resetting pc failure

[tzympuz]

I purchased a 15.6 touch screen laptop from Best Buy earlier this month.  I went through the setup pages, inputting my name, email, and other info. The email was from a microsoft account, so it synced with the laptop to make email available on the toolbar without needing to log in.

Windows updated. I put on Norton and Itunes. Then it wanted to restart. I said ok. It said "restarting" with the circle of dots going for about 1/2 hour before I did a hard reset. This happened 2 more times when attemting to restart.

At this point it was obvious that the laptop was not working properly. So, I decided I was going to return it. When I attempted to start it up the the next day (yesterday), it just sat with a blank screen. I had to hard reset twice before it started up. I immediately uninstalled Itunes and Norton. Then I attempted to perform a reset, choosing the recycling PC option. The reset completed, but said that all the personal files had not been removed and to try again. I tried again, and it failed. After a second failed attempt, I chose the HP Troubleshoot and Customer Support option. I then used the Recovery Manager reset the Windows partition side of the hard drive and reinstall all software. This completed successfully. I then tried the "Recycle PC" reset again. It seemed to be going well, but got to 41% complete after 3 hours, and stayed there for another 1.5 hours before I did a hard reset. Upon restarting, it said the reset had not removed all personal files.

And, that is where I am now.

I need to return this by March 25th (Saturday) to get a refund. My concern is what personal info might be left on the laptop that others might be able to access. Was the Recovery Manager reset enough to remove this information? Is there something I am doing wrong with the Reset to PC (recycling) option that is wil not complete?

Any advice would be appreciated!

[CherylG]

HP Recovery Manager formatted the Windows partition (where any personal info is) and reinstalled Windows. There should not be any personal info left on the laptop.

[tzympuz]

Thanks for your response. That's what I was hoping to hear!

One more question, though. Do you know why, when I ran Reset to PC (recycling option) after completing the Recovery Manager, it said not all the personal files had been removed? Was that just because it had only made it to 41% and didn't run completely?

[CherylG]

Possibly because they were no personal files and the program mainly looks for documents,photos,etc,

[tzympuz]

That makes sense, since I didn't have any on to begin with. Nothing for it to find. Thanks for your assistance!