Got replacement laptop. Need help "ghosting" old one before returning

I purchased a Studio 15 through Dell outlet about 2 weeks ago. Outlet sent me the wrong computer, and before I had realized that I had all the wrong specs (yes, my fault) I had already used it for internet sites that I have passwords on and uploaded photos to it, as well.

Now they have sent me a replacement laptop according to what I had ordered, and I have to send the old one back. I know I could call Tech Support (ugh) to go through this but I want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

As you can tell, I'm a total non-computer noob. Can someone talk me (Slowly!) through wiping out my computer with all of my personal info before I send it back?

Thanks!

 

Is there any chance you're using Mozilla Firefox as your browser instead of Internet Explorer (on the old system)? If so, there is a "profile" folder that makes duplicating all saved info very simple- bookmarks, passwords, url history, etc.

If you're using IE, which comes with the system, I'm not aware of any similar function to transfer your info.

Off the top of my head, I do have a slightly convoluted idea that would work if you have been using IE on the system you're returning. Download and install Firefox. During setup, Firefox will ask if you want to "Import Bookmarks, Options, History and other data from Microsoft Internet Explorer"? Then you will have all your old data in a Firefox Profile to transfer over to your new Studio 15!

Go to http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/ to download Firefox. Click the icon to download and follow on-screen instructions.

After you've completed the installation and imported all IE info to Firefox, you'll need to find the Profile folder. Click on Start, then Run... and type %APPDATA% in the field, then click OK. Click on the Mozilla folder, then select the Firefox folder and you should see a folder called Profiles. You'll need to copy that folder (Profiles) and put it in the same exact place on your new computer after you install Firefox. If you have a USB flash drive, that's the easiest way to transfer it. Just click once to highlight the Profile folder and right-click, Send to and choose your flash drive from the list.

If that doesn't work, you could simply copy the folder by highlighting it, right-click, then Copy. Paste it somewhere like your Desktop or My Documents. Then send yourself an email with this folder as an attachment. Open your email on the new system, grab that file and put it where it belongs!

Best of all, you'll be using Firefox instead of IE now! I don't know how I ever lived without it!

 

If the hard drive is the same size, swap hard drives ...

 

If you want to keep your old settings etc, there's Vista's Easy Transfer which replaces the old Transfer Wizard in XP. Back it up to a DVD or a USB pendrive or something.

If you want to wipe your pr0n (passwords, right) the simplest foolproof way would probably to use Dell's system restore to revert it back to the factory preload. Check your documentation for the exact procedure.