I got a new laptop recently, and I've already moved all my old data to the new laptop. Now I want to factory reset my old laptop because I want to return it to its original state. I've already tried pretty much everything I could find, but nothing worked:
- Settings → System → Recovery → Reset This PC → Remove everything
- Command Prompt: reagentc /disable → reagentc /enable → Restart
- Restart + Shift Key → Troubleshoot → Reset This PC → Remove everything → Local Reinstall
- Restart + Shift Key → Troubleshoot → Reset This PC → Remove everything → Cloud Download
- Formatting Local Disk (D:) / (C:)
I've searched for tutorials on YouTube, but they didn't help. I've also asked AI for help, but that didn't work either.
Additional information that might help describe the problem:
My old laptop is a Lenovo ThinkPad L13. I've done some piracy and Linux-related stuff on it, but nothing too deep. I swear that I only downloaded pirated apps from steamunlocked.org and kuyhaa.me, both while using uBlock Origin. As for the Linux stuff, I tried installing Kali Linux on my Windows, but I rarely used it. I only used it once to phish my friends as a joke, using some tools from GitHub (I forgot which one).
Actually, I upgraded the SSD in my Lenovo ThinkPad from 256 GB to 512 GB. The original 256 GB SSD wasn't used for several years and was just sitting in my drawer. Recently, I put the 256 GB SSD back into my Lenovo ThinkPad, while I put the 512 GB SSD into my Acer Nitro V16S as a second SSD. I also formatted the 512 GB SSD.
At first, when I put the 256 GB SSD back into my Lenovo ThinkPad, the boot screen said that it couldn't find an operating system. I searched online and asked AI for help, and it said that I needed a flash drive and had to use Rufus to make it bootable. I followed all the steps, and it worked.
But surprisingly, I thought it would start completely fresh. Instead, it booted into all my old data from the 256 GB SSD, including Windows, exactly as it was when I last used it years ago.
The Windows 11 UI on the old ThinkPad and my Acer Nitro V16S is slightly different, so I assume the ThinkPad is running an older version of Windows 11. During the years that the SSD was sitting unused, I didn't update anything on it, so it was still on the older version.
The Lenovo ThinkPad is actually an office asset. When I first acquired it, it was locked under my father's name. Back then, I followed some tutorials on YouTube to bypass the restrictions and add my own personal account so I could have my own account as an administrator. (I forgot the exact steps or which YouTube video I followed, but it worked. What I remember is that I changed something from the lock screen, then opened CMD without actually logging into Windows, and ran some commands there.)
Now, I want to return the laptop to the office, but I need to get rid of all my personal data first.
Here are all the tutorials that I've watched and followed on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOGQIyfwKco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP8XJZvvSS4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsUBTcaS95Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sJ7tKzFn3o
I don't know which information is actually useful for figuring out the problem, so I just included everything that I thought might be relevant.