I Need to do a factory reset on my HP Pavilion Dv7 Notebook, but I don't have the Windows 7 disc.

[Robynn]

My laptop is infected with a lot of malware, so I figured I'd reset the whole thing by doing a factory reset (also, got the laptop from my dad who has a lot of unessecary things on it). I can't manage to do the factory reset without a Windows 7 disc. When i visit windows' sites i get a message saying i can't download the software because the laptop came with windows pre-installed.

I have the lisence key for windows 7 of course.

Does anyone know how I can manage to do a factory reset without the disc? I've tried to type F1 while restarting the computer, but all I get is a notification saying that I need the disc.. I'm going crazy!  The same thing happens when I enter the reset menu from the control panel.

Would be very happy if someone would be able to help me with this issue.

[WAWood]

Robynn

Hello;

Allow me to welcome you to the HP forums!

The sites you visited are correct --  in that your PC was preinstalled with an HP OEM version of Windows, and those sites do not have that available for download.  If you were to install using Windows from those sites, it would never activate because those versions do not accept OEM license keys.

The general way to do a factory reset, if you can't get into Windows to run HP Recovery Manager, is to press F11 repeatedly while booting.  This should eventually bring you to a screen where you can choose to do the reset.

If that does not work, what will work is something known as HP Recovery Media.  

This is a set of DVDs and a CD, or USB stick, that will erase the hard drive (removing all data, settings, and applications, reinstall the original OS, drivers, and some HP Utilities. In some cases, you may be able to order a USB stick instead of disks. You have to order these from HP; they can not be downloaded.

You can look online for Recovery Media starting with the linked paged: http://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers

Once there, input your Product name or number. On your Software and Drivers Download page, select your Operating System and and Version. Click "Update". If HP Recovery Media is available for your machine, down near the bottom of the page, you will see an entry for Order Recovery Media-CD/DVD/USB. Click the "+" symbol to expand that entry and click on Order Media for details.

Or, if you prefer, you can do the same by contacting HP Customer Service:

If you live in the US or Canada, contact information is on this page: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/contact-hp/phone-assist.html#section1

If you live elsewhere, contact information is on this page: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/contact-hp/ww-contact-us.html

NOTE: After you get through, stay on the line until you are finally able to talk to some one -- it can take a while!

If HP no longer provides Recovery Media for your model, a couple of other sites you can check are: http://www.computersurgeons.com/ and http://www.restoredisks.com/

Good Luck