How to restore Windows 7 hp laptop to factory settings?
I have an HP laptop with Windows 7 (64 bit) that I would like to sell on eBay. I have already copied the personal data I wanted to keep from the hp laptop to a different computer. Now I would like to wipe all the data off the hard drive and restore the OS to factory settings. The computer did not come with any disks to do such a thing. There is supposedly a Recovery Manager program that can be opened from the start menu, but I do not seem to have one. I attempted to download this program from the official HP website, but it has not been able to install properly even after several attempts. (It gives me an error message about missing a .dll file in System32 that is necessary for the program to install.) I also apparently do not have the recovery partition that is ordinarily accessed by pressing f11 at start up. Nothing at all happens when I press the key. What are my other options? I do not want to sell the computer with so much personal information on it, obviously. Is there another program I can use to remove my data? A way to fix the recovery partition? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
February 6th, 2012 at 3:32 am
Try taking it to the Geek squad at Best Buy. They can do almost ANYTHING with technology. or you could just email them or give them a call.
Here try this website:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Electronics/Geek-Squad/pcmcat138100050018.c?id=pcmcat138100050018
Hope I helped!(:
February 6th, 2012 at 3:52 am
” The computer did not come with any disks to do such a thing. ” but it did come with the program to create the recovery disc set and this should have been done when setting the laptop up for use and before the system became corrupt.
Full instructions and order info for recovery disc set by model and serial number.
Recover Windows 7 Operating System Using HP Recovery
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01895783&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&os=4062&rule=42309&product=4030066&sw_lang=
Order recovery disc: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00810334&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=4030066
February 6th, 2012 at 4:18 am
start> computer> and see if you have a recovery drive
if you do Press F11 as the computer starts up
February 6th, 2012 at 5:06 am
Follow the given steps to reset hp laptop to factory settings?:
1. Back up all crucial user files if you are able to do so. If your computer will not burn CDs, use flash drives of 4 GB or higher to store your data and transfer them to another computer. Alternatively, you can use your network to transfer files. You can then back them up to CD at your leisure.
2. Detach peripheral devices such as removable media drives, USB drives and your printer before recovering. Also remove any additional hard drives by disconnecting the cable from the back. Leave your monitor, mouse and keyboard attached to the computer.
3. Shut your computer down. Place the first recovery CD in the CD drive. If the computer fails to boot from the CD drive, reboot and enter the setup screen. Change your boot options so that the CD drive is above the hard drive. If your recovery files are written on a partition, you may be able to select system recovery from the splash screen.
4. Select the recovery option you would like to use. To perform a destructive recovery, click the “Advanced” menu option. Select “Destructive Recovery” and click “Next.” To perform a non-destructive or system recovery, simply click “Next” from the opening screen.
5. Watch the computer while it is recovering to the factory settings. Watch for any errors, as the computer will wait indefinitely for a response from you, slowing down recovery time. Also, you may need to insert the additional recovery CDs as the recovery program requests them.
6. Restart the computer in diagnostic mode if you experience crashes. These errors are most likely to occur after running a non-destructive recovery. To get to diagnostic startup, click “Start” then “Run.” Type “msconfig” in the box. Click the radio button next to Diagnostic Startup: Load basic devices and services only. Click the “Restart” button when prompted by the computer. Reinstall any software programs which didn’t come with your computer, and uninstall unneeded programs.
If you cannot get into the configuration utility, shut the computer down, and press “F8″ to get into troubleshooting and advanced options. Select “Safe Mode” from the menu and log in as an administrator. Reinstall any software which didn’t come with your computer, and uninstall any unneeded programs.
http://supportforhp.iyogi.com/laptop-restore-to-factory.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110721052501AATjI5S