Q&A for How to Wipe Clean a Computer and Start Over

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Question

What is a partition?

Matt Ham
Computer Repair Specialist
Matt Ham is a Computer Repair Specialist and the CEO and President of Computer Repair Doctor. With over a decade of experience, Matt specializes in Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, and Smartphone repairs and upgrades. Matt holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University. Matt has expanded Computer Repair Doctor to seven different locations. He is also a Co-Owner of Repair Life, a full-scale marketing agency specializing in driving both online and offline leads to cell phone and computer repair shops and device retailers.

Matt Ham

Computer Repair Specialist

Expert Answer

It's like a built-in drive. You can create new partitions in Windows, or delete old ones. I would only mess around with them if you're following these steps to restore your system, though.

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Question

How do I access the boot menu?

Matt Ham
Computer Repair Specialist
Matt Ham is a Computer Repair Specialist and the CEO and President of Computer Repair Doctor. With over a decade of experience, Matt specializes in Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, and Smartphone repairs and upgrades. Matt holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University. Matt has expanded Computer Repair Doctor to seven different locations. He is also a Co-Owner of Repair Life, a full-scale marketing agency specializing in driving both online and offline leads to cell phone and computer repair shops and device retailers.

Matt Ham

Computer Repair Specialist

Expert Answer

When you're restarting the machine, it'll say something like "Press F12 to enter the boot menu." That's where you access the menu to restore your machine.

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Question

Is it worth hiring a pro to do this?

Matt Ham
Computer Repair Specialist
Matt Ham is a Computer Repair Specialist and the CEO and President of Computer Repair Doctor. With over a decade of experience, Matt specializes in Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, and Smartphone repairs and upgrades. Matt holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University. Matt has expanded Computer Repair Doctor to seven different locations. He is also a Co-Owner of Repair Life, a full-scale marketing agency specializing in driving both online and offline leads to cell phone and computer repair shops and device retailers.

Matt Ham

Computer Repair Specialist

Expert Answer

If you feel comfortable messing around with your machine, then yes. This is definitely one of those things you can pay someone to do, and it shouldn't be a big deal for a pro to do it.

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Question

Is history of search activity shown while wiping is in progress?

Community Answer

No, your secrets are safe. In the future, just make sure you clear your browser history after looking at anything you don't want people to find out about.

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Question

For Windows 7, can I use an SD Card instead of USB?

Community Answer

No, SD cards are far too slow for installing Windows 7. You should use USB or FireWire800.

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Question

How can I wipe my Windows 10 and reinstall an older version of Windows?

Community Answer

Installl the older version on a drive partition. Once installed and properly running, delete the other OS partition, so as to free up the allocated disk space. This allows a safe transition between the operating systems, and decreases the likelihood of losing computer functionality due to interrupted installations or data corruption. Look for details along the lines of "Installing an operating system on a disk partition.", specifying the Windows version you'd like in question.

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Question

Can I wipe Windows 7 and upgrade to 10 if I have the installer for 10 on a flash drive, or do I need to first install 7 and then upgrade?

Community Answer

You can install any version of Windows from scratch on any PC if the hardware meets the minimum requirements.

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Question

Can I just wipe or take off my email that's on this computer? I want to take it back where I bought it from.

Curiousguy033

Community Answer

You can take off the email on the device without problems, just don't deactivate it. Then you can access it on a other device like phone, laptop or tablet. Just don't forget your password or login info and you wont lose any important mails or contacts.

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