Comprehensive Wipe/Santize - Reinstall Of Windows 11 - Start again

[QuidcoSingh]

Purchased a HP Desktop (display model at the local computer warehouse). Reduced to clear. Cheap:

HP Desktop M01-F2000na Bundle PC (65Q04EA)

Was on display for 6 months - plugged in and connected to the internet. Any shoppers/kids could mess about with it during that time.

I want to proceed AS IF the machine has been hacked/infected. I want to be excessively prudent. I want to start totally afresh.

What is the proper HP way to fully sanitise the system?

Then reload Win 11 - so the machine is 100% clean?

(Note to any any all - if a machine is compromised by an virus/hack/malware, the boot menu options of "reset / restore" are NOT adequate. The area where the restore/reset files are kept - could've been infected by the malware or hacked/modified. If a machine has been compromised - the ONLY way to guarantee repair is to fully wipe and sanitise - then reinstall the OS. On a HP system - whats the procedure to do this?). 

[WAWood]

I can tell you what I would do -- as I have done this more than once.

To sanitize your drive, you need to WIPE it -- and to do that you need to remove the drive and connect it to another PC.  Since this is a new PC, my guess is that it is not only an SSD, but actually an NVMe SSD -- which is basically a memory stick configured to work as a "drive" -- and to use that, you would most likely need another PC with an available m.2 slot, or buy and add-on PCIe card with an m.2 mount on it (which is what I have done). Then, when you have access to that, find out the manufacturer of the drive and go to their website -- as they provide a downloadable utility to securely erase (i.e., wipe) their drives -- and use that.  Then, reconnect that drive to your HP PC..

As to reinstalling Windows on the new drive,

you should see if you can make a bootable USB recovery drive using the HP cloud recovery tool on a working PC.

The recovery drive can then be used to install Windows and the HP drivers and utilities that originally came with your PC.

You will need a working PC and a 32GB USB stick to hold the recovery files. Here is the link:

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_4511095-4511141-16

If you use a different PC to run the tool, you will have to provide your PC's product number. Here is an HP link for finding that information:

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_2039298-1862169-1

[QuidcoSingh]

I understand what you are saying.

Fully sanitise the NVME & reinstall OS.

I am curious about how to check for and remedy against possible Boot Virus's (if this concern is relevant), and malware anywhere else (other than the Storage Devices such as NVME, HDD etc).

Could malware hid in the BIOS? Could it hide anywhere else in the machine?

How to check?

With thanks,

QS

[WAWood]

I don't think malware can hide in the BIOS code because you have no way to write to that in a PC.

But that said, malware could hide virtually anywhere in the Windows filesystem.

[QuidcoSingh]

I am curious about whether the following:

Bios built in Storage Drive Wiping - Bios 

Is as reliable as taking the NVME/SSD out and using another machine to wipe it?

[WAWood]

From their description, it sounds like it would be the same function -- but I use the utilities supplied by the manufacturers and I don't have any HP-brand SSDs.