How to Format HP Laptop Windows 10

Are you up and looking for how to format HP laptop windows 10? You are on the right spot to know the answer of this query, so keep reading to have the answer of this question.

When we have tried everything to solve the slowness of the operating system, the last thing left is to format the laptop, and if you have an HP brand we will tell you how to do it . The keys are to access the BIOS and know how to factory reset the computer.

This time we are going to deal with how to format and how to restore an HP laptop, since they are 2 different things that we are going to differentiate below.

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And it is that HP laptops come with a possibility to restore them from the factory, as if they were a Smartphone or tablet. So, we are going to contemplate both options for you.

How to Format HP Laptop Windows 10

We start with the format option, which is practically the same in any brand of laptop. In the end, formatting a laptop is formatting a hard drive, so you will see that it is not complicated.

IMPORTANT: you will need a flash drive with at least 8 GB. Also, formatting or restoring will delete any data you have on your laptop, so backup it to another drive to keep it.

1. Download the Operating System and Create Bootable Media on a Flash drive

To begin with, “formatting” refers to the hard drive, but when we use that expression we usually mean formatting the operating system.

On the contrary, when we want to delete files from a hard drive (a secondary one, for example), we do not use the verb “format”.

Avoiding misunderstandings, the first thing we must do is download the operating system that we are going to install on the unit after formatting.

See Also: How to remove the Hard Drive from a Laptop

It is essential that we download an image to be able to “burn” it on the flash drive with a tool and create a boot disk on it.

In general, Rufus or Multiboot will work for us , especially if we want to install Linux or OS X. In case you want to install Windows after formatting, we recommend how to create bootable USB in Windows 10 . The process in summary is as follows:

• We download the program and install it.
• We download the image of the operating system (.ISO or .DMG).
• We open Rufus or Multiboot and choose the image that we want to “record on the flash drive” and the flash drive as the drive where it will be “burned”.
• Once the process is finished, we will have completed the 1st step.

This is necessary because we are going to start the installation wizard of the operating system (Ubuntu, OS X or Windows) and, from it, we are going to format the HP laptop.

2. Boot Priority and Get into HP BIOS

With the boot disk created (OS on pendrive), we are going to restart the HP laptop and we have to pay attention when the HP logo appears on the screen.

My advice is as follows: as soon as the laptop boots press the ESC, F11 or F10 keys, which are the ones designated by HP to access its BIOS.

Our mission is to make the HP laptop boot from the flash drive and not from the hard drive, so we have to change the boot priority or “boot priority”.

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To give you an idea, many BIOSes have a tab called “boot “(they usually come in English) and from there we can select the priority.

There is a “first boot device”, which means that it has the 1st priority, so the system will start from that: there we have to select the pendrive. In the image below, we see that there is the “boot” tab

3. How to Format and Install Windows on HP Laptop

Since most of you are going to format your HP Windows laptop, we are going to show you how to do it step by step.

We assume that you already have all of the above clear, so we are going to accompany you in the formatting/installation process. In any case, you can consult the entire detailed process on how to install Windows 10.

• We will get this initial screen, and we give it to install now.
• We will get a window about activating Windows. You can enter the license or click “I don’t have a product key”. If you don’t have a license, check out our tutorial on buying a Windows 10 license.
• Next, you will choose the version you want.
• Regarding the type of installation, we select “custom”.
• The hard drives will be shown. If you have several, it is essential to know the capacity of each one to see which one we have to format and which one we do not. We simply select the drive we want to format (where Windows is installed) and click on “format”.
• It only remains to select it again and install Windows on it.

4. Factory reset HP Laptop

We emphasize again that it is advisable to make a backup of your files because you will lose them, in case you restore the HP laptop from the factory. To factory reset an HP computer with Windows 10, do the following:

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• We open the start menu and click on the settings gear.
• In the search bar of the new window we type « reset » and select reset this PC. We will get this menu:
• We click on “Start” to reset this PC and a window will appear with 2 options: “Keep my files” or “Remove everything”. Choose the one you want, but it is always better to “remove everything “so that the result is cleaner.

Except for how to enter the BIOS of an HP laptop, as well as how to enter it, this post is suitable for any type of laptop or computer that works with Windows 10. In the end, we access options that are present in any laptop with this operating system.

We hope it has been helpful to you. If you have any questions, you can leave them below and we will answer you shortly.

Have these methods worked for you? What problems are you having with your HP laptops?