How do I reset my HP Laptop that originally was Windows 8 but free Windows 10 - reset says Disk can'

[moonSlice]

I'm selling my HP Laptop HP ENVY TouchSmart 17 Touch 17t-j100, so I want to reset it  before selling it.

But... it came with Windows 8, which I was able to update to Windows 10 free way back when you were allowed to do that.

If it try to reset it through the regular windows reset, it says that the disk partition can't be found.

If I  try to reset it through the HP support 'HP Recovery Manager' I'm afraid that I won't be able to reset it with Windows 10, just Windows 8 - since that was the

What is the best way to get rid of all personal files and programs without losing  my free Windows 10 upgrade?

[banhien]

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@moonSlice wrote:

... What is the best way to get rid of all personal files and programs without losing  my free Windows 10 upgrade?

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@moonSlice 

You can perform a fresh install Windows 10 using the following instruction

           https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

The tool will allow you to make a bootable installation media (USB/DVD) and you can use installation media to install.

During the installation process if you are asked to enter a product key, check the 'Skip' box and W10 will install and then automatically activate once you are connected to the internet using the key embedded in BIOS of your machine.

You will get options at the beginning

   (a) Keep files and programs or

   (b) Clean install. - in your case, simply un tick the option to keep.

Regards.

[moonSlice]

Thank you SO much Banhien!

I found 2 product keys for Windows - one from doing a script through powershell, and the other from the registry script suggested at

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-windows_install-winpc/how-to-recover-yo...

I assume one is from my Original Windows 8 OEM laptop and the other key is from my free Windows 10 upgrade?

Is the one in bios that you said will make it work the Windows 8 one or the Windows 10 one?

And will it work either way - whichever it is - when I say to 'skip' for the key when installing the fresh Windows 10?

[wifisiru]

'HP Recovery Manager'

[moonSlice]

HP Recovery Manager would take it back to Windows 8 wouldn't it? Then I would have to buy Windows 10.

[WAWood]

@wifisiru 

You should NOT be recommending HP Recovery Manager -- because this will NOT work -- because the in-place upgrade to Win10 corrupts the HP recovery information so that this does not work anymore.

The recommendation that @banhien made at the beginning is the one that will work.