what steps should i take in formatting my HP laptop that is malfunctioning?

If you have the restoration discs then just restore the laptop to the original condition it was purchased in. You will lose everything that has not been saved to another media file.

If not then just boot to the installation CD and it will reformat the drive/partition that the operating system will be installed on!

Formatting a computer also means losing all the files within the computer. I suggest that you make copies of your driver installers before you actually format your disk, then if you are decided with this option, you may follow the instructions below on formatting your computer:

Insert the Operating System Installation CD, before the windows start-up press Delete or F1 on your keyboard to proceed on Set-up. Choose CD drive as the Primary Boot by using Page Up and page Down keys on your keyboard, then save it by pressing F10. Your computer will then restart and set-up should then proceed to formatting your disk. At the moment of formatting your disk, the computer provides options regarding partitions and file systems (FAT32 / NTFS). Choose which best suits your preference.

For partition, you may choose to make at least more that one panel, so that you may save your files on one partition and your installers on the other, that way when there is a need to reformat your system, you have to option to format only one partition, in that case, you will not lose the important files that you have previously saved. After this, the Operating system should install itself; follow the instructions provided by the CD. After the OS has been installed, you may start your computer and begin installing the necessary drivers for completion.