works. Linux? Never had an issue with Linux, super simple, never an issue. No blue screens (common on Windows, its actually my screensaver as a joke), and insanely stable which is why every major system and server is running Linux. Its also incredibly difficult to hack unlike Windows, which pretty much can be cracked with a sneeze. I actually have a cool program made by High school student that can remote open programs, transfer files, and do whatever (no passwords needed, how convenient!). I use that to remotely crash friends computers spamming open every game at once or locking them out of the system. Nothing malicious though, just for fun with consent, but its seriously way too insecure.
Just telling the truth. It's no mystery why all the main servers like Google, Amazon, etc use Linux. Its reliable, fast, and it works. If I had to guess the top 3 highest suicide rates and occupations, it would be: Rock stars, drug dealers, and then Windows server technicians. (I feel sorry for those guys)
Great advice for people who might buy used PCs from yard sales,goodwill,flea markets,pawnshops,and want ads,all pawnshops do not check for viruses,malware,or remote spyware,I love the 2018 hairstyle better tbh.
I've been coming to your channel for a few weeks now and only just noticed that I'm not subscribed to you. I fixed that. I really like your channel. It has helped me several times and I'm grateful to you for it. Thank you.
i came across this video randomly in my feed, didn't realize it was 2 years old until you mentioned it, haha. but great tips for being safe with a used pc.
I did virtually everything you talk about in this video to an HP 500-339 that I bought used/refurbished from a local computer repair shop. I made the mistake of going for the PRO version of 8.1 from Edge, and had to go back and get the normal home version. Install went really well, partitions were removed and recreated by the OS install, and it was up and running about 90% problem free. I had to go find LAN control, GPU and display drivers from MSI/AMD/ATI and install them, and now the machine is showing no errors. Your video was SUPER helpful, and now I am looking at other videos of yours about updating/upgrading parts, as mine is at least 3 model years old now...likely doing an SSD swap and going from 8GB to 16GB ram, and then eventually a different graphics card and larger power supply. Thanks again for all you do!
Hands down the best step by step I have seen for this. All the variables, including questions I still had from other videos, were answered in this one!
I'd make some amendments... 1. Before connecting the untried system to your network, ensure that all other systems and resources are disconnected - alternatively connect via a "guest network" facility, otherwise embedded malware could attack your systems from inside of the router firewall. 2. Check "Update & Security", Activation - if it says "digital licence", then you have a keyless activation, otherwise you may need to retrieve the key in case it's not the label key 3. After Install from media, remember to reset the boot options if changed, it will be quicker than polling for other devices before the system drive and avoid accidental booting from other devices. 4. If stuck for drivers, try Iobit Driver Booster free - unlike many bait and switch updaters, this actually covers the most important things in the free version and is good at finding those awkward ones that were originally inherited from an upgrade
As a well reputable seller on eBay for 3 years, this is how I sell my desktops and laptops. I reset the whole system and when the customer turns it on, they are greeted with the windows 10 setup.
you saved me! Thanks! :) I bought a used laptop, and when I got it , the exact thing that happened here happened when I turned it on. I panicked and didn't know what to do! Thank God for UA-cam! Very awesome, helpful and easy instructions!
ugggh at this very moment Windows 10 started up "Hi, We're happy you're here" immediately to the desktop like the man said 😲😲 . Glad I knew about this video a week earlier
So glad I saw this before I sold my computer! It had Windows 8.1 and I reset the whole thing. Was about to set it up again before I watched this video, now I won't look like a criminal trying to steal data!
I ended up with a great deal from eBay; fully loaded Alienware laptop with 250GB solid state drive, 500GB hard drive, and a mSata 32GB SSD. But like you I ended up resetting Windows 10 Pro for the same reason with the exception of choosing to remove all files and clean all drives. The seller also included a new power supply along with a brand new gaming mouse and Alienware mat. However, I did not buy it for gaming, I just wanted a high quality used computer with a i7 quad core processor. The only upgrade I made, "8-16GB of ram",as a final gesture he included the DVD slot drive if I wished to swap out the secondary hard drive. "Thank you for outstanding presentation"
I just bought a used PC off E-bay and was toying with whether or not to do a fresh install of windows. This video has me convinced it's necessary. Especially since the seller setup Win7 with user accounts and passwords and I found a remote login client running in the background. Thank goodness I have not connected the new (to me) PC to the Internet or transferred any of my personal data yet!
Whoa, the computer I just bought is the same Lenovo ThinkCentre as yours, and even had the same “preferred customer” account set up! 😂 What a coincidence! Great video
A very thorough and informative set of instructions on how to do it right and lessen the chance of trouble. Thank you. It was a great lesson. I wonder if when I have this computer unplugged and working to bring up the refurbished one if I will remember some of all of this. Thank you.
Better off cleaning it and installing Linux on it (e.g. Ubuntu; 18.04 LTS is coming out soon). :-) By the way, this is the best PC how-to channel I have encountered.
Except these days, it becomes dangerous even to put your usb stick to unknown machine. Word is turning to a very unpleasant place. But still, great video, good job. I very much like the fact that you take the time to explain everything.
Thanks, I watched this video yesterday because I had bought a refurb from Amazon. Lo and behold exactly what you described happened when I booted it the first time. I did a clean install this morning using your video step by step. BTW I thought the desktop (HP Elite 8300) was a great deal $200 with a 4 year extendended warranty.
Awesome vid as usual, i'd strongly suggest making a "how to build a pc" video where you just put the pc together from components. Everyones done one and its standard however its a great way to get regular loyal noobs who will stick to you forever, also every good youtube has their own individual delivery, which you have too. Your own unique delivery will make that "build" video unique and it would probably be the one i'd suggest to my first time builder friends.
you're the best! i just bought a very cheap used dell optiplex from a local seller and there was a illegal version of windows 10 with a bunch of installed programs on it. it also wouldnt let me reboot the system but with your help i did it :)
Take it apart, physically clean everything, put it back together, wipe hard drive, install your favorite Linux distro. Seriously though, excellent run through of doing a clean install of Windows 10. If you're staying in the eco-system for whatever reasons, this is exactly what you should do. I'd still recommend some physical house cleaning as part of the process though.
I got a refurbished Lenovo desktop computer with Windows 10 for $85 (I commented on another video)- on the first boot it did the proper SAFE initial setup, language, time zone, etc. **thumbs up**
Got a refurbed optiplex a few months ago off Amazon. I got a BSOD when I tried starting it up. Had to do a reset after a bit of research. I chose to keep the files though. Now I'm frantically doing a full scan with windows defender thanks to this video. Also the hard drive was DOA so thankfully I already had an SSD to replace it with :)
probablythis is just an old win 7 key, worth less than 20$. a harddrive of that age is worthless, maybe the highest value is in the case or the WiFi card.
It had Windows 7 Pro, upgraded to Windows 10... The hard drive is probably worth $20, the real value is the CPU, the i5-2400 still holds its value fairly well and having it installed in a working computer with 8GB of RAM is the real value. The irony is that this machine came with a WiFi card, which I promptly took out! I've added a GT 710 GPU to compensate for the completely terrible HD 2000 Intel graphics and this will become a media computer.
One note about this if your not using a blank hdd/ssd (from new) you should go into the repair option First and command prompt and diskpart select correct disk and use clean command (make sure correct disk is selected as disk 0 might be the USB pen drive, the clean command has no confirmation when ran) Deleting partitions does not reset the drive completely (also any issues with the gpt or Mbr layout will persists including viruses that load into the bootloader, tends to be a MBR layout issue on that one)
Recently I bought a REFURBISHED HP elitedesk 800 G1 USDT from off ebay for $104.00. It came with a 500gb HDD, 4gb of memory and a copy of Windows 10 Pro installed. The very first thing I do whenever I get a used (refurbished) computer is WIPE the existing HDD or replace it with an SSD and reinstall Windows, either from CD or USB. I always purchase refurbished computers from a Microsoft certified refurbisher, just so I am confident the refurbishing process is done according to Microsoft standards. After wiping the drive I took the HDD out and replaced it with a new Western Digital 256gb SSD. I also installed a new mSATA SSD card for extra storage. I formatted the WD SSD and installed a fresh copy of Windows. The computer came with a wireless card built in so I get immediately online and downloaded all the Windows updates and drivers for all my hardware. Because I ordered a refurbished computer from a Micorsoft certified refurbisher, the entire system was cleaned out and dust free, like a new computer, which now has a new install of Windows 10 Pro. This is the safest way of handling a refurbished computer.
Very good, wished something like this video was available when I was pulling out my hair over my Mother's refurbished Dell D630 laptop with Win7. Hers came preinstalled with an additional software "suite" of marginally usable programs (a $200 value free!) and an installed account name of "USER". Of course she ran it for months before I got the call to "Come look at it" after the malware, pop-ups and ad-ware took it's toal. After hours spent to "blast & repaved" Win7 I got it working again. She used it for another three years and then got a newer Laptop. She gave the old Dell D630 to me and I never had any problem with it (after an installation of Linux Mint OS!)
All fine and dandy till the rootkit awakens. Seriously though, when I saw that my new (used) laptop booted up just like that, I figured a reset was necessary. Luckily, it worked just fine as it should, but thank you very much for this video, either way! I've had to reinstall windows before, using my sister's installation media, and I'm sure I might have to do it again, someday, so it's good to know how to do it myself.
I have been known to do a factory reset/clean install/recovery twice in a row when getting ready to sell - just to be SURE that *my* stuff is gone before it leaves the house. This includes a phone, a digital reader, a desktop, a laptop, or a tablet. I'd rather be paranoid than compromised. I have also done a recovery when a newly purchased device came up with *something* not looking like a factory reset.
A clean install on a desktop/laptop does not wipe the disk. It merely installs a fresh system, leaving old data on the drive. While the partition(s) may be formatted, this is not wiping. During a typical (quick) format only a new file system is created and old data is left as is until it will be overwritten with time as the disk is being used. Until that time, those disk areas won't be used and appropriate software can extract the previous data with varying levels of accuracy, depending on the software and intensity of search. If you want to WIPE files (disk areas), then you have to use software that has such functionality - meaning it will overwrite at least once all the disk areas that contained the data that you want to wipe. To wipe a whole disk means to overwrite all areas of the disk, including areas that have boot and partition information. This is done by writing to the device directly, not even to a partitions. And it's best to overwrite the whole (whole) disk several times with RANDOM DATA. I'm not sure how Android devices wipe though, but if they merely create fresh file systems then that does not remove old information.
I was given a used computer and was told to still use the original owner's user/past word. I'm just wanting to reset the computer. I like taking pictures and videos, putting them on the computer from smartphone, and like making movies. I love the "Go walk the dog"
If someone trustworthy gave it to you then perhaps there are no ill intentions, but still it's sloppy of someone no to have cleared the old profile. You should have administrator privileges and be able to create a new account (without a password if it's your home PC). You should be able to at least change the password or clear it. But then again, if you're OK with it then maybe you don't need to do anything.
If you're going to sell your old computer or give it away to somebody you know I would recommend that removing the hard drive off of that computer and buy a new hard drive and install it in that computer without a operating system and allowing its new owner to decide what kind of operating system that they want to put into that computer as far your hard drive that removed from your old computer you can salvage it and used it as a external drive.
One thing you left out that I always do just in case: use a program to get the system serial number and write it down or take a picture with your phone and e-mail it to yourself (with the phone, don't log in to your e-mail on the suspect computer). If anything goes wrong in the install and you lose your activated key in the reformat, if you have a backup photo of the license you can reinstall Windows without having to buy a new license or run an unactivated copy. All of that said you can get Windows 10 keys on eBay for under $5, which oddly enough seems somehow legal due to some old hardware loophole (they claim its linked to an old activated computer, of which you just need one part, and they recycle it on your behalf when you buy the key), though I wouldn't risk it as a business as auditors may not accept it.
Thank you for the video I watched your video on how to reinstall windows with a USB flash drive now I'm learning how to do it all on my own so thank you I had this issue with my laptop so I had to go on the other computer and download the media creation tool for windows 10
The thing I will say is the fastest method is to either format the entire storage unit and then reinstall or just replace it with something else to install a copy onto instead.
I don't know what it is but you are just so comforting when I'm trying to do something with my pc, it feels like I'm watching Bob Ross
Indeed! The "Bob Ross" of Tech. I love that analogy. I can almost hear him talking about "lots of happy megabytes". For the record, I am a fan of Bob Ross (RIP).
Your comment encouraged me to pay close attention!
IKR!
Couldn't stop giggling. This man could've cut all the "Get ready" loading screens but he chose to wait with us through most of it making small talk to make the wait less awkward 😆😆😆 subbed!
i was thinkingvthe same thing to lol
I am 79 yrs old and you are the only one that makes it simple enough for me to get things done. Thank You.
, You are better than Bob Ross (whom I love). I have watched a lot of his videos and still can't paint.
He Man, could you give an advice on how to survive that long, and also how to take care of ur body
I got a computer from my school that they allowed me to keep because they were buying all brand new models. But it had all of the admin restrictions on it, and wouldn't allow me to do a full reset. This guide worked to install a brand new version of windows without the administrator restrictions that would normally block me from using it for recreational and personal use. Thanks so much!
I know that this is a 6 year old video but I will be sending this video to all of my company's customers that question whether or not our refurbished computers are legitimate or trusted. I work for a great company called Discount Computer Depot that is one of the few "Microsoft authorized refurbishers" so all of the computers are completely wiped and reinstalled with windows 10 (for now, but possibly windows 11 in the future). You would be surprised by the amount of people that are upset that they have to go through the process of setting windows up themselves. They call in asking if we can do it for them because they hate having to go through the few steps to set windows up. We have to tell them that it is a clean install for their benefit and security and unfortunately our policy won't allow us to set it up for them. Thank you for making this video. It will help our customers to better understand that the way we do things is for their benefit.
Thank you for the kind words! Cheers!
I've just bought my first refurbished rather than new machine, and this is a fantastic guide thank you. I was tech-savvy twenty years ago but I'm well out of the loop with modern OS systems and this guide was just what I needed to satisfy my data security concerns of buying a used machine. Thank you.
Update: my refurb helpfully booted straight into windows, and had four partitions set up. This guide has been very handy for sure!! I would have factory reset it anyway, but wouldn't have got there so quickly without this very clear process to follow, so thank you again.
Probably the best video on the internet to demonstrate this process. I bought a used laptop on craigslist and sure enough found out the seller intentionally installed spyware which would have compromised all of my personal information and passwords had I not wiped the drive as demonstrated in the video. Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video.
Thank you for this great step by step video on how to load Windows 10 software into a PC. I followed your steps, loaded Windows into a five year old desktop computer, and got it working! Now the PC can be used. You video save me money and frustrations. Thanks for helping us "fixers" to be able to do the work ourselves. Glad I been a subscriber for many years.
Glad it helped
Great job explaining how to prepare a computer for sale or donation. You remained "On Point" while taking care to explain why simply deleting files and apps isn't enough! My Dell XPS 13 is currently in the reboot/reset process at 27% complete.
Thanks for taking the time to go through the slow boring steps for new people to see with you. Some parts are routine but others are so critical. people just don't know which is which.
As a Tech myself I was so happy to see a "go back to basics" video like yours. :) I do this like clockwork so much I forget people need to be informed of this safety tip.
Thanks, glad you liked it! :)
Likewise, it was only buying this machine and turning it on to "Preferred Customer" and seeing stuff like uTorrent installed and I was thinking, "well, I have to nuke this", then I thought, "wait a minute, I'll bet a lot of people don't know to do that!"
After you wipe the system clean do you install an anti-virus program?
@@shawnainthekitchen8011
No you leave it completely unprotected (joking)😂…I have been told it’s best to install an anti virus…
You are the best, most clear speaking, tech guy I’ve seen to date. Excellent. Thank you.
I'm not tech savvy, but can research and follow instructions.
After lots of other tutorials, this finally made sense of things, saved me money and much frustration.
THANKS! SUBBED!!
Really appreciate the details. So often when I watch a how-to video things work smoothly -- in the video -- but when I try to do it on my machine there are frustrations that weren't addressed.
Very neat and fool proof instructions, thanks very much.
If you've never installed Windows before this is a must watch video - I wish I'd seen it years ago! I've now got a nano-USB stick with Win10 installer, NVidia and Radeon drivers, overclock utilities and hardware monitor on it. Its my one-stop PC creator!
Definitely. Thumbs up
The fool part I shall be putting to the test sir,
Thought I did everything right but ran into a problem with drivers.
I really, really liked this. I am awaiting delivery of a refurb. and have never done an install before. I'm also not very computer literate! I believe that this will be my guidance for my "sticker" version of 10.
You've answered all my questions, and relieved a lot of stress. I only wish this could have been a step by step video. But, there's no way that it could have been, given the fact of not knowing what the seller has performed/not performed.
I am impressed with your down to earth knowledge, and have subscribed.
Thanks again! 😃
The hardest part of a Windows 10 install is thinking of something to do when the files are being copied and you don't want to just sit there. Read a book or something. Also, do yourself a favor and go to the channel of a computer tech guy who teaches PC building and how easy it is, Carey Holzman. His channel goes with this one really well.
Actually the hardest part is fixing windows after you fresh install it. I had a brand new NVME SSD, Titan Xp, and my Ryzen 1700 I put Windows on 4 days ago. It completed, but Edge couldn't click on anything (so I couldn't download Chrome because it requires you click accept and install button). Had to install Firefox, then use Firefox to install Chrome... Its stuff like this that always happens (if it didn't happen to you, you just haven't noticed it yet). Its also easiest to remove all drives but the one you want (this time it didn't even let me install it with my 3TB drive plugged it). And yes, I immediately tried reformatted and reinstalling Windows hoping this would fix it, but same thing. And yes, I've used DVD, multiple different USBs, and even SSD's through USB converter to put the windows install tool on (and my internet connection is great with Gigabit speeds even), so its just windows, it just never works.
Linux? Never had an issue with Linux, super simple, never an issue. No blue screens (common on Windows, its actually my screensaver as a joke), and insanely stable which is why every major system and server is running Linux. Its also incredibly difficult to hack unlike Windows, which pretty much can be cracked with a sneeze. I actually have a cool program made by High school student that can remote open programs, transfer files, and do whatever (no passwords needed, how convenient!). I use that to remotely crash friends computers spamming open every game at once or locking them out of the system. Nothing malicious though, just for fun with consent, but its seriously way too insecure.
Jake Garrett stop advertising linux
Just telling the truth. It's no mystery why all the main servers like Google, Amazon, etc use Linux. Its reliable, fast, and it works.
If I had to guess the top 3 highest suicide rates and occupations, it would be: Rock stars, drug dealers, and then Windows server technicians. (I feel sorry for those guys)
Just what I needed, thanks.
Call me paranoid, but I rather be safe than sorry.
Out of all the youtube videos about my pc dilema, this is the only video that worked for me and now my issue is solved. Thank you so much.
Great advice for people who might buy used PCs from yard sales,goodwill,flea markets,pawnshops,and want ads,all pawnshops do not check for viruses,malware,or remote spyware,I love the 2018 hairstyle better tbh.
I've been coming to your channel for a few weeks now and only just noticed that I'm not subscribed to you. I fixed that. I really like your channel. It has helped me several times and I'm grateful to you for it. Thank you.
i came across this video randomly in my feed, didn't realize it was 2 years old until you mentioned it, haha. but great tips for being safe with a used pc.
I just bought my first refurbished PC. This was incredibly helpful and easy to understand. Thanks! :)
i love how this video is so well made, very easy to follow and very informative for those 25 mins.
Trustworthy individuals are so valuable in this life
The other comments have reminded me to subscribe
I was about to purchase a pc on eBay and you video came to mind, had to rewatch to remember what to do. Many thanks.
I did virtually everything you talk about in this video to an HP 500-339 that I bought used/refurbished from a local computer repair shop. I made the mistake of going for the PRO version of 8.1 from Edge, and had to go back and get the normal home version. Install went really well, partitions were removed and recreated by the OS install, and it was up and running about 90% problem free. I had to go find LAN control, GPU and display drivers from MSI/AMD/ATI and install them, and now the machine is showing no errors.
Your video was SUPER helpful, and now I am looking at other videos of yours about updating/upgrading parts, as mine is at least 3 model years old now...likely doing an SSD swap and going from 8GB to 16GB ram, and then eventually a different graphics card and larger power supply.
Thanks again for all you do!
The amount of PC knowledge I have gained from you is immeasurable. Thank You!
Hands down the best step by step I have seen for this. All the variables, including questions I still had from other videos, were answered in this one!
Found a computer next a Walgreens dumpster. Got a fresh install of win 10, thank you!!
I'd make some amendments...
1. Before connecting the untried system to your network, ensure that all other systems and resources are disconnected - alternatively connect via a "guest network" facility, otherwise embedded malware could attack your systems from inside of the router firewall.
2. Check "Update & Security", Activation - if it says "digital licence", then you have a keyless activation, otherwise you may need to retrieve the key in case it's not the label key
3. After Install from media, remember to reset the boot options if changed, it will be quicker than polling for other devices before the system drive and avoid accidental booting from other devices.
4. If stuck for drivers, try Iobit Driver Booster free - unlike many bait and switch updaters, this actually covers the most important things in the free version and is good at finding those awkward ones that were originally inherited from an upgrade
Dude! You're rad! Everyone should hear this before they turn on a new independently accessed PC. 👍
As a well reputable seller on eBay for 3 years, this is how I sell my desktops and laptops. I reset the whole system and when the customer turns it on, they are greeted with the windows 10 setup.
Veni Vidi Vici question is do you ebay salers report your earnings you earn from EBay?
you saved me! Thanks! :) I bought a used laptop, and when I got it , the exact thing that happened here happened when I turned it on. I panicked and didn't know what to do! Thank God for UA-cam! Very awesome, helpful and easy instructions!
ugggh at this very moment Windows 10 started up "Hi, We're happy you're here" immediately to the desktop like the man said 😲😲 . Glad I knew about this video a week earlier
I could see you scream on the inside waiting on the hard drive.
Protip: if you don't trust the install of Windows, you obviously cannot trust it's factory reset feature.
True but that's why he used a new copy of Windows to do the reset
I don't trust Windows at all. Even the genuine one directly from Microsoft's website.
what OS do you use?
@@kieranbrown1506 probably kali lmao
what do i do i bought a refurbished pc
So glad I saw this before I sold my computer! It had Windows 8.1 and I reset the whole thing. Was about to set it up again before I watched this video, now I won't look like a criminal trying to steal data!
So glad I found your channel, I now save your, how to, videos. Thank you so much for these simple to follow tutorials, greetings from Ireland.
I like this guy, it's like watching those how to videos from the late 90s.
I ended up with a great deal from eBay; fully loaded Alienware laptop with 250GB solid state drive, 500GB hard drive, and a mSata 32GB SSD. But like you I ended up resetting Windows 10 Pro for the same reason with the exception of choosing to remove all files and clean all drives. The seller also included a new power supply along with a brand new gaming mouse and Alienware mat. However, I did not buy it for gaming, I just wanted a high quality used computer with a i7 quad core processor. The only upgrade I made, "8-16GB of ram",as a final gesture he included the DVD slot drive if I wished to swap out the secondary hard drive. "Thank you for outstanding presentation"
I just bought a used PC off E-bay and was toying with whether or not to do a fresh install of windows. This video has me convinced it's necessary. Especially since the seller setup Win7 with user accounts and passwords and I found a remote login client running in the background. Thank goodness I have not connected the new (to me) PC to the Internet or transferred any of my personal data yet!
Thanks for the feedback and comment, glad it was helpful!
Whoa, the computer I just bought is the same Lenovo ThinkCentre as yours, and even had the same “preferred customer” account set up! 😂
What a coincidence! Great video
A very thorough and informative set of instructions on how to do it right and lessen the chance of trouble. Thank you. It was a great lesson. I wonder if when I have this computer unplugged and working to bring up the refurbished one if I will remember some of all of this. Thank you.
A clean Format/Restore is always the first thing I do when I get a used, refurbished, or even new. Mostly to get rid of bloatware.
Better off cleaning it and installing Linux on it (e.g. Ubuntu; 18.04 LTS is coming out soon). :-) By the way, this is the best PC how-to channel I have encountered.
Except these days, it becomes dangerous even to put your usb stick to unknown machine. Word is turning to a very unpleasant place. But still, great video, good job. I very much like the fact that you take the time to explain everything.
Before you remove everything, use belarc advisor to pull any keys to paid software off the computer onto a spreadsheet to reactivate.
Because why not?
Thanks, I watched this video yesterday because I had bought a refurb from Amazon. Lo and behold exactly what you described happened when I booted it the first time. I did a clean install this morning using your video step by step. BTW I thought the desktop (HP Elite 8300) was a great deal $200 with a 4 year extendended warranty.
Do y mean Hp elitebook 830??
How is it now? Is that good laptop?
Your video is PERFECT! I was able to reset my computer to factory settings! Your video is very precise and easy to follow- thank you!!!!!
Thank you very much I just got back from buying a second hand Microsoft surface and wanted to make sure it was as safe to use as possible! :)
Awesome vid as usual, i'd strongly suggest making a "how to build a pc" video where you just put the pc together from components. Everyones done one and its standard however its a great way to get regular loyal noobs who will stick to you forever, also every good youtube has their own individual delivery, which you have too. Your own unique delivery will make that "build" video unique and it would probably be the one i'd suggest to my first time builder friends.
Thanks, glad you like my videos! Have you seen my $350 Gaming Build video? I've done one, I have more planned...
you're the best! i just bought a very cheap used dell optiplex from a local seller and there was a illegal version of windows 10 with a bunch of installed programs on it. it also wouldnt let me reboot the system but with your help i did it :)
I followed these simple instructions and it worked perfectly for me. Thank You
channel is getting better
Take it apart, physically clean everything, put it back together, wipe hard drive, install your favorite Linux distro. Seriously though, excellent run through of doing a clean install of Windows 10. If you're staying in the eco-system for whatever reasons, this is exactly what you should do. I'd still recommend some physical house cleaning as part of the process though.
I got a refurbished Lenovo desktop computer with Windows 10 for $85 (I commented on another video)- on the first boot it did the proper SAFE initial setup, language, time zone, etc. **thumbs up**
:) Nice, glad you got a good machine...
Clear, concise instructions........keeping video as a reference . Well done !
Getting my machine tomorrow, if anything goes wrong I’ll make sure to come back.
Just got it. I connected it to the monitor and it says “Power Saving Mode” and then just a black screen. What should I do?
such a important topic . for sure a must do for 'new to you' refurb rigs
Even if i do allready know these things.. you have such a nice way to explain these things to people who need the information.. keep it up!
I basically knew all of this, but the video is really entertaining, and it is actually good advice for newbies lol
Just came across this when looking for help! Fantastic advice and guide. Your an asset to the industry. Thanks
Got a refurbed optiplex a few months ago off Amazon. I got a BSOD when I tried starting it up. Had to do a reset after a bit of research. I chose to keep the files though.
Now I'm frantically doing a full scan with windows defender thanks to this video. Also the hard drive was DOA so thankfully I already had an SSD to replace it with :)
What about entering the product key?
This is the BEST tutorial for this stuff I have ever seen!
So glad I came across this and hopefully it is all still the same since it was produced some 4 years ago. Thank you!
Even tho it's information I've gained common sense about from years ago, I still love your videos.
Great video again deals man-
I'm more impressed you picked up a PC with Windows installed on it for $100!
probablythis is just an old win 7 key, worth less than 20$. a harddrive of that age is worthless, maybe the highest value is in the case or the WiFi card.
ok. he said it came with win 10 pro, which can be bought for under 30$.
The i5-2400 machines are really cheap right now, it isn't as fast as a "modern" chip, but honestly it is closer than you think.
It had Windows 7 Pro, upgraded to Windows 10... The hard drive is probably worth $20, the real value is the CPU, the i5-2400 still holds its value fairly well and having it installed in a working computer with 8GB of RAM is the real value.
The irony is that this machine came with a WiFi card, which I promptly took out! I've added a GT 710 GPU to compensate for the completely terrible HD 2000 Intel graphics and this will become a media computer.
At some point my laptop became slow as tar. Thanks for the step by step process. I paid money to have this done a couple of years ago.
Thanks so much! Just bought a laptop from someone on FB who spoke computer better than he spoke English, so I didn't wanna take any chances, lol.
Thanks so much, man! My new (used) computer is wiping everything now. It's nice to know I can feel safe using. You were hilarious and informative
Glad I could help!
One note about this if your not using a blank hdd/ssd (from new) you should go into the repair option First and command prompt and diskpart select correct disk and use clean command (make sure correct disk is selected as disk 0 might be the USB pen drive, the clean command has no confirmation when ran)
Deleting partitions does not reset the drive completely (also any issues with the gpt or Mbr layout will persists including viruses that load into the bootloader, tends to be a MBR layout issue on that one)
Very helpful even now! Getting a new pc soon, it's always good to be prepared. Thank you!
Fantastically thorough with all the right details and explanations.
This is the Best instructional Video on this topic on UA-cam... Thank you Sir.
Recently I bought a REFURBISHED HP elitedesk 800 G1 USDT from off ebay for $104.00. It came with a 500gb HDD, 4gb of memory and a copy of Windows 10 Pro installed. The very first thing I do whenever I get a used (refurbished) computer is WIPE the existing HDD or replace it with an SSD and reinstall Windows, either from CD or USB. I always purchase refurbished computers from a Microsoft certified refurbisher, just so I am confident the refurbishing process is done according to Microsoft standards. After wiping the drive I took the HDD out and replaced it with a new Western Digital 256gb SSD. I also installed a new mSATA SSD card for extra storage. I formatted the WD SSD and installed a fresh copy of Windows. The computer came with a wireless card built in so I get immediately online and downloaded all the Windows updates and drivers for all my hardware. Because I ordered a refurbished computer from a Micorsoft certified refurbisher, the entire system was cleaned out and dust free, like a new computer, which now has a new install of Windows 10 Pro. This is the safest way of handling a refurbished computer.
Thanks a LOT. I need all the help I can get. I think I can do most of this.
yet another informative and well done video. Good tutorial .
This is my new favorite video on UA-cam
Very good, wished something like this video was available when I was pulling out my hair over my Mother's refurbished Dell D630 laptop with Win7. Hers came preinstalled with an additional software "suite" of marginally usable programs (a $200 value free!) and an installed account name of "USER". Of course she ran it for months before I got the call to "Come look at it" after the malware, pop-ups and ad-ware took it's toal. After hours spent to "blast & repaved" Win7 I got it working again. She used it for another three years and then got a newer Laptop. She gave the old Dell D630 to me and I never had any problem with it (after an installation of Linux Mint OS!)
Very well made video super informative. Helped me out step by step for my used laptop I just got
Great great video, still very useful several years later. Thanks!!
Again Iam amazed how clear step but step explanation to do thins. i likeall your videos .Thanks man.
you are a must for the computer business excellent 10 thums up
All fine and dandy till the rootkit awakens.
Seriously though, when I saw that my new (used) laptop booted up just like that, I figured a reset was necessary. Luckily, it worked just fine as it should, but thank you very much for this video, either way! I've had to reinstall windows before, using my sister's installation media, and I'm sure I might have to do it again, someday, so it's good to know how to do it myself.
Thanks for this video. It was very helpful. After you wipe it clean what's next? Antiviral security?
I have been known to do a factory reset/clean install/recovery twice in a row when getting ready to sell - just to be SURE that *my* stuff is gone before it leaves the house. This includes a phone, a digital reader, a desktop, a laptop, or a tablet. I'd rather be paranoid than compromised. I have also done a recovery when a newly purchased device came up with *something* not looking like a factory reset.
A clean install on a desktop/laptop does not wipe the disk. It merely installs a fresh system, leaving old data on the drive. While the partition(s) may be formatted, this is not wiping. During a typical (quick) format only a new file system is created and old data is left as is until it will be overwritten with time as the disk is being used. Until that time, those disk areas won't be used and appropriate software can extract the previous data with varying levels of accuracy, depending on the software and intensity of search. If you want to WIPE files (disk areas), then you have to use software that has such functionality - meaning it will overwrite at least once all the disk areas that contained the data that you want to wipe. To wipe a whole disk means to overwrite all areas of the disk, including areas that have boot and partition information. This is done by writing to the device directly, not even to a partitions. And it's best to overwrite the whole (whole) disk several times with RANDOM DATA. I'm not sure how Android devices wipe though, but if they merely create fresh file systems then that does not remove old information.
I was given a used computer and was told to still use the original owner's user/past word. I'm just wanting to reset the computer. I like taking pictures and videos, putting them on the computer from smartphone, and like making movies. I love the "Go walk the dog"
If someone trustworthy gave it to you then perhaps there are no ill intentions, but still it's sloppy of someone no to have cleared the old profile. You should have administrator privileges and be able to create a new account (without a password if it's your home PC). You should be able to at least change the password or clear it. But then again, if you're OK with it then maybe you don't need to do anything.
@@andrewprzelucki4232 After resetting, they wanted it back.
Very! Very! Very: helpful!!! Thanks so much! Explations: two thumbs up!!!🤗
If you're going to sell your old computer or give it away to somebody you know I would recommend that removing the hard drive off of that computer and buy a new hard drive and install it in that computer without a operating system and allowing its new owner to decide what kind of operating system that they want to put into that computer as far your hard drive that removed from your old computer you can salvage it and used it as a external drive.
I just bought the same exact Lenovo machine except in the mid-tower size! :)
One thing you left out that I always do just in case: use a program to get the system serial number and write it down or take a picture with your phone and e-mail it to yourself (with the phone, don't log in to your e-mail on the suspect computer). If anything goes wrong in the install and you lose your activated key in the reformat, if you have a backup photo of the license you can reinstall Windows without having to buy a new license or run an unactivated copy. All of that said you can get Windows 10 keys on eBay for under $5, which oddly enough seems somehow legal due to some old hardware loophole (they claim its linked to an old activated computer, of which you just need one part, and they recycle it on your behalf when you buy the key), though I wouldn't risk it as a business as auditors may not accept it.
Excellent job and hard work in presenting. iYou definitely have a new subscriber. Thank you for sharing, and great topic.
Thank you so much for this video
Most welcome 😊
Love your videos. This one particularly convinced me that win 10 garbage will never cross the threshold of my house.
Nice video. Its good to know what to consider normal and what not. Good food for thought.
Thanks, I appreciate this kind of tutorial video.
Simple, easy to understand, and very helpful.
Thank you for the video I watched your video on how to reinstall windows with a USB flash drive now I'm learning how to do it all on my own so thank you I had this issue with my laptop so I had to go on the other computer and download the media creation tool for windows 10
This actually happened today and I had to reset it! Thanks 🙏
Glad I could help!
Thanks so much, you know your stuff!
The thing I will say is the fastest method is to either format the entire storage unit and then reinstall or just replace it with something else to install a copy onto instead.