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so I have a PC with Ubuntu 18.04 on it and I'm going to be selling it. I'm just asking how I can reset it to factory defaults, like getting rid of everything I installed and everything? Thanks in advance.

  • It's unclear what you are asking. If the computer did not come with Ubuntu 18.04 pre-installed as I am assuming is the case then resetting it to its factory defaults will remove Ubuntu 18.04 too. This makes it a duplicate of one the two questions in the other comments. – karel Jul 29 '18 at 19:48
  • dconf reset -f / – Manan Sharma Mar 15 '19 at 08:23

1 Answers1

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I've used this and it worked for me.

Install Resetter

Download the deb files: Resetter deb files here

Open a terminal and run the following commands:

sudo apt install gdebi
sudo gdebi add-apt-key_1.0-0.5_all.deb
sudo gdebi resetter_2.2.3-stable_all.deb

Launch Resetter

To use Resetter you can either allow the app to automatically detect and remove installed apps by clicking "Automatic Reset" or choose to have it uninstall only the app items you select by clicking "Custom Reset".

After the reset process is done, it will create a new user account and show you the login credentials. Make sure to note it down, or else you can’t login to the PC.

Finally, reboot to complete the factory reset.

Hope this helps.

Install procedure taken from https://github.com/gaining/Resetter

Dave
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  • I downloaded resetter but when I open it it's just white. Also the last two commands won't work in terminal it will say gdebi error, file not found: add-apt-key_1.0-0.5_all.deb –  Jul 30 '18 at 02:18
  • Here is a video tutorial, see if this helps: https://youtu.be/PSmzWdGrs1M – Dave Jul 30 '18 at 03:00
  • Thanks, now when I do a reset, there will be an error and it says Problems trying to remove: ssh-import-id:amd64 error() takes exactly 2 arguments (3 given) and it will do for multiple things, like if i unselect one there will just be another error. –  Jul 30 '18 at 04:01
  • Hold on, now when I try to use 18.04 it goes into emergency mode and It tells me to type in the password for root and then I do and the same msg comes up after I type something. –  Jul 30 '18 at 14:08
  • Are you using automatic mode? Try custom reset and only choose what you actually installed. – Dave Jul 31 '18 at 12:37
  • I tried both modes but they had the same errors, and I can't remember if I installed them. I can't even get into my PC because I can get past emergency mode. –  Jul 31 '18 at 14:57
  • Okay, Resetter will detect and delete all applications including the existing users. After few minutes, it will automatically create a new user. You need to use these credentials the next time you log in. After you reboot your system, you log in with the NEW USER credentials. If you don't them, you might want to just do a fresh install. – Dave Jul 31 '18 at 23:00
  • NOTE FOR ALL USERS: DO NOT LET THE MACHINE GO IN SLEEP MODE. When the laptop goes into sleep mode while resetter is in action, it gives authentication error while logging in. – Akshay Sep 27 '20 at 15:41