How To Reset Your Windows Laptop
One side effect of spending more than fourth dimension at dwelling during the pandemic is the realization that I have a lot of old tech lying around. A lot. Then, when I made a KonMari endeavour at decluttering said tech, I unearthed several things I forgot I had -- including an quondam laptop I stopped using years ago because information technology was too wearisome for my high-stop computing needs.
While this laptop no longer sparked joy for me, it turned out to exist a perfect fit for my mom. It just needed to be cleaned up first, and I'yard non just talking nigh removing dust and mystery goo with a few swipes of a disinfectant wipe, though you'll want to do that, too. The type of cleaning I'm talking nearly is restoring the laptop to like-new condition within and out. Cleaning the exterior is the piece of cake part. Wiping the figurer of all your apps, files, folders and other personal information isn't necessarily equally straightforward. Of course, how much data scrubbing you demand to do will likely depend on the recipient.
The big picture steps you lot take to refresh a laptop are the aforementioned regardless of whether it's a Windows laptop. Apple MacBook or Chromebook -- save your quondam data, remove all personal data, so go for a mill reset. It'due south the actual step-by-step procedure that differs depending on the blazon of laptop you're dealing with. Below, you lot'll find everything y'all need to know and do earlier giving your laptop a second life. And with supply chain issues, shipping problems and bit shortages making new devices harder to get, passing forth a new-to-y'all laptop tin be a welcome holiday gift.
Last matter first
I typically save the laptop'due south physical cleaning until last (why make clean your fingerprints off twice?), but you lot may desire to beginning there -- especially if information technology's been gathering dust in the back of a closet/nether a bed/in the garage for the past several years. The bones equipment required for a good laptop cleaning is a tin of compressed air and some disinfectant or alcohol wipes. For a slightly deeper clean, you may also want to grab a screwdriver and remove the lesser embrace of your laptop (if possible) so you tin carefully blow out any dust that's accumulated on the fans and vents.
After the laptop is clean, you can also wipe down the power adapter and any related accessories. It's also a good thought to ensure the power adapter is even so in good, working status. If you're however not quite sure where to start with the cleaning, check out ourcomplete guide to getting your laptop looking its best.
Gifting a used MacBook
Before you even think about doing a manufacturing plant reset on your MacBook, you demand to save whatever data yous want to keep. You lot may have already done this at some point if you migrated data from this onetime MacBook to a new one using using Apple'due south Migration Assistant. If that's not the case, it's fourth dimension to hook up an external drive and use MacOS' congenital-in Time Car tool to create a backup. If you accept an iCloud business relationship, you can support your data at that place besides.
Sign out of everything
Yous'll too want to log out of all accounts before wiping your MacBook'south drive. Start with iCloud, Observe My Mac and iMessage. So look for private software accounts you may need to deregister. If yous use a browser other than Safari, such as Chrome or Firefox, you should sign out of those as well. Basically, if it'due south got personal business relationship information, you lot'll want to sign out. (Here's how to notice account settings in MacOS.)
2 other things you should exercise before a factory reset: Unpair any Bluetooth devices -- particularly if the MacBook is being gifted to someone in your household -- and reset the NVRAM. The latter is retentiveness that holds onto settings that the MacBook needs before loading MacOS. On startup, press and holdOption-Control-P-R to reset the NVRAM.
Perform a factory reset
If you've done everything above, you lot're fix to render your MacBook to its out-of-the-box land. On an Intel-based Mac, reboot the system and press and hold Control-R to enter Recovery Style. (Accessing Recovery Fashion on new MacBooks running on the company'due south M1 chips is dissimilar, nevertheless.)
Read more:Before selling your MacBook, y'all demand to factory reset it
Once in Recovery Mode, you'll see a window of MacOS utilities. Employ the Deejay Utility to erase your drive. When that's consummate, you'll be able to reinstall MacOS. After it's done reinstalling, you'll attain the Setup Assistant. From there you tin can stop and shut information technology down or set it up for the recipient.
Gifting a used Windows laptop
As with gifting a MacBook, start by backing up whatsoever of import folders and files on your old laptop to deject storage or an external drive. If you lot're doing the latter, become to Settings > Update & Security > Backup > Add a drive and select the external drive. Then click on Backup Now.
Sign out of all your apps
A lot of paid software requires you to sign in with an account, a production key or both. Before you wipe your laptop's storage, sign out of any accounts and deregister software licenses (if possible). If you demand those product keys to re-register software on a new laptop, exist certain to save that information. If you use a browser other than Border, such as Chrome or Firefox, sign out of those as well. Basically, if information technology's got personal account data, sign out.
Reset the laptop
Set to make clean the drive and reinstall Windows? Go toStart > Settings > Update and security > Recovery. At the meridian of the window, you lot'll see Reset this PC. Click on Go Started and select Remove Everything from the box that appears. From there, y'all can select to reinstall Windows from the local drive or download from the deject. After that, Windows cleans the drive of all software, settings and data. When it'southward done, the laptop volition start in its setup assistant fashion. Y'all can then stop and close it downward for a fresh-out-of-the-box experience or do some setup, which is nice touch, particularly if it's going to a family fellow member so they tin can employ it correct away.
Unlink from your Microsoft business relationship
If you used a Microsoft account to sign in to the laptop, the last matter yous'll want to do is remove the laptop from that business relationship. Sign in to your account from another computer and click on the Devices tab at the top of the page. Observe the laptop that you're gifting on the list of devices, and at the bottom of the listing, you'll come across the option to remove the device. Click it and you're done.
Gifting a used Chromebook
Chromebooks are the easiest to refresh for gifting. That's mainly because of their deject-based blueprint. Google likewise makes it extremely easy to wipe your data and securely clean the internal storage as well as remove the Chromebook from your Google account.
Cheque the AUE offset
Earlier you even consider gifting an old Chromebook, check its car-update expiration. Google simply guarantees Chrome OS and browser feature back up on non-Google hardware for and then long. Every device has a engagement on which it stops receiving updates, aka its AUE appointment. Current models receive updates for viii years; older models could potentially exist a twelvemonth or 2 abroad from reaching their AUE.
Google maintains an AUE list, so finding the date your Chromebook will stop receiving updates is as easy equally locating your model on that list. The AUE tin also be found in your Chromebook'south settings. Here's how to find the AUE from Google and in your Chromebook.
Give it a Powerwash
Powerwash is Google's built-in factory reset tool for Chromebooks. Once you lot've backed upwardly folders or files stored on the Chromebook's internal bulldoze, running Powerwash will securely scrub the organization and reboot. When it restarts, it'll be just like the solar day you unboxed it.
The actual Powerwash typically takes less than a minute to complete. A simple search for "powerwash" in your Chromebook's settings volition bring you right to the feature, simply here'southward everything you need to know about the procedure.
Remove the Chromebook from your Google account
Although you've removed your business relationship from the Chromebook, you haven't removed the Chromebook from your account. Start by signing into your Google account and head to the Security settings. If you lot use the Chrome browser, you tin can too click on your account avatar and select Manage your Google Business relationship from the drop-down menu.
One time you're in the Security section, curlicue downward until you see a box labeled Your devices, which lists all the devices attached to your account. At the bottom of the box, click on Manage devices and find the Chromebook you're gifting and select Sign Out.
Give the Chromebook a good external cleaning, assemble up any accessories and it's ready to hand off to your giftee.
Read more than: How to regift a game panel
Source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/what-to-do-before-you-gift-a-used-macbook-windows-laptop-or-chromebook/
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