How can I restart my Compaq laptop back to factory settings? I just bought it off a friend and it's full of her stuff, and I'd like to switch it to back to the factory state.

Did your friend get it Newly?
confirm that first then go for this Option
Startup the System and Press the Functional Key 12 (F12) on the Keyboard once and then strike the enter key there after follow the instructions..

if these doesnt work for you kindly get an operating system bootable Disc and Format the System
with the step below.
press the f10 key on the keyboard , locate your Booting sequence so as to set yor DVD/CD as 1st booting device thereafter press f10 to save your settings.
then you can insert your Bootable operating system Disk then watch carefully and follow the instruction..
NOTE :\
when are been asked to press any key to continue press it only onnce then dont press a gain after you might have formatted ignore any other time.

aloso remember to copy out your system driver from the system before formatting so as for you to install them after formatting..
rate me after reading this

You can go to
START
SETTINGS
CONTROL PANEL
ADD/REMOVE SOFTWARE
and delete her programs one by one
Then you can delete her files
BUT I recommend reinstalling the operating system so you have a fresh start.
This will require the original disck that came with the system.
If you had been more specific as to the model I could provide a link to all the needed drivers etc..
You can always go to HP.com and select SUPPORT and look for your model to acquire the needed drivers

1. Every Compaq has a recovery partition:
   

2. Close any programs running on your computer and remove any unnecessary hardware devices that are connected to the computer.
   

3. Restart the computer. Press the "F11" key once your computer begins to start up again and before the Windows logo appears. The HP Recovery Manager will automatically launch.
   

4. Click the "System Recovery" option and click "Next." Select "No" in the Microsoft restore window that opens and click "Next."
5. Select the "Backup Your Files First" option and connect an external hard drive or insert a blank DVD or CD to store the backup files. Follow the instructions in the wizard to select the files you want to save.
6. Click "Next" to begin the restore process. The Recovery Manager will reformat the hard drives and recover the system to a functional operating condition.

If I could be of further assistance, let me know. If this helps or solves the issue, please rate it and give a testimonial for my response. Happy Holidays!

Thanks, Joe


I’m happy to assist further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/joe_8b8c2cd6ce148309

There are a few ways to set your computer back to default. You can do a system restore which will take you back to most likely one of the first days she bought it.
>start
>all programs
>accessories
>system tools
>system restore
If that did not work, then restart the computer and push F10 when starting up. This will take you into the system restore menu.
Also, a more efficient wipe of the computer would be to use the start up disks that were issued with the computer when she bought. Place the disk into the CD drive and restart the computer. Follow the instructions that come on when prompted.

Hope this helps.