Bought a used PC. How do I check for viruses once I receive it?

[Vepy]

I'm buying a used pc from a seller on eBay and was wondering if there was a good and efficient way of checking or getting rid of any viruses that may be on it. I'm fairly new to computer stuff and have only been doing light modifications to a Chromebook. The computer is a Windows 10.

[dgsddfgdfhgs]

why would you like to keep anything from previous user?

[corrado33]

You don't. You immediately do a clean (and secure) wipe of the hard drive before you even hook it up to your home network then reinstall windows 10. It should activate automatically. You can download the windows 10 iso from microsoft itself. 

 

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

 

It is NEVER.... NEVER. a good idea to use a computer that you bought without wiping the drives. EVER. Who knows what they have on there. Did they write a custom script that keylogs all your info and e-mails it to themselves? It's pretty easy to custom write something to get by modern antivirus scanners. 

[Vepy]

5 minutes ago, corrado33 said:

You don't. You immediately do a clean (and secure) wipe of the hard drive before you even hook it up to your home network then reinstall windows 10. It should activate automatically. You can download the windows 10 iso from microsoft itself. 

 

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

 

It is NEVER.... NEVER. a good idea to use a computer that you bought without wiping the drives. EVER. Who knows what they have on there. Did they write a custom script that keylogs all your info and e-mails it to themselves? It's pretty easy to custom write something to get by modern antivirus scanners. 

Would I have to pay to get a product key, or is there a way to get them for free?

[corrado33]

Just now, Vepy said:

Would I have to pay to get a product key, or is there a way to get them for free?

If the computer already has a legit copy of windows 10 installed, then when you re-install it it'll automatically activate itself once connected to the internet. (You may have to give it a day or so.) (So when it asks you for a product key just click "skip" during installation.)

 

Windows 10 is great about activation. 

 

There ARE ways of activating windows illegally for free, but we are not allowed to discuss those topics here. 

[Vepy]

3 minutes ago, corrado33 said:

If the computer already has a legit copy of windows 10 installed, then when you re-install it it'll automatically activate itself once connected to the internet. (You may have to give it a day or so.) (So when it asks you for a product key just click "skip" during installation.)

 

Windows 10 is great about activation. 

 

There ARE ways of activating windows illegally for free, but we are not allowed to discuss those topics here. 

Are there any cons not using a key? 

[dgsddfgdfhgs]

1 minute ago, Vepy said:

Are there any cons not using a key? 

just an additional watermark on screen, no other cons.

which can easily be solved

 

[Vepy]

6 minutes ago, dgsddfgdfhgs said:

just an additional watermark on screen, no other cons.

which can easily be solved

 

I'll still have access to everything else such as programs, etc?

[Sir Asvald]

12 minutes ago, Vepy said:

I'll still have access to everything else such as programs, etc?

You'll have access to you applications, but you won't be able personalise windows, meaning you cannot change the theme colours, change the image background, etc.

[NelizMastr]

51 minutes ago, Vepy said:

The computer is a Windows 10.

No it's not  

 

It's a custom build of some sort. Looks to me like some sort of socket 775 type of thing from around 2008?

 

How much did you pay for it and what are its real specs? Just to see if you got a good deal or if you got ripped off.

[Vepy]

2 minutes ago, NelizMastr said:

No it's not  

 

It's a custom build of some sort. Looks to me like some sort of socket 775 type of thing from around 2008?

 

How much did you pay for it and what are its real specs? Just to see if you got a good deal or if you got ripped off.

$205, free shipping. I know I could have built it for cheaper, but I just need a pc to possibly practice or get used to first. This will be my first real pc.

[Vepy]

Here's more

[NelizMastr]

6 minutes ago, Vepy said:

$205, free shipping. I know I could have built it for cheaper, but I just need a pc to possibly practice or get used to first. This will be my first real pc.

 

Ouch... $205 for a Core 2 Quad without a SSD or a somewhat current graphics card... I can't even sell a similar PC for $60 here....

[Vepy]

2 minutes ago, NelizMastr said:

Ouch... $205 for a Core 2 Quad without a SSD or a somewhat current graphics card... I can't even sell a similar PC for $60 here....

When I looked up the cost of the parts online, it ended up around $150ish

[NelizMastr]

7 minutes ago, Vepy said:

When I looked up the cost of the parts online, it ended up around $150ish

Yeah, but a price doesn't work that way. Individual parts always net more than a complete package, but it's not worth it due to added cost for shipping, handling etc.

 

Realistically, this is a $100 build tops.

[asus killer]

live and learn, now just enjoy it

[Vepy]

7 minutes ago, asus killer said:

live and learn, now just enjoy it

Pretty much. Eventually, I'll have to learn how to upgrade it properly and replace the case.

[WkdPaul]

As others have pointed out, you're better doing a full reinstall of the OS.

 

Though, if you don't feel like it, you can do a full reset, instructions here ;

https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/reset-windows-10-pc

 

If you want to play games on that, you'll have a hard time, the GTS250 is pretty weak, if you don't have a big budget, look for used GPUs in your local area (FB marketplace, Craigslist, etc...) and look for something like a GTX 650ti, or a 750ti, it should be around (or under) $50 and would be a great upgrade and fit that build perfectly.

 

An SSD will also help with that build relative performance.

[WkdPaul]

18 minutes ago, Vepy said:

Pretty much. Eventually, I'll have to learn how to upgrade it properly and replace the case.

While the case is old, it's not that bad (cue "legacy" Linus) ;

 

 

I personally would upgrade the GPU, SSD and PSU first

[Vepy]

3 minutes ago, wkdpaul said:

While the case is old, it's not that bad (cue "legacy" Linus) ;

 

 

I personally would upgrade the GPU, SSD and PSU first

What kind of PSU would you recommend?

[WkdPaul]

1 minute ago, Vepy said:

What kind of PSU would you recommend?

I'm no PSU expert, I would suggest you have a look at the PSU tier thread :

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/631048-psu-tier-list-updated/

 

Make sure you set yourself a budget first, good units can cost more than you think. And while the "bad PSU will burn your house down" argument is overplayed IMO, what you have to keep in mind is that a bad PSU can lead to instability (best case) or it could possibly kill components (happened to me once, never fun).

 

It's possible the Thermaltake unit in this build is ok, you'll have to get the model number and check in the list above and also look for reviews.

 

[Vepy]

22 minutes ago, wkdpaul said:

I'm no PSU expert, I would suggest you have a look at the PSU tier thread :

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/631048-psu-tier-list-updated/

 

Make sure you set yourself a budget first, good units can cost more than you think. And while the "bad PSU will burn your house down" argument is overplayed IMO, what you have to keep in mind is that a bad PSU can lead to instability (best case) or it could possibly kill components (happened to me once, never fun).

 

It's possible the Thermaltake unit in this build is ok, you'll have to get the model number and check in the list above and also look for reviews.

 

I'm thinking about getting a Cooler Master - MasterWatt. Would 650 Watts be alright with what I have?

[WkdPaul]

8 minutes ago, Vepy said:

I'm thinking about getting a Cooler Master - MasterWatt. Would 650 Watts be alright with what I have?

It should be a good unit, and 650w is more than enough. You could be ok with 500w IMO, but 650w will guaranty that you can add a powerful GPU and OC everything without any issues.

[LogicalDrm]

7 hours ago, Vepy said:

Would I have to pay to get a product key, or is there a way to get them for free?

If it was sold to you with Win10, then it should have one for you to use. Otherwise you are essentially pirate. Not paying for paid software and such.

[corrado33]

9 hours ago, Vepy said:

Are there any cons not using a key? 

You don't understand. If the computer does indeed already have a legit copy of windows 10 on it, then when you reinstall and connect to the internet, it'll connect to microsoft's activation service and say "Hey, this is the same computer" and activate itself, so you WILL have a key. Just not during installation.