What do I have to do in Steam before selling a PC?

[MSXCF]

Going to sell one of my computers. I know a PC can be "deauthorized" in Steam, but it seems doing that will deauthorize all my computers.

But uninstalling Steam is as good as deauthorizing the PC, or is it not?

[**DeiRowtag]

reset the whole pc is the base

[Ogami]

I would wipe the PC in principle and either sell it blank or with a fresh Windows install.
For security reasons alone.

[MSXCF]

I am going to format the PC, but I'm not sure if Steam will recognize it as a known unit if the next owner installs Steam.

[captainwiseass]

Formatting it will wipe everything, including the OS. I'm not an expert, but I'm pretty sure that'll do it.

[MSXCF]

I hope that works. Thanks all.

[rawWwRrr]

Originally posted by MSXCF:

I am going to format the PC, but I'm not sure if Steam will recognize it as a known unit if the next owner installs Steam.

Steam doesn't identify you by your physical machine.

[ShelLuser]

Originally posted by MSXCF:

I am going to format the PC, but I'm not sure if Steam will recognize it as a known unit if the next owner installs Steam.

Nah, it doesn't work like that. Should the new owner decide to install Steam then they're met with a blank slate: so they need to authenticate themselves from the start. No way that they'll accidentalyl come across your account.

... because all the data that 'linked' the Steam client to your account would then been erased by the full reset / re-install.

So no worries.

(edit)

Also: the option is "Trust this maschine" but it actually means "trust this client" which can either be the Steam client or one of your browsers. I use multiple browsers on my machine and well... if I authenticate myself using Opera then Edge is none the wiser about that.

[my new friend]

Originally posted by rawWwRrr:

Steam doesn't identify you by your physical machine.

https://help.steampowered.com/en/accountdata/MachineAuthName
Then again, I'd rather keep the hard drive and put a new one in the pc I'm selling.

[rawWwRrr]

Originally posted by my new friend:

Originally posted by rawWwRrr:

Steam doesn't identify you by your physical machine.

https://help.steampowered.com/en/accountdata/MachineAuthName
Then again, I'd rather keep the hard drive and put a new one in the pc I'm selling.

I'm aware that Steam tracks machine names upon login, but Steam doesn't use that machine name to auto-identify users and log them in like OP is clearly fearful of.

And, yes, I never sell a computer of mine with the hard drive. It stays with me. I don't even sell or relinquish my old cell phones.

[Supafly]

Originally posted by my new friend:

Originally posted by rawWwRrr:

Steam doesn't identify you by your physical machine.

https://help.steampowered.com/en/accountdata/MachineAuthName
Then again, I'd rather keep the hard drive and put a new one in the pc I'm selling.

Or do a secure format from command prompt. Each pass will wipe the drive and flood it with random data. Just change the x to how many passes it should do. Preferably 2 at a minimum
format c: /c:x

[crunchyfrog]

Some games might still have that limited number of machines as their own DRM but it isn't a thing nowadays generally on PC, and Steam doesn't use this anyway.

All you need to do is exactly what you would do for bank accounts and any other account based stuff on your PC - WIPE IT.

[my new friend]

Originally posted by Supafly:

Originally posted by my new friend:

https://help.steampowered.com/en/accountdata/MachineAuthName
Then again, I'd rather keep the hard drive and put a new one in the pc I'm selling.

Or do a secure format from command prompt. Each pass will wipe the drive and flood it with random data. Just change the x to how many passes it should do. Preferably 2 at a minimum
format c: /c:x

I'd still keep them anyways. I have a server full of old drives from pcs I sold or gave away.

[crunchyfrog]

Originally posted by my new friend:

Originally posted by Supafly:

Or do a secure format from command prompt. Each pass will wipe the drive and flood it with random data. Just change the x to how many passes it should do. Preferably 2 at a minimum
format c: /c:x

I'd still keep them anyways. I have a server full of old drives from pcs I sold or gave away.

I do much the same. I have a box of drives from every old PC or console that broke. I either use them as drives now on something else, or just backup drives.

[Start_Running]

Originally posted by MSXCF:

I am going to format the PC, but I'm not sure if Steam will recognize it as a known unit if the next owner installs Steam.

Nothing to worry about. They'd need your user name and password to do anything.

[Elucidator]

Remove Steam. That way you delete your saved info as well.
that's all I can think of. Also you want to reauthenticate stuff with a newer steam guard permission anyway.