You have a HP laptop and you’re not sure how to use it. It’s ok, we’ve all been there before! Here is the HP Laptops FAQ with everything you need to know about your HP laptop.
From getting started, to troubleshooting common problems, including what kind of processor you should get to how much RAM is needed for your model, this article has it all. So don’t fear your brand new all-powerful top-rated HP laptop can easily be tamed with a little helpful guidance below.
How to screenshot on your laptop?
Here’s how to use the print screen/screen capture feature on a HP laptop.
- To take a screen capture, simultaneously press the Windows key and Print Screen buttons.
- If you have an image editing program (Microsoft Paint, GIMP, Photoshop or PaintShop Pro) on your computer that you would rather use instead of the one mentioned above, please feel free to do so.
- To take a screenshot, open the image you want to save (we recommend copying it in case something goes wrong) and press CTRL + V.
How to factory reset your laptop (factory restore)
1 – There are a few software methods that can be used to reset your laptop back to its factory settings.
You can restore Windows to factory settings by going to Control Panel.
This method is only possible upon booting up your system successfully. This is our 10 step process:
- Press the Windows key and S simultaneously.
- Enter “reset this PC” in the search bar (without quotes) and press enter.
- Select Get Started from the right-hand pane.
- It is then your choice to remove all your files or keep them.
- To retain your files, simply click on “Keep My Files” (this also maintains your apps and any customizations)
- To continue, press the Next button, and afterward choose Reset. Doing it this way will re-install your OS and then restart your laptop.
- If you prefer to bin all your personal files, custom settings, and apps, you need to select “Remove Everything”.
- You will have a choice to remove everything from the Windows partition/drive only or from all drives on your system.
- You can choose to remove personal files yourself or have them deleted while the drive is being cleaned.
- Pressing “Reset” will start the process. It can take a long time – ensure your laptop is plugged in so the battery doesn’t drain.
2 – Here’s how to factory reset your laptop with Windows Recovery Environment
If you can’t boot your laptop, factory resetting it through Windows Recovery Environment is possible. Simply follow the steps outlined below:
- Power off your laptop computer.
- Remove & disconnect any devices that are connected to your laptop such as printers, SSD drives, USB drives).
- If you have installed any internal hardware, remove it.
- Turn on your laptop by pressing the power button
- As it is starting up, press the F11 key repeatedly until the “Choose an Option” screen appears.
- From the list of options choose “Troubleshoot”
- Select “Reset this Laptop/PC”
- At this stage, you can choose to remove all your files or keep them.
- If you prefer to keep your files, choose “Keep My Files” – then click “Reset” and your OS will be re-installed.
- To remove all your personal data & files, you will need to select “Remove Everything”.
- You will need to choose between removing everything on the partitioned drive where the operating system is, or removing everything on all drives.
- You will have the choice to fully clean the drive(s) you chose in the previous step, or just continue to remove files.
- Once this has completed, click “Reset”
Don’t Forget This Step After You Reset Your Laptop!
After you have restored your laptop to its factory settings, the next step is making sure that you have the latest drivers installed.
There are two ways to do this – manually or automatically. If you’re going the manual route it would help to have your HP laptop serial number so you can download the correct drivers from HP – https://support.hp.com/gb-en/drivers/laptops.
The HP support assistant may help with automatic download of drivers, it is available here – https://www8.hp.com/uk/en/campaigns/hpsupportassistant/hpsupport.html
If you want to go the manual route, here’s how to do it:
- Launch Device Manager by pressing the Windows key+X.
- Within Device Manager you should be able to view drivers for each category (such as speakers, etc).
- Select a category, right click the driver then click on Properties.
- Within the Driver tab there should be a button to update the driver.
- You might be able to to automatically search for updated driver software also.
If this sounds like a laborious time-consuming task, that’s because it is. But unfortunately, that’s how it works when drivers are being updated manually.
How to connect my Airpods to my laptop?
HP laptops support AirPods with the latest updates.
To connect your Airpods to a laptop:
- Place one of them in a charging case and close it securely.
- Then open Settings on the laptop and click Bluetooth & other devices > Add new device or find my iPhone (or iPad). The Airpod should show up on the list and you can connect to it.
An alternative way to connect your Airpods to your laptop:
To pair your AirPods with a HP laptop,
- Turn the PC on and open the case.
- Press a button for several seconds to activate pairing mode.
- Once you have your AirPods paired, you can connect them to your laptop via the Bluetooth settings menu in the same way you would connect a bluetooth printer, etc.
This video may also prove helpful:
How to screen record on a Hewlett-Packard laptop?
If your laptop is running Windows 10, follow these simple steps to record your screen:
- Press the Windows + G key simultaneously
- This will pop up a window with the message ‘Do you want to open Game Bar?’
- Click on the checkbox for ‘Yes, this is a game’
- This will show the Game bar menu which will allow us to record your screen.
- The top bar will have a camera icon (which is next to the Xbox icon) and a white circle which is for the intended purpose of recording the screen.
- Press the white circle to start capturing your screen and recording.
- The white circle will turn red to show it’s recording.
- Press the circle again to stop recording.
- Anything your record on your screen gets saved to your video captures folder which is under the C drive (Users/Videos/Captures).
If you can’t open the Xbox gaming app you can easily download it for free from the Windows app store.
Why is my laptop plugged in but not charging?
If the laptop battery is failing to hold charge, make sure that the power supply is functioning. If it’s not, then there might be a hardware issue.
Unplug the power adapter from your laptop. Remove any detachable hardware, such as a webcam and USB devices, before unplugging it. Disconnect all cables connected to the laptop unit. Remove the battery.
If the laptop starts and appears fully functional, it is either a power-related problem or an issue with the battery.
How to open bios on your HP laptop?
If your laptop is on, restart it. When it boots up press the Esc key or the F10 key (can also be F2 or F6) to enter the BIOS menu from the HP boot menu.
How to boot your HP laptop in safe mode?
- Restart your laptop
- Press the F8 key continuously
- A menu should appear with the option of booting into Safe Mode with networking option
How to boot from USB with a HP machine?
Here’s how to boot up your laptop from a USB stick/drive.
- Go into the BIOS setup settings and change sequence to start with USB device
- Place the USB Device into one of the USB ports
- Restart your laptop
- A message may pop up with “press any key to boot from external device”
- You’re done – the laptop should boot from your USB drive.
How to unlock keyboard?
To lock or unlock the keys on your touchscreen keyboard press and hold the right shift key for eight seconds.
How to turn on Bluetooth on?
- Go to Start, Click it
- Go into the Control Panel
- Open HP Wireless Assistant
- Look for Bluetooth within wireless connections, click it.
- Within the Bluetooth menu you can set Bluetooth to ON.
How to turn on wifi on hp device with windows 10?
There are 2 main ways to turn on wifi on this laptop. Here we go!
- Windows key > Start screen, type in “wireless” > change wireless settings should appear as you type > click on that then click “turn wireless devices on or off” > For “Wireless Network Connection” ensure button is in the ‘on’ position.
- There may be an external button or switch to turn off/on the wifi. It’s usually found on the front of the keyboard or the side of the laptop, with a typical wifi icon.
How to find serial number on a HP laptop?
- Turn your laptop upside down, the serial number should be there.
- An alternative is to start the laptop and press Fn + Esc keys which opens HP system information, which will reveal the serial number.
What model is my HP laptop?
As above, if you look underneath your laptop there will be a white or silver sticker. The sticker should contain some letters/numbers starting with “P/N”, after this will be your model number.
How to find HP laptop battery model number?
The battery model number can be found within the battery compartment. Unlock the battery to pull it out from your laptop. The “P/N” (part number) will be followed by the model number for your battery.
How to put a key back on a HP laptop keyboard?
How to disable touch screen?
- From Start > Go into Device Manager
- Choose “Human Interface Devices” > Select your touch screen display from the list below.
- From there you should be able to choose “Disable device”