I just used the Windows reset option to delete all files, including cloud backups and settings, on my laptop. While I don't have anything too private, I'm worried about someone potentially looking through my data. When I turned on the laptop, it prompted me to set up a new user account. Do I need to create a new user to encrypt my PC and reset it again, or am I good to go with what I've done so far?
4 Answers
Unless you used specialized software to overwrite every part of the hard drive, some data could still be recoverable. If you’re really concerned, you might want to wipe the drive with a tool that ensures a complete cleanup. Just so you know, it’s tricky to find files on a formatted drive, but it can be done sometimes.
You should be pretty safe with what you've done! The reset generally cleans things up well.
Just resetting Windows might not erase everything securely. If you want total assurance, consider reinstalling Windows from a USB drive, as it does a better job of deleting everything. Check out a guide if you're unsure how to do that!
You're likely fine as long as you didn't have any sensitive information that could be easily recovered. Just keep in mind that the more data you have, the harder it may be to recover individual files.
Thanks for the tip! How complicated is it to reinstall from USB?