Can you reset a notebook to factory settings to remove virus?

I have just found an old notebook which I would like to use. However, I have the fear or I know it, some viruses are on it. Now that there's no important information on the laptop I would just reset it. Now my question. If I reset the laptop, are the viruses (Trojans etc) gone as well?

If you "delete" the hard drive or SSD or Due dates on it then everything should be fine

What would stop you from doing a CleanInstall? So completely reinstall.

If the virus or other malware has taken root in the boot sector, it is not fundamentally easy to just reinstall the system.

Sometimes you have to "sanitize" the system.