How to completely format the Windows drive (C)?

[LOD_ismynightmare]

I have one drive only that has Windows 10 in it. If I go through the recovery option in Windows, the best one there will delete everything, but it will keep Windows. I want to wipe out everything in the drive including Windows and download it from a flash drive. If I go through the CMD and type diskpart > list disk > disk 0 > clean, I am not sure what this one will do. I also saw people where they don't format their drive from Windows recovery options, they just plug in the flash drive and overwrite Windows, but I want to reset the drive like the a new drive out of the box.

[WaggishOhio383]

If I'm reading what you're saying right, you want to completely format your C drive, and then reinstall Windows from a USB?

 

If that's the case, the windows installer will give you an option to completely format a drive before you install Windows on it. Just select custom install, format and delete all the partitions on the drive, and then select to reinstall windows back on that drive and you should be set.

 

The menu should look like this:

[Energycore]

What you can do in these cases is download a bootable partition manager into a USB, boot off it and format the disc.

 

Here's one you can use. https://www.easeus.com/partition-master/usb-partition-manager.html

[Energycore]

1 minute ago, WaggishOhio383 said:

If I'm reading what you're saying right, you want to completely format your C drive, and then reinstall Windows from a USB?

 

If that's the case, the windows installer will give you an option to completely format a drive before you install Windows on it. Just select custom install, format and delete all the partitions on the drive, and then select to reinstall windows back on that drive and you should be set.

 

The menu should look like this:

Oh yeah, you can just do this.

[SupaKomputa]

Just delete and recreate your partition on the partition menu in installation. Instant wipe.

[Master Disaster]

12 minutes ago, LOD_ismynightmare said:

I have one drive only that has Windows 10 in it. If I go through the recovery option in Windows, the best one there will delete everything, but it will keep Windows. I want to wipe out everything in the drive including Windows and download it from a flash drive. If I go through the CMD and type diskpart > list disk > disk 0 > clean, I am not sure what this one will do. I also saw people where they don't format their drive from Windows recovery options, they just plug in the flash drive and overwrite Windows, but I want to reset the drive like the a new drive out of the box.

You have to boot from the installation flash drive otherwise the C drive is protected against being formatted.

[LOD_ismynightmare]

10 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

You have to boot from the installation flash drive otherwise the C drive is protected against being formatted.

so boot up from a flash drive, but that would overwrite Windows. Isn't there a way to fully delete what is in the drive then bootup from flash drive?

[Master Disaster]

6 minutes ago, LOD_ismynightmare said:

so boot up from a flash drive, but that would overwrite Windows. Isn't there a way to fully delete what is in the drive then bootup from flash drive?

When you boot from the Windows Installer it will give you the option to format the drive before reinstallation happens.

 

Its impossible for Windows to delete itself while it is running.

[LOD_ismynightmare]

10 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

When you boot from the Windows Installer it will give you the option to format the drive before reinstallation happens.

that's great, was looking for this. 

[Master Disaster]

Just now, LOD_ismynightmare said:

that's great, was looking for this. 

FYI once you boot from the USB you can press Shift+F10 to open command prompt then use the diskpart method you mentioned in the OP if you like or simply use the GUI to delete all existing partitions on the drive then click Next and Windows will automatically handle the repartitioning process itself.

[LOD_ismynightmare]

1 hour ago, Master Disaster said:

FYI once you boot from the USB you can press Shift+F10 to open command prompt then use the diskpart method you mentioned in the OP if you like or simply use the GUI to delete all existing partitions on the drive then click Next and Windows will automatically handle the repartitioning process itself.

thanks, it was great and easy 

[LogicalDrm]

-> Moved to Windows

[homeap5]

Let me understand what you want to do. You have Windows installed on your drive, so you want to delete everything, format your drive and... install Windows? You know that it's basically the same as doing nothing? You don't get better or different system that way, so unless you have really hard to fix problems on your current installation that nobody here can solve, I recommend to leave it as is, especially that you're not IT freak (I made that assumption because you asked how to format drive).