How to format and reinstall Windows 10 ?

If the computer was activated there is no longer a need for a license key as long as you are installing the same version of Windows 10, Home or Pro, 32 or 64 bit.

If asked for a key just go to the bottom of the page and click on Skip, Do this later, or I do not have one.

 I have been experiencing few isuues / niggles here and there so I thought of formatting my Laptop and reinstalling the OS.

Reinstalling an operating system is a major undertaking. It's something to do as a last, desperate measure when your computer is otherwise unusable. It's certainly not something you want to do if you're only experiencing "a few issues or niggles here and there."

If you want to do the job right, you'll need lots of preparation. Do you have all the drivers you'll need, and do you know in which order to install them? Are you prepared to setup Windows from scratch? Have you decided how you'll deal with the many choices you'll be asked to make during installation? Do you have installers and license information for your software applications? These are just some of the things you'll have to have in advance.

After that, you'll need to:

• backup your personal data;
• perform the install (there's no need to format your hard drive);
• setup Windows from scratch (you don't need to enter a license if you're re-installing on the same computer);
• redo your user accounts
• re-install your software applications, and set them up the way you like;
• restore your backed up data; and
• test everything to make sure it all works properly.

That's a half day's work right there - unless something goes wrong along the way.

And even then ... if any of your issues are caused by hardware, reinstalling software isn't going to make a difference. 

Even if you succeed swimmingly, since a re-install is a do-over, rather than a solution, you won't know what caused your issues and niggles in the first place, so you won't know how to prevent them from coming back.

The wiser course of action is to research and solve your issues, then once your computer is working well, get into the habit of making a daily image backup of your hard drive. That's something you should do even if you do decide to go through with your clean install. With a daily image backup, you've given yourself a known-good copy of your computer that's never more than 24 hours old, which you can restore in literally minutes, so you never have to re-install your operating system again.

if your hp laptop comes with windows 10 preinstalled means , then you can factory reset option ,it resets  windows os

Thanks

Hi Dimitrz,

Good day! This is Jhakesong an Independent Advisor and I will be happy to assist you with this.

First thing you want to do is to copy your windows 10 license key. Here's how:

Find Windows 10 Product Key on a New Computer

1. Press Windows key + X.
2. Click Command Prompt (Admin)
3. At the command prompt, type: wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey.

This will reveal the product key. Volume License Product Key Activation. Write it down or save it on your mobile phone so you have a copy.

Then proceed with reinstalling windows by following the recovery method for HP laptops.

https://support.hp.com/ph-en/document/c02638587

Let me know how it goes. Have a great day!

Standard Disclaimer: These are links to non-Microsoft websites. The pages appear to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the sites that may advertise products often classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the sites before you decide to download and install it.

Thanks JhakeSong \ lacrumb

I was able to retrieve what I presume is the product / license key

few  queries :-

1. How do I launch the recovery screen :-) 
2. The link shared by you is for Win 7 and Vista but I am assuming it would work same for Win 10
3. I believe in my case a Factory Reset is what I need - correct ?  Basically I want to remove everything from my computer so that registry and windows folder is cleaned off all the junk , garbage and possible corrupted files  it has accumulated over last 3-4 years - so that I can start fresh as if i have bought a new computer.  My system off late has been giving few glitches here and there and I am hoping this will remove those glitches due to software corruption etc.