# Selling my Laptop w/Windows XP Prof. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 15, 2002, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-laptop-w-windows-xp-prof/142922 "2002-12-15T19:18:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-laptop-w-windows-xp-prof/142922/1 "2002-12-15T19:18:15Z")
I am selling my Toshiba Laptop with Windows XP Professional preinstalled on it. My question is how can I change all of the entries in the computer to the new owners name and how to change registered ownership with Toshiba and with Microsoft? I want to erase all references to me on this computer. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-laptop-w-windows-xp-prof/142922/2 "2002-12-15T19:56:15Z")
You really need to do a scrub and clean re-install if security is important to you as XP stores and caches things about you all over the place. Simply enter the new owner’s name when re-installing and all should be well. IIRC XP allows up to 6 hardware registration changes of this kind before it calls foul, but it might be wise to double check. As to registered ownership for warranty purposes, email Toshiba. Compaq will allow you to mail a receipt as proof of ownership to re-register a new owner, possibly Toshiba has something similar. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-laptop-w-windows-xp-prof/142922/3 "2002-12-15T19:57:19Z")
correction - “fax or mail a receipt as proof of ownership” ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-laptop-w-windows-xp-prof/142922/4 "2002-12-15T22:26:11Z")
I would just reformat it & reinstall the operating system, that seems to be the only sure way to make sure they dont get your personal info. The windows software EULA should provide information on transfer (?) ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-laptop-w-windows-xp-prof/142922/5 "2002-12-15T22:38:00Z")
**DO NOT** just reformat the HD. A simple fdisk won’t cut the mustard; the data still remains on the disk and could be lifted by somebody with the right software. You’ll need a program that will actually overwrite the free space on the disk. [Check this out](http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,49823,00.asp). ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-laptop-w-windows-xp-prof/142922/6 "2002-12-15T23:01:09Z")
> [@](#): > > A simple fdisk won’t cut the mustard; the data still remains on the disk and could be lifted by somebody with the right software. - - - A little paranoid, aren’t we? Does the reformat not say “warning! add data on drive will be lost?” Sure the NSA can recover it, but really now, the average person has no idea how to recover deleted disk info, and quite frankly, your personal information probably isn’t so valuable they’d bother to learn. - And ordinarily the OEM warranty is only valid for the original purchaser anyway. Unless you paid cash for it, there’s a record linking it to you somewhere that the manufacturer may ask you to provide for warranty repairs. So the warranty should be considered to be history when it leaves the original owner’s hands, unless you can get some manufacturer’s exception. ~ ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-laptop-w-windows-xp-prof/142922/7 "2002-12-15T23:25:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DougC \* > Sure the NSA can recover it… If the NSA has thirty bucks, they most certainly can: [http://download.com.com/3000-2248-10109147.html?tag=lst-0-4](http://download.com.com/3000-2248-10109147.html?tag=lst-0-4) > [@](#): > > …and quite frankly, your personal information probably isn’t so valuable they’d bother to learn. I’ll grant you that, but the OP said “I want to erase all references to me on this computer.” Simply reformatting the drive doesn’t even come close. ---
**Author:** ![XPav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/b77776/32.png) [@XPav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XPav)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-laptop-w-windows-xp-prof/142922/8 "2002-12-16T06:28:15Z")
Do you have a recovery disk for the toshiba? If so, do that. Or call up Toshiba and ask them how to return the machine to factory state. If you want to wipe wipe the hard drive to remove all the evidence of your evil misdeeds, that’ll take a bit more work. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-laptop-w-windows-xp-prof/142922/9 "2002-12-16T18:15:13Z")
Hey, cool idea, get another HD & put that in. ---
**Author:** ![tourbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@tourbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tourbot)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-laptop-w-windows-xp-prof/142922/10 "2002-12-16T20:07:32Z")
If you really need to be sure all data is erased from the HD and is unrecoverable, here is a nice little free utility called [killdisk](http://www.killdisk.com/downloadfree.htm).