Formatting a Hard Drive

[jagwheels]

My daughter recently purchased a 2nd hand laptop & can logon as quest & get onto the internet but cannot change or download anything as admin
has full control. Tried to reformat but without admin permissions it seems impossible. Any ideas apart from purchasing a new HDD?

[J B]

My daughter recently purchased a 2nd hand laptop & can logon as quest & get onto the internet but cannot change or download anything as admin
has full control. Tried to reformat but without admin permissions it seems impossible. Any ideas apart from purchasing a new HDD?

Have you got, or can you get (download?) (borrow?) a Windows10 program? (I assume it's running W10?)

If you can get that to run, then you can do a fresh and clean install of W10 - don't worry about entering the product key, it should pick that up automatically later on.

Have a dig round here
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/413 ... -10-a.html
if you feel confident enough.

[jagwheels]

Many thanks for your reply JB but it is running Win7 Pro 64 bit. I have found the product key but admin seem to have got it well & truly locked down

[J B]

If W7, maybe try this?

https://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1 ... ral%20Tips

[71 Trans Am]

Jagwheels

Go onto Ebay and get a bootable usb stick in whatever windows you want - Whack it in - follow the instructions - Its idiot proof and makes your computer brand new - This link is to windows 7 stuff.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_osac ... b&_sacat=0

[Andy01424]

If you have new copy of windows ,or even have product key ,or worse case scenario download new Windows copy from Microsoft and use product key[has to be same one one for version of Windows ,[you may have to use there freephone to activate],on other PC/Laptop get all system drivers and graphics for that machine software and put on disc or usb,USB for windows is great but you will need to go into bios and set that to 1st boot..

you can use this,DO NOT HAVE ANY OTHER DRIVE CONNECTED[ HD,CD/DVD drive are fine] it takes a while some time 6hrs! but you end up with total clean HD,oh and its free,down load it put it to disc pop in laptop let it run, everything is eradicated except bios
https://dban.org/

it will bypass admin lock as it runs in DOS

[Liam684]

Alternatively, you can call the Windows hotline and describe the problem should help

[jagwheels]

Many thanks for your replies & it's now sorted by a local specialist. How I don't know but all USB ports were blocked without admin access so some helpful suggestions regarding that would not work. End of day daughter is happy

[JimX]

Hello Norv, hope you are all well..

Win7 is a very old OS maybe time to get a newer Window OS, most of us now use Win10 that is supported properly, with no real problems, good luck.

[jagwheels]

I am fine thank you Jim. They were able to install Win10 pro & found it once belonged to a company. It's a Lenovo laptop so dad thought it worth me spending £39.99 for daughter