Laptop Return How To Format Or Restore

I have a laptop that is being returned due to just horrible experience.
Lenovo had the wrong serial number on the laptop in the setup vs. the actual serial number on the laptop which caused tons on issues. Internally they were id ing it as an IBM thinkpad and trying to update it as one when it was a Yoga 900 and every replacement part they sent was also a thinkpads so the computer has been nothing but issues. Stupid using 0's and 1's vs o's and l's and someone royally messing up my laptop with service calls and wrong motherboard replacement... but at least now we know why it's been hell since I got it.

So they sent me a replacement which I hate the 910 shift key and is causing me hours of redoing work but now I need to send the Yoga 900 back.. I dont think I will keep the 910 either as it's hell where the shift key is....

What is best way to send it back and ensure all my data is gone?
Format, restore or what?
thanks.

 

If you have a desktop i would install the drive on there and reformat the drive fully 7 times.

 

How will he reinstall the OS?

 

Well we don't know what the OS is.

 

Use Revo Uninstaller to securely delete files and folders.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/revo_uninstaller.html

You might as well download the Pro version because you won't need it after returning the laptop.

https://www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uninstaller_free_download.html

 

Shouldn't it be reinstalled nonetheless? You would have him wipe out the recovery partition with no way to restore the OS.

That is a better option. I would then restore it to factory specs, just to go that extra mile.
https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht077084
https://s2.postimg.org/em3ijl3rd/okr.gif

 

But not all laptops have that option.

 

His does. I checked.

 

thanks everyone. so if I use revo uninstaller and then use the restore to factory specs option I'll be good?
I can't just restore to factory specs then as that will leave traces?
I appreciate the help...
Never buy the Lenovo 910 unless you don't like typing using capital letters... I hear the 920 got rid of the stupidity of a shift key that you can't reach unless your a giant...

 

Yes.

 

It might. The odds of Lenovo techs or a refurbishment customer investing the effort to recover trace files is low, but not zero. It depends on how concerned you are about the potential of those files falling into other's hands.

 

I would clear the cache and then use ccleaner or eraser or glary utilities or such to wipe the free space and then do the reset. I recently bought a 2nd hand dell xps 140. Me and the wife were wondering if it had any music or videos any good on it. It had both a Windows.old and a Windows.old.000 folder on it. I copied the Windows.old folder to a spare thumb drive. What I found wasn't music or video but the Temporary Internet Files had a bunch of jpeg and html links that I couldn't post here or show to my wife to say the least! If anything possible to be seen by others that is private, clean it good! (I have no idea who it belonged to before, so no harm done.) But I will clean it myself now that I know what's on it!

 

Can someone please explain how to use revo pro uninstaller to delete My Documents and all the subfolders?
I see how to delete programs. Thanks.

 

Open Revo Uninstaller and click Tools > Unrecoverable Delete.
On the left of the Toolbar click Add Files(s) or Add Folder - you can select multiple files at a time, but folders must be selected one at a time.
Then click Delete Forever.

 

what if I just selected my user folder and deleted that, won't it delete all the subfolders?
Thanks everyone....
Now if I can get Lenovo to replace the Yoga 910 as I'm getting infuriated over this shift key on the far right...

 

estimated time to delete the users file is over 8 hours... crazy I guess its security.