Windows 7: Need help resetting a laptop I purchased used

Again I'm sorry but where do I read the tutorial

Click this blue text ---> Product Key Number for Windows 7 - Find and See

Where do I read the tutorial, again sorry

Disregard last post sorry

I found the product key, yippie, now what do I do?

Lets check - does it contain the letters OEM in it?

If that product code is the factory OEM-SLP code, its no good. It will be permanently blocked on the Microsoft activation servers. It will be flagged as not valid if you try to phone activate with it too. You need the code from the COA sticker to do a clean install. The MGADiag.exe tool will likely tell you if your using SLP activation.
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=52012
The actual product code will not have the letters OEM in it. The "Product ID:" shown on the system page will if its OEM.

I think a bigger question is, did you pay for a license as part of the sale, or just for the laptop hardware?

Go to Control Panel>System, scroll down to the Product ID to see if it has OEM in the character string. If so then you have the factory preinstalled Windows 7 still on there unless the seller installed a cracked illegal Windows 7 copy.

If you could see enough of the COA sticker to know which OS was licensed to the unit and provide some of it during phone activation after reinstall, we have reports MS will issue a new key. They have ways of knowing from the sticker if a worn Product Key was there.

If there is no OEM in the string then we assume it's a legal Product Key you can audit using Belarc Advisor to Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.

If you'd like to stick with the current install you can also Clean Up Factory Bloatware and Optimize Windows 7 - Windows 7 Forums which may make it a keeper the way it is. A Windows 7 backup image would then serve as your Recovery.

Download a Belarc Advisor and run it. It may list your product key.