Reimage laptop with broken screen

ConorC1

I've a decent enough laptop from my employer with a broken screen. They told me to destroy the hard drive and send the laptop for recycling. Apart from the screen it works fine so I'd like to hang on to it as I can connect it to a TV screen with hdmi cable. Any suggestion on reimaging it (preferably windows)? It has SSD, 16GB of ram and i7 CPU and has windows 10 enterprise 64 bit on it right now. I also need to ensure it won't talk back to my employers asset management system when re imaged

smuggler.ie

As long you can get picture on the TV should be no problems, providing employer allow you to do such and do not have USB disabled or other security restrictions implemented.

On working computer(even same):

Plug 8GB or more USB stick.

go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows11 or

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

and install media creation tool (instructions within sites)

Run tool to create installation media of your Win (Win11 might be not supported depend how old laptop is) on USB

Once media prepared, plug UBS into computer you intend to install Win, start/restart computer and get to the boot menu by F2, F1, Fxx depend on you computer (search online by make/model)

USB should show up as available boot option - select it and go through wizard

!! before you click "Install" do this:

"Shift" + F10 key on the keyboard, this will pop CMD window (black)

Type in commands and hit Enter after each:

DISKPART
list disk
select disk 0
clean

after list disk command you will be presented with two lines - one for internal drive and other for USB - choose internal drive #, usually 0, judge by size.

Once all commands completed your internal drive will be cleared , you can close CMD window and proceed with installation

Windows most likely will activate with original activation key that you had with work computer (windows 10 enterprise 64 bit) unless company revoke it. If wont, you will have to get your own activation or use it not activated(MS allow this so far with minor limitations to personalize of install)

Computer no longer have domain/soft installed by company, just about like from retail shop

End of...

ConorC1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121377366#Comment_121377366

Thanks so much for all the detail here

28064212

You need to talk to your employer about this. If they have given an instruction to you to destroy your hard-drive and you don't, that's a disciplinary offence (and in some sectors, it would be grounds for immediate dismissal). Secondly, depending on how your company provisions their hardware, a new Windows installation won't prevent it from communicating back to company servers. The company would need to specifically un-enrol the machine.

z80CPU

^^^^^^ Echoing the sentiments of the above poster talk to your employer especially if it is a large American multinational OP.

LambshankRedemption

Your employer instructed you to send the hard drive for destruction, so I would do that. If you then keep the rest, just buy a replacement hard drive for it, and then follow the above steps. By keeping the rest of the hardware you can argue this is you recycling it, but there is no excuse for not destroying a hard drive you have been instructed to have destroyed.

ConorC1

I really don't see the point in physically destroying a perfectly working piece of hardware just because my employer (yes it is a large American multinational) instructs me to do so. I understand the comments above on the disciplinary side of things but they won't know as long as it can't talk back? Surely there is software which can fully wipe any sensitive data on it?

Ash.J.Williams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121379029#Comment_121379029

It's probably encrypted too and a new hard drive may be required

ConorC1

Yes it is encrypted...

Ash.J.Williams

Are you friendly with IT? They might give a sly bit locker key

28064212

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121379716#Comment_121379716

Well for a start, it doesn't belong to you, it belongs to your employer. Secondly, you don't have enough technical knowledge to protect yourself - yes, even if you completely wiped the hard-drive to NSA level standards, it is still possible for it to phone home after you put a new Windows installation on it. Thirdly, there is a strong likelihood that your employer will have contracts with third-party companies that are dependent on adherence to the published security policies.

Just contact your IT department. There's every possibility they have a procedure in place to 'recycle' laptops by gifting it to a user. And if they don't, then that's unfortunate, but it's not your choice

smuggler.ie

I do agree, and i did mention in my post: "...providing employer allow ..." , not trying to encourage to proceed if there is slightest risk of disciplinary.

However, argument would be:

Employer does trust ConorC1 to "destroy" the drive. After all, user have access to drive in "decrypted/unlocked form to manipulate data. Unless there is some precise instructions how to and requirement to present destruction certificate, not much of the policy. More like precaution to prevent drive falling into wrong hands.

Recycling laptop, same story - unless there is some precise instructions how to and requirement to present destruction certificate, not much of the policy.

bitlocker is good as long you care about data on drive and this is its main purpose - prevent unauthorized access as external drive. diskpart it - puff , no longer a problem. Try to recover if you will. After fresh install not only sectors partially overwritten, but still scrambled. To what expense you need to go to potentially recover traces of data. Company that seriously looking to their data security to that level would require device to be returned for in-house utilization/destruction, etc. BIOS would be locked with admin pass to prevent access to boot options

Just for my own education, would love to hear what means company have to trace device after it was wiped .

Fine, definitely traceable by Windows activation as "enterprise" likely deployed through their volume licensing and if their IT monitor it, but depend how laptop was obtained. If it was retail device and then "promoted" to enterprise under companies ownership it should roll back to MoBo locked lic, unless there wasn't one. Or how does it work?

MAC might ring bells if you bring it back to company network, local or remote, via software that relates to company should you install/sign-in it again (M$, etc)

Any other means?

ressem

Just for my own education, would love to hear what means company have to trace device after it was whipped .

Fine, definitely traceable by Windows activation as "enterprise" likely deployed through their volume licensing and if their IT monitor it, but depend how laptop was obtained. If it was retail device and then "promoted" to enterprise under companies ownership it should roll back to MoBo locked lic, unless there wasn't one. Or how does it work?

Intel EMA Remote Management and vPro, with a cloud registered contact IP for one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEArKvvszS8

Bigmac1euro

Recently imaged a laptop for a friend in similar situation and upon setting up windows the option to continue in an offline state was disabled. As soon as I connected to the internet the laptop pulled down the old company policies and requested username/password for the company he worked for. Possibly autopilot was enabled in the machine. This likely talked back to the companies IT but he had left so I don’t think he cared.

After realising windows wasnt going to work we opted to install linux and away he went.