re enable desktop appearance

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starbaker

Honorable
Jan 17, 2014
2
0
10,510
Morning all, first post, please be gentle!

First some background: I'm a complete novice. I have used computers for decades but know practicaly nothing about them. I get confused with just regular windows that pop up from time to time from Windows, and think "what the heck does that mean"

So, to my problem.

I have a laptop that was given to me in a previous job. When I left (about three years ago) they never asked for it back. I wasnt sure what to do with it and thought sooner or later they'd ask for it but they never.

My daughter is now looking for college and I thought she could use it.

It works okay, and I can log on to it, but its got all the Co. stuff, and they've locked things like desktop appearance (which is really important to the young'uns!).

Any ideas on how I can restore this laptop to work like one bought from a store?

Thanks
 
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kemperkipie

kemperkipie

Distinguished
Nov 24, 2011
703
0
19,060
Your best shot is to re-install Windows (assuming you're using Windows).

You can buy Windows from a local computer store, that will give you a disk. You insert the disk in the laptop, and when you boot, you'll have to get into the boot menu. (sometimes F8, sometimes F10, and sometimes you need to go into the BIOS and manually set DVD-Drive to first in boot priority, mostly F2 or DEL) (You can look it up with the model of your laptop).
Selecting DVD-drive as first boot option is easy to look up on google anyway.

When you boot with DVD, you are able to install new Windows, just click a few times "Next", make sure you select to install a NEW Windows, and NOT an upgrade. It'll ask you which hard-drive you want to install it on. (If there is more than one, click on easy one, and "Delete" them all) (assuming you no longer need any data on the current Windows from your old work). Click on the single Empty space (and probably only choice) and click Next.

Now we wait. Go drink some coffee, watch some TV.
When it's done, it is in Windows, you can configure the rest yourself, because you are your own administrator.
 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

Glorious
May 11, 2012
12,914
3
48,960


Yup, trying to cut through all the corporate restrictions and software would take a fair while and you probably wont get it back to a blank slate anyway. Buy an OEM 64bit copy of Windows of your choice (I would go with Win7 Home Premium or Win8.1), wipe the drive while booted into the Windows disc, install and you have the blank slate your looking for.
 
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