I am looking to sell my 3 year old Sony Viao. Is in almost new condition with I7 processor and tons of GB and such. My wife hates it and wants a n Apple.
What is the best way to sell it?? EBay, Craigslist?? any other safe ways??
please do not destroy a 3 year old computer. A Vaio with an i7 is still very useful, and would probably meet the computing needs of most users.
Your idea to have a store wipe the drive and reinstall the OS is the way to go. Make sure they use a solid algorithm (multi-pass multi-character). If you are REALLY concerned someone at the CIA may want to decrypt your drive, have it mechanically shredded.
But if you're OK with burning a CD and booting from it (becomes a bit more difficult if you need to make a bootable USB drive), download a copy of DBAN to completely wipe the machine (irrevocably, unless you're wanted by the NSA).
If you don't want to sell it bare, contact Sony for an image disk so you can restore it to the factory configuration complete with OS but none of your personal data after you're done wiping.
one time I sold a computer and shipped it, but then the buyer claimed it never arrived and demanded a refund. luckily I had required that the recipient sign for the package and purchased insurance. I was able to prove that the buyer had signed for it himself, which meant he had tried to defraud me. he backtracked REAL quick when I emailed him a copy of his signature.
I got a Mac Mini in 2008 and literally just upgraded. I got a solid 6 years of life out of that thing with zero issues. I just wanted something faster.
Not once did I ever have malware issues or have to wipe it all out or anything like that.
but there's always a chance of some down time on any computer. It's good to have a backup.
There are lots of established problems with both OSes and their attendant hardware. An ASUS appears to be as well-built as a Mac, but each has its own peculiarities, so backup machines are always a good idea.
Don't listen to who ever said DESTROY your laptop. You fucking bafoon, why would you suggest that to anyone if you know nothing about computers.
Wipe the drive, re-install windows and re-install the drivers and sell the computer. It will be like you just had it brand new. Personally, I would never buy a computer used that didn't have a fresh install of windows on there to begin with.
There are programs out there that will help you wipe the drive, or you can just re-install the Windows OS which will essentially get rid of all your private stuff.
The only way a user would be able to get your data after wiping your drive with a Windows Re-install is if they had a digital forensic program like EnCase or FTK which is not easy to get there hands on and is not very easy to use for an average user.
While there are some things that frustrate me about my Mac
buford : 7/26/2014 3:02 pm : link : reply
the fact that I open it and it's on with no booting up beats anything else.
...with a Solid State Drive.
Put Mac OS on a platter drive, and it has to boot up just the same as Windows on a platter drive.
If you have ever visited bank accounts or any of your personal finance websites you risk someone else finding your info on that laptop
There should be a factory reset option. I would change important passwords and such. Looks like you could get a decent return anyway.
Your idea to have a store wipe the drive and reinstall the OS is the way to go. Make sure they use a solid algorithm (multi-pass multi-character). If you are REALLY concerned someone at the CIA may want to decrypt your drive, have it mechanically shredded.
You'll hate the apple.. They are not good comps
You won't get much for a 3yr old comp anyway
If you don't want to sell it bare, contact Sony for an image disk so you can restore it to the factory configuration complete with OS but none of your personal data after you're done wiping.
http://www.dban.org/ - ( New Window )
one time I sold a computer and shipped it, but then the buyer claimed it never arrived and demanded a refund. luckily I had required that the recipient sign for the package and purchased insurance. I was able to prove that the buyer had signed for it himself, which meant he had tried to defraud me. he backtracked REAL quick when I emailed him a copy of his signature.
good times all around.
Not once did I ever have malware issues or have to wipe it all out or anything like that.
If it's the latter, you very likely could find yourself in the same boat over time.
There are lots of established problems with both OSes and their attendant hardware. An ASUS appears to be as well-built as a Mac, but each has its own peculiarities, so backup machines are always a good idea.
Exactly correct. I use a PC-based laptop with an SSD and it boots right up, unlike my wife's PowerMac, which takes a bit of time using a standard HD.
Wipe the drive, re-install windows and re-install the drivers and sell the computer. It will be like you just had it brand new. Personally, I would never buy a computer used that didn't have a fresh install of windows on there to begin with.
There are programs out there that will help you wipe the drive, or you can just re-install the Windows OS which will essentially get rid of all your private stuff.
The only way a user would be able to get your data after wiping your drive with a Windows Re-install is if they had a digital forensic program like EnCase or FTK which is not easy to get there hands on and is not very easy to use for an average user.
What if both of you need to use the computer simultaneously?
buford : 7/26/2014 3:02 pm : link : reply
the fact that I open it and it's on with no booting up beats anything else.
...with a Solid State Drive.
Put Mac OS on a platter drive, and it has to boot up just the same as Windows on a platter drive.