okay computer whizzy people - how do i wipe everything off my computer apart from the operating system?

[whensantagotstuckupAITCHimney]

i have to send this laptop back... but i don't want the dastardly Dell types to get my passwords etc...

You can format your hard drive (search in help and it will give you step by step instructions). You will probably have to re-install the os. You will lose everything, even email adresses etc so make sure you back up everything you want to keep! Alternatively, if it's just passwords you're worried about, take them off then put them back on when the computer is returned??

you can uninstall each relevant bit of software.

At this time of year they will be too busy wearing capes and eating pizza to worry about passwords

You can't generally extract passwords from a system anyway

What EXACTLY are you worried about them seeing?

run system restore or system recovery.. estores it to factory settings

run system restore or system recovery.. estores it to factory settings

reformat the hard drive

oh you want the os still on there? I would reformat then put the os back on, dell do still send the discs for windows with their pcs don't they?

Have you got a recovery disk?

it doesn't run well, so i'm sending it back to them. (and i also have another one from them that doesn't work either so i will be sending that back too....pita). no goodwill gesture of compensation for all my wasted time. apparently they only compensate for loss of life!
the OS was on when i got it, so i'm concerned that they will complain if it's not there when i give it back. hmmm. i really hate dell.

If you keep all your programmes on they will be able to ascertain if it's that this is causing your problems. A lot of anti virus programmes slow things down enormously.

agree with 2boys.. i had macafee installed on my laptop and it slooooowed it down no end....

by 'run' i mean the actual components make a noise like a helicopter taking off when you start up, and the dvd player takes a long time to read the cds. they sent me out a replacement but that keyboard doesn't work. they of course wish to send an engineer out but i'd rather have a computer that works straight out of the box. that is, after all, what i paid for.