Windows reset enough (for selling notebook)

[kiddingguy]

My girlfriend would like to sell her notebook with Windows 10.

Is just a reset/reinstall on that notebook sufficient to clear & delete all (sensitive) data. Or is a tougher way to reinstall/reset more recommended?

[neufuse Veteran]

if it's an SSD clearing it would cause a TRIM which would wipe stuff

[kiddingguy]

Yes, it’s a SSD drive.

So basically just the reset from within Windows Settings should do the job?

[goretsky Supervisor]

Hello,

@neufuse is quite correct in that deleted files do not last long on SSDs as the space they used is quickly reclaimed, unlike HDDs.  That said, it there is always the possibility of some kind of issue or failure in the Windows reset process that leaves personally-identifiable information behind.  

Because of that, I would recommend using DiskPart to wipe just the beginning of the drive, which will have the effect of freeing up all space on it and making the drive appear blank.  You can then perform a clean install of Windows to it so the new owner gets a fresh Windows install.  

Here's how you do that, step-by-step:

Check the computer and make sure you know how to boot it from a USB flash drive (may be a specific key you have to press when the computer is powered on, or a change to the BIOS (UEFI) firmware settings.  The PC may tell you what key combination you need to press to boot from another drive, or the manual for the PC may it.

Plug the USB flash drive into the computer and power it up using the means to have it boot from the Windows install USB.

Once the computer finishes booting, it should be at a Windows installation screen.

Do not agree to any prompts, copyright licenses, or click on any buttons.

Press the Shift + F10 keys together to open a Command Prompt.

Run DISKPART to start the command-line disk partitioning utility. The command line prompt will change to DISKPART>.

At the DISKPART> prompt, type LIST DISK to get the numbers of all drives installed in the system. Make a note of what number is assigned to what drive (if the computer has more than one drive). 

At the DISKPART> prompt, type SEL DISK n  where n is the number of the drive containing Windows.

At the DISKPART> prompt, type CLEAN and this will erase the GPT/MBR code from the beginning of the drive.

*WARNING:* After performing the clean operation, the drive now be blank/erased, and everything on it will be gone (all files, etc.). 

You can exit DiskPart and just continue with the Windows installation as you normally would. 

If needed, you can install the device drivers you put on the Windows install media to get your network connection up and running, and from there run Windows Update to get the operating system and device drivers up to date

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky
 

[kiddingguy]

On 14/09/2025 at 19:13, goretsky said:

Hello,

@neufuse is quite correct in that deleted files do not last long on SSDs as the space they used is quickly reclaimed, unlike HDDs.  That said, it there is always the possibility of some kind of issue or failure in the Windows reset process that leaves personally-identifiable information behind.  

Because of that, I would recommend using DiskPart to wipe just the beginning of the drive, which will have the effect of freeing up all space on it and making the drive appear blank.  You can then perform a clean install of Windows to it so the new owner gets a fresh Windows install.  

Here's how you do that, step-by-step:

Check the computer and make sure you know how to boot it from a USB flash drive (may be a specific key you have to press when the computer is powered on, or a change to the BIOS (UEFI) firmware settings.  The PC may tell you what key combination you need to press to boot from another drive, or the manual for the PC may it.

Plug the USB flash drive into the computer and power it up using the means to have it boot from the Windows install USB.

Once the computer finishes booting, it should be at a Windows installation screen.

Do not agree to any prompts, copyright licenses, or click on any buttons.

Press the Shift + F10 keys together to open a Command Prompt.

Run DISKPART to start the command-line disk partitioning utility. The command line prompt will change to DISKPART>.

At the DISKPART> prompt, type LIST DISK to get the numbers of all drives installed in the system. Make a note of what number is assigned to what drive (if the computer has more than one drive). 

At the DISKPART> prompt, type SEL DISK n  where n is the number of the drive containing Windows.

At the DISKPART> prompt, type CLEAN and this will erase the GPT/MBR code from the beginning of the drive.

*WARNING:* After performing the clean operation, the drive now be blank/erased, and everything on it will be gone (all files, etc.). 

You can exit DiskPart and just continue with the Windows installation as you normally would. 

If needed, you can install the device drivers you put on the Windows install media to get your network connection up and running, and from there run Windows Update to get the operating system and device drivers up to date

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky
 

Thanks for the thorough run-through.

Does this also apply to a build-in image restore from Toshiba? Thus not a regular Windows 10 installation where you need to put in a license key.

[jollybgood]

A simple Windows reset isn’t always enough to fully erase sensitive data, since files can sometimes be recovered with special tools. For better security, choose “Remove everything” during the reset and enable “Clean the drive fully” — this overwrites data to make recovery difficult. For maximum safety, you can also reinstall Windows from a USB after deleting and formatting all partitions. This ensures all personal data is completely gone before selling.