If delete all partitions and overwrite all sectors on the hard disk will the laptop still work?

[Michele_13]

If delete all partitions and overwrite all sectors on the hard disk will the laptop still work?
Will I be able to use the laptop or will it be toast with nothing on it?

 

[COLGeek]

It will work after you reinstall an OS after wiping it.

 

[Michele_13]

How do I do that? Will that be asked of me or I'll need a disk?

 

[USAFRet]

How do I do that? Will that be asked of me or I'll need a disk?

You need an OS disk and license, or some other OS install thingy.

Question:
Why are you wanting to do this?

 

[COLGeek]

Some laptops (many in fact) come with a recovery partition to allow you to reload, as if it just came out of the box. In other cases, you'll need the install media to re-install the OS (DVD). What make/model is your laptop?

 

[Michele_13]

Toshiba <<serial number removed>>

 

[COLGeek]

Model number, not serial number, is what we need. With that info, we can look at the Toshiba website to determine your options.

Generic Toshiba info can be found here: https://support.toshiba.com/support/viewContentDetail?contentId=2737864

 

[Michele_13]

Ok I'll be back home in a moment

 

[Michele_13]

It only says serial number or part number above that it says satellite C855D-S5106

 

[COLGeek]

Did you create recovery media for the system when you got it? BTW, that is the info needed. Good job.

 

[Michele_13]

I have no idea. And I ended up downloading windows 10 which was a mistake.

 

[COLGeek]

Did you install Win 10 (upgrade from a previous version), less than 30 days ago? If so, you can revert back to the previous version.

 

[Michele_13]

No it was much longer than that

 

[COLGeek]

What previous version did you have installed? Also, why do you want to rid yourself of Win 10?

 

[Michele_13]

The laptop runs terribly. I need to just wipe it clean. I think it was windows 8

 

[COLGeek]

Windows 10 is superior to Windows 8, in every way. However, if you decide to go back to Win 8, you should contact Toshiba for the recovery media for your system. Installing that will remove everything from your system and restore it as if you just bought it.

Personally, I would stick with Win 10 and sort out whatever performance issues you are having.

 

[Michele_13]

I have a desktop for that and tablet and cell phones. The laptop is for very basic school use and there's no need for windows 10.

 

[Michele_13]

Toshiba will tell me or send it to me?

 

[COLGeek]

They can send to you (may require a small fee).

http://www.us.toshiba.com/company/contact-us/

You can also try to download the Win 8.1 ISO and use your product key (likely stored in BIOS) to re-install the OS. This will not include any specific Toshiba software/apps. Get the ISO (burn to DVD or USB) here:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows8