Reformating Help

[Confusizzled]

Hi all, 

Not sure if this is the right forum but I want to clear out my SSDs because it's a mess and I recently added more storage (just wanna start off clean). If I just reformat the SSD with Windows would I lose the windows or can I reformat it whilst keeping windows? This is for a desktop that I built not a laptop. 

[Loadent]

No. And no. You format and you lose it all. But you will get a clean install.

 

you can do an install over your existing windows but it won’t clean up the drive. 

Best would be to use your new drive, move everything you want to keep and do a fresh install 

[Zmax]

Make a copy of your bookmarks, photos , document you want to keep, on a USB key (usb flash drive )

 

Do a clean install and format everything, then delete partitions, Then you can make new partitions if you need.

 

That is the best way. Make sure you have a registered version of Windows. There are 2 ways to verify.

 

Go

Setting

Update & Security

Activation

A top of page , you will get Windows status

Or

Go to your Microsoft account your computer should be registered there.

 

Once you are certain , then do a clean install of Windows

Several videos on how to do it on YouTube

 

 

PS The first time is a bit unnerving, but you should be ok

 

[kb5zue]

If you want clean and fresh, the first thing to do is backup your data files.  Things like documents, pictures, data files, etc you want to keep copies of.  Make sure that you know what your Windows Activation key is.  I keep a printed copy of mine and some other information about my system and the keys that go along with the software using a software program called Belarc.  Belarc tells you all about your system and also gives you the software keys for all the stuff in your system.  It can be found at www.belarc.com and it's free.

 

Use the Windows Media Creation tool to do the work on the drive.  You use a flashdrive for the Windows Media Creation tool and it does all the work.  Best thing you can do when working with this is to make sure the drive you want to use as the boot drive is the only drive connected in the system.

 

Just follow the onscreen prompts when using the tool.  It will allow you to delete all the partitions on the drive which result in all the data and information on the drive going to na-na land.  Once the partitions are deleted, then you want to create new partitions and then format them.  Once the drive partition is created, then you can format it making it available for use to do the Windows install.  Just follow the onscreen prompts.

 

Once the drive is partitioned, formatted and windows installed, then you're all done with the exception of making sure that all the updates to windows and all the driver installs are complete.

 

Shut down the machine, reconnect the old drive, and you're all set.  Good luck.