When receiving computers that we intend to sell, we should first make a backup image of the computer in its factory state- once for each model and operating system- before preparing the computer for sale.

Procedure

When receiving new computers for sale that are not on the latest Microsoft Operating System (eg, receiving Windows 8.1 computers while Windows 10 is current) and the latest Operating System is offered as a free upgrade to the Operating System currently installed:

1. Do not turn on the computer, you want it to be in the "out of box" setup phase.
   1. If you already turned on the computer and have gone through the setup, make the image with an untouched computer of the same model. If there is only one of this model, or all the computers have been booted and setup- just make an image as-is with one of them.
2. Boot to Acronis and follow standard backup procedure until you reach the point of choosing the backup destination.
3. On the PC-Backups folder, choose the "!FactoryImages" folder. If that folder does not exist, create it.
4. Do not use our standard naming scheme for these types of images. Instead:
   2. Choose a name that distinctly and easily identifies the exact manufacturer, model, and operating system. Examples include:
      1. Dell OptiPlex 7040 SFF with Windows 8.1 - delloptiplex7040sffw8.1.tib
      2. Dell Inspiron 15 5559 with Windows 7 - dellinspiron5559_w7.tib
   3. Before creating a new backup, check to make sure one does not exist for this computer and this operating system. If it does, do not back it up again.
5. Save the image by proceeding to follow standard backup procedure after the backup name has been chosen.
6. Do not do an operating system upgrade! Instead, wipe the device completely and load a fresh copy of the current Windows Operating System.