What button do i hit at start up to reformat the hard drive on a compaq presario 700

Hi purple7558

did you mean format the hard disk and then install the operating system.?
press F10 to enter the bios setup, then set the boot sequence to cd rom first.
insert your windows cd into the cd rom.
save settings and restart. after the computer restarts it will detect that you enter cd then press enter.
the next process is the usual kind of format and install your operating system.

thanks&regards

Hi purple7558

on Compaq laptops either ESC or F12 would give you a boot menu. this is useful if you are installing from a CD.

but Compaq generally have a recover partition on the hard disk. when you turn the laptop on it list your options (for a few seconds only) on the bottom left hand corner of the screen. one option would be the key, usually one of the F keys that activates the recovery option to re-install your windows. it is usually "F11"

if you are using windows vista then as you start the laptop press the "F8" key a few times to get a boot menu. choose the repair option. once in the repair option one item on the list would be to restore the computer to factory settings. this will install the windows clean.

please note the recovery option does not do a backup. you need to backup your data first.

hope this was helpful. if it was then please vote for me.