I want to sell my laptop and have to do a factory reset, is Windows gone or not?
You mean when you reset the PC in Windows 10? Then of course it is not gone.
Basically I would remove the hard drive or at least format it properly.
No, that's not gone then… But be careful, even if your data are no longer visible then they are not gone… If you sell the thing after resetting it, use a file shredder or disk wiper or something like that to clean everything up.
First of all: Windows should always be deleted when selling.
Counter question: should Windows also be sold?
If so, Windows should be freshly installed, and you should also sell the identification key.
Preferably sell your laptop without a hard drive.
Data can always be restored even if it has been reset several times.
If you don't know how to remove the plate> Search for your laptop model with the keyword "Disassembly". Then you can quickly find disassembly instructions for your model.
By the way, removing a hard drive does not break your warranty. Just mentioned by the way.
If you should decide to sell the hard drive anyway, the best thing to do is to read this for you:
https://www.wintotal.de/ssd-sicher-loeschen/
That takes time, but is always safe as a simple reset.
The factory settings, ie: the delivery state with the pre-installed programs, can only be reset if a "Recover" has been set up on the hard disk by the manufacturer.
If the laptop with z. B. Delivered with Win8.1 and later upgraded to Win10, Win8.1 is back after a factory reset.
If you mean the Win10 restore, when the process is complete, Win10 will of course be back.
Starting with Win10 version 2004, there's the "cloud download" installation variant, which I would prefer to the "local installation". - The current Win10 version is downloaded and installed. - A stable internet connection is a prerequisite!
For information see:
I would make the settings, as shown in the following video, from minute 4:55.
One thing must be clear to you: After the restoration (as well as a classic installation), at least part of your old data can be restored with a suitable program.
In a recovery submenu, however, you can select "Clean the drives" which, according to the message, makes it difficult to recover the old data. - However, this process takes a couple of hours.
