I'm new to the community - I have an HP X360 Pav - how can I get my laptop back to factory setup?

[RaySt]

I have an HP X360 Pavilion, the performance of this laptop is so degraded its terrible.  I would like to remove everything from the laptop, reinstall Windows 10 and then reload only apps I want.  How can I do this OR where can I get it done (for reasonable cost)?  Thanks RaySt

[WAWood]

@RaySt 

I can certainly understand the desire to do factory resets -- given the prevalent view that such an action, though extreme, will fix a variety of mysterious problems and return a troublesome PC to working condition.

Problem is -- that very often is NOT the case and if there is any hardware issue at all, which is nearly always the cause with a SLOW PC (which is why most folks do the factory resets), you end up trashing your PC and rendering it useless. So, you trade a SLOW PC for a non-working PC. Not a good trade -- and certainly not what you intended.

So if your PC was running real SLOW, or apps are not launching, then let's check for the drive failing, if your PC is new enough to support UEFI, you can use these steps to test the drive: http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00439024

If not, you have to follow these steps:
1) Press Esc key repeatedly, several times a second, while rebooting the laptop. Do NOT hold the key down, just press it over and over.
2) Eventually, you will see an HP Startup Menu
3) press the Function key for testing the hard drive (usually F2) and let it run.

If the test will not run or if it fails, that indicates that your drive has failed and would need to be replaced.

If the test passes, then report that back here and I'll provide information on steps you can take to restore Windows to your PC.