Easiest non-paranoid HD nuke?

[VanguardLH]

I simply want them to start from scratch with my donations.

You said that you'll be providing them with the installation CDs and COA
stickers. Since you're asking how to wipe the OS already on the HDD,
aren't the COA stickers already attached to the laptops? If so, are
they still readable? Sometimes the stickers get a lot of wear depending
on placement which makes difficult reading the product key. If already
attached, make sure the sticker is legible.

You never identified the brand and model of laptop. The installation CD
could be a restore from an image or a specially scripted installer
rather than for a retail or generic OEM version. If the installtion CDs
are actually restore CDs then they're designed to return the laptop back
to its factory-time state. That means stepping on whatever currently
happens to reside in the old OS partition. Knowing the brand and model
and then looking at their online or downloadable manual might indicate
just what their installation CD will do.

However, this discussion has spanned a longer time than you just using
any of the several disk wipe tools already suggested to you, so I'll
assume the wipe has already been performed. There's no problem with you
doing the wipe before donate but it might've been redundant, especially
if there was no intent on destorying your old data. The installation
pretty much walks through even a noob on how to install Windows. In
your case, really the only caveats for your relatives is that they not
perform an upgrade and not do a repair install (i.e., that they do a
*fresh* install).

 

[Rod Speed]

VanguardLH wrote

He's probably thinking of German contract law,

Nope. That just happens to be where my news server is.

which stipulates that clauses to a contract have to be known to the buyer
_before_ the purchase takes place.

Most jurisdiction's contract law does too.

AND many ALSO say that it isnt even possible to 'agree'
to anything in a contract that takes away your legal
rights under consumer law in that jurisdiction as well.

And that last one is the one that matters
with MS's stupid claim that the OS must
remain with the hardware it came with.

EULA that are included inside the box or presented as a pop-
up window during installation are null and void in Germany.

And in many other jurisdictions too.

And yes, I believe that has been tested in court and upheld...

It has indeed, and in the US too.

In spades with that other consideration about whether any
purported contract can take away your consumer rights.

 

[Mike Tomlinson]

That wasn't the OP's stated objective in his start post.

You don't actually expect Woddles to READ what he's replying to, do you?

For Woddles, usenet is write-only.

 

[Mike Tomlinson]

He's probably thinking

Impossible. Woddles is incapable of rational thought.