I have a Compaq laptop, and due to a bunch of problems with drivers and errors and such, I have decided to reformat the hard drive and start from scratch. How do I go about doing this? Also, the laptop came with a Windows XP disc, but I'm not sure if this is only to used when using the Restore feature to reinstall Windows, or if it will reinstall Windows completely after I have reformatted. Pretty much, I'm just scared that by reformatting, I'm going to have to contact Compaq to get the full install discs to reinstall Windows before I can use my laptop again. Any help would be appreciated.
Your user manual should be your best guide. The manufacture site should also have one to look at. If the XP disc came with the laptop then it should return it to a new os as when bought. If it has a recovery partition the manual will tell you that also. Reloading an os is nothing to fear, It just takes time and usually drives a person nuts for a short while with the endless os updates (Gives you a good reason to drink a couple of 6 packs) Have a backup plan or a bud on-line so you can contact us if you run into any problems. Plenty of help here. Good luck.
