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[TheBoy]

One of the DELs at work is on a suckers list, so we get all sorts of scam calls.  We have hours of fun, and end up with an awful lot of irate cold callers....

[dbug]

Low level format disk (should clear ALL the hard drive - but will take time), repartition, reformat and reinstall Win8 from your HP "recovery" disks.

However, being sensible, suggest adequate to wipe partitions, repartition, reformat and reinstall operating system.

Can't Low Level Format a modern drive without specialist equipment . A normal full format should suffice. TBH, a quick format would as well, seeing as data would get overwritten before being referenced in the MFT

Yep but 

[Kevin Wood]

Chuck a Linux live CD in and fill it with /dev/random a couple of times then repartition and write a new MBR.

It's been a very long time since I've done a low level format!

[dbug]

Now "low level format" is a bit of a misnomer. What is now referred to "low-level format" for today's SATA (and ATA (IDE)) drives is the zero fill/erase option usually supplied with drive manufacturers DOS utility software, or specialist software.

[Shackeng]

Currently running a full system scan with uptodate Avast.

Only two obvious programs installed remotely were Google Chrome and CCleaner, both now banished to the ether...

What else to do? Thinking changing passwords etc not really my field of expertise tbh...

Excellent programme, I have been using it for years. 

[05omegav6]

Currently running a full system scan with uptodate Avast.

Only two obvious programs installed remotely were Google Chrome and CCleaner, both now banished to the ether...

What else to do? Thinking changing passwords etc not really my field of expertise tbh...

Excellent programme, I have been using it for years. 

It's one thing to use a programme that you installed voluntarily, quite another if it were installed unknowingly...

[05omegav6]

Thanks for all your input Mum is most grateful

Thanks also to Guffer for pausing his unpacking to give the PC a thorough check up

The indian fellow rang again today to suggest that she needed to turn on the computer to fill in a form for her refund... he got quite upset when she told him what a scamming git he was

I don't quite see what he was hoping to achieve by ringing back, and it dawned on Mum that they must have initially got the number by dubious means as it is exdirectory... so a swift call to BT saw the number changed forthwith, with a reporting number should they get through on the new one