Is it possible to discover when the computer's system was first used?

I suspect I have been sold a PC with an hard drive that's second hand.It has Windows XP home installed.

Does the computer log this info any where?

Thanks for any help.

Thomas, December 2006

Have a look in your c:\windows folder

There are two files that were created when windows was insalled..

setupact.log and setuplog.txt

They list all the files installed when windows is first setup. Including the date it was done.

Toby, December 2006

If your concerned that only the hard drive is second hand, you can check the date on the hard drive itself. You will have to open the computer and pull out the hard drive.

I've checked a stack of hard drives I have here, and they all have manufacturing dates going back to 1999. Any new computer could reasonably expect to have a hard drive built in the last six months installed in it.

But there is no way to tell if its been used before without government grade forensic tools. The date stamped on the drive is the best way to check.

Jonathan, December 2006