How to do factory reset linux?

[Hestonfireflame]

I am currently running Linux Mint 17.3 on an ASUS Q550lf. I'm in the process of selling this laptop and I need to factory reset the drive. Anybody know how to do this on Linux?

[Burusutazu]

Wipeing it completely clean? Just boot into a cd/ usb with linux on it and format the drive. Wanting to have a clean install of Mint ready for the person your selling it to? Use the OEM installer.

[TidaLWaveZ]

Yes, just re-install the OS and format the drive when the option appears.

[Hestonfireflame]

5 minutes ago, Burusutazu said:

Wipeing it completely clean? Just boot into a cd/ usb with linux on it and format the drive. Wanting to have a clean install of Mint ready for the person your selling it to? Use the OEM installer.

how to I get to the re-install window with the disk on linux? all I can do is open it up and look at the files

 

[Burusutazu]

2 minutes ago, Hestonfireflame said:

how to I get to the re-install window with the disk on linux? all I can do is open it up and look at the files

 

There is no "re-install" option as far as I am aware. You have to put a cd in with the mint iso and install it clean that way. As if installing it the first time. There should be a "Install Linux Mint" application on the live cd.

[Hestonfireflame]

Just now, Burusutazu said:

There is no "re-install" option as far as I am aware. You have to put a cd in with the mint iso and install it clean that way. As if installing it the first time. There should be a "Install Linux Mint" application on the live cd.

yes yes, I understand that, but how do i boot from the cd, thats my question, sorry if it was unclear.

[failblox]

6 minutes ago, Hestonfireflame said:

how to I get to the re-install window with the disk on linux? all I can do is open it up and look at the files

 

Get a portable distro of Linux and put it on a USB and boot off of it, select your drive, then format it.

 

Or you could take the drive out of the laptop and use another computer to format it.

[Burusutazu]

2 minutes ago, Hestonfireflame said:

yes yes, I understand that, but how do i boot from the cd, thats my question, sorry if it was unclear.

You have to burn it with the iso, assuming you have done that when you boot the pc there should be a breif flash of the bios with a key that says "boot options" select the CD and it should start the process.

[Hestonfireflame]

7 minutes ago, Burusutazu said:

You have to burn it with the iso, assuming you have done that when you boot the pc there should be a breif flash of the bios with a key that says "boot options" select the CD and it should start the process.

Im in the bios now, do I change the boot order so the disk is first?

[Burusutazu]

7 minutes ago, Hestonfireflame said:

Im in the bios now, do I change the boot order so the disk is first?

There should a list of boot order somewhere, just move the cd drive above the hard drive and reboot with the cd in. Something along the lines of  "press any key to boot from the cd" will appear and that signals that it detects a bootable cd and should boot if you press a key.

 

Edit: I would like to mention that some laptops allow you to pick a boot device during the boot flash without fully entering bios.

[Hestonfireflame]

47 minutes ago, Burusutazu said:

There should a list of boot order somewhere, just move the cd drive above the hard drive and reboot with the cd in. Something along the lines of  "press any key to boot from the cd" will appear and that signals that it detects a bootable cd and should boot if you press a key.

 

Edit: I would like to mention that some laptops allow you to pick a boot device during the boot flash without fully entering bios.

It has been going for about 50 minutes now, and It is taking an unusual amount of time from when I switched from windows to linux. Is that normal?

[Burusutazu]

15 hours ago, Hestonfireflame said:

It has been going for about 50 minutes now, and It is taking an unusual amount of time from when I switched from windows to linux. Is that normal?

If you formatted the drive then yes, it's writing the drive with zeros and can take hours. If you just reinstalled then i'm not completely sure.