How to factory reset Windows 10 version 1607

Solution 1:

Windows resets only reset the settings of Windows. They do not wipe any user data.

As you are looking to retire the computer, the best and cheapest method of protecting your data in that process is to physically remove and destroy the hard drive, taking particular care to destroy the usually shiny platters inside the drive if it's a spinny drive, and the chips on the PCBs, if its an SSD.

Solution 2:

If the disk has critical PII or proprietary info, then as other state, physically destroy it (though there are some useful part, such as magnets, you might salvage).

However, for less critical disk wiping, there are a plethora of free tools, such as PrivaZer and CCleaner free with disk wipers that will do a fairly thorough job, rewriting each byte a number of times. That said, the process inevitably takes a long time, i.e., days. However, that leaves you with a disk on which an OS can be installed, whether Windows or Linux.