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Need to wipe out the memory on my HP Laptop?
Question : Need to wipe out the memory on my HP Laptop?
I don’t know a whole lot about PCs so please mind my ignorance.
I just got a nice deal on a used HP laptop, but am worried about all the nonsense that has been downloaded on it before (like porn). I work for the government, and am scared my new laptop will at some point be audited. I know nothing on a PC can ever truly be deleted, so I would like to replace the hardware with new a new processor, memory or whatever else is going to make this thing act as NEW. I figured I prob just need to replace the memory card?
Will you please explain to me what hardware I need to replace to get rid of its past? And please direct me to the best place to purchase this hardware.
Thank You 
hardware audit
Best answer:
Answer by conehead
It’s not a matter of new hardware, it’s software. Reformat the hd and reinstall the os. For that you’ll need a windows installation cd or the recovery set from hp.
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#2 written by computerbp13 1 year ago
Goverment… Interesting. Somehow I don’t believe that because if you really did, it wouldn’t be advisable to say that. But anyway, there are programs out there that can completely wipe your computer. Try Google wipe computer, you should get some results. There is no need to replace the hardware (You would only have to replace the hard drive if you really wanted to).
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The hard drive is the only place where any data might persist. If you replace that, you’re all set. But I really think that’s too paranoid. If you reformat the drive you should be fine. In either case, you will need to re-load the operating system and all the drivers etc. afterwards.