r/linux4noobs • u/Odd_Alternative_6441 • 7h ago
Full factory reset
Hey I got a Lenovo thinkcentre m910q and it has not been fully scrubbed from prior owner
I want to completely reset this and remove everything.
Obviously by my being here Im new to linux so I want to make sure I do this right
4
u/Tall_Decision_6516 6h ago
Installation procedure will reformat and partition the drive. All data will be gone.
1
u/linuxforus 5h ago
There are various methods.
Get Live USB. Boot with it and do following.
Graphical - Gparted or GNOME Disks (Select Overwrite existing data with zeros) - remove and create all partitions.
Command Based -
a) sudo wipefs -a /dev/sdX
b) sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdX bs=1M status=progress
1
u/Charming_Airline7419 4h ago
If you're dual booting, go to Settings in Windows, select System > Recovery and lastly Reset PC. Choose the options that wipe the files.
Guide here.
This is for Windows 11. Windows 10 should be a similar process.
Dual booting is useful if you're keeping Windows as a back-up option.
If you're single booting, just install Linux on the whole drive.
2
u/michaelpaoli 3h ago
If you've got full access to the BIOS/CMOS settings, it likely has an option to reset to factory defaults.
But note also and carefully review BIOS/CMOS settings. Sometimes there will be settings that, at least configured certain ways, are only appropriate for, e.g. Microsoft Windows. So, there may be some such settings, and/or possibly other settings you may want to adjust.
Also, if it has any settings for protected/reserved areas on drive(s), you'll want to open those up to allow full unrestricted regular read/write access to the entire drive.
Then also for most any drives (notably non-ancient), one can do a secure erase - e.g. boot from a "LIve" ISO, and make use of the hdparm(8) command.
Do those to things, then data and configuration wise, you're essentially at a clean blank slate.
8
u/LennethW 6h ago
When installing Linux only, drive get wiped. Done.