The process for resetting a laptop to factory settings is as simple as removing the battery, pressing the power button, and holding down the power button until you see the system start-up screen.
If your laptop has lost its startup configuration, you can take it back to the manufacturer for their “factory restore” program.
Resetting hp laptops to factory settings is not recommended if your system hangs frequently or freezes up completely. If you want to do this, please be careful and do not try it.
Factory resetting a laptop can delete all the programs and settings on the computer. If you want to keep personal data on your laptop, it is recommended that you do not factory reset your system.
To reset your HP laptop to factory settings:
- Remove the battery from your laptop, wait until it cools down, then put the battery back in.
- Press and hold the power button for 20 seconds or until you see a message on your screen asking if you want to turn off the computer or restart it.
- When you see a message like this “Press any key to enter Setup” press any key on the keyboard. (If you don’t see this message, then try holding down the “Shift” key while pressing the “Power” button.)
- After pressing any key, release both buttons when prompted by the screen as shown below:
- Then you will see a message saying “Setup has detected a hardware change and is performing system recovery to restore configuration information.”
- When the setup finishes, it will ask you to remove the battery or press any key to restart your computer.
- After that, it will ask you if you want to turn off your laptop, or restart it. Press any key to restart your computer and then remove the battery from the laptop before turning it on again.
- You can now use your laptop as usual with all personal data intact on the hard drive.
- If you have any questions or doubts, please post them in the comment box below.
Method 2: Factory Reset your HP Laptop through Windows Recovery Environment
You can reset your HP laptop to factory settings through the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE). Here is how to do it:
- First, you need to boot your HP laptop in the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE).
- After that, you need to select “Command Prompt” from the menu on the left side of the screen and then type the following command:
- bcdedit /set {current} recoveryenabled true && reboot
- When your laptop reboots, it will start in Windows RE and you can reset it again to factory settings by typing this command: bcdedit /set {current} recovery enabled true && shutdown -r +t 0
- Then after that, restart your computer and use it normally.
Bonus Tip: How to Keep your Computer in Tip-Top Shape
The following are the tips that I have found to be helpful in keeping your computer in tip-top shape:
- Update Windows and HP software as soon as it’s available to avoid potential security issues.
- Check for updates for your operating system and all software installed on your computer regularly to keep it up-to-date with the latest patches and fixes.
- Make sure you have a good anti-virus program, backed up online in case you lose your anti-virus program’s files or data.
- Make sure you have a good backup program, backed up online in case you lose your entire hard drive and need to reinstall Windows or install new software.
- Back up important files like photos, music, and documents on an external hard drive or on the cloud (like Dropbox) regularly so that they are safe in case of a laptop crash or data loss due to some other reason (such as virus attack).
