Windows 10 help

[another random person]

Recently I noticed windows 10 has started to play up a lot. I have decided to reinstall windows altogether. I have a few questions.

My desktop PC has more than one storage drive, if I reinstall, will windows uninstall the programs on my separate HDD?

if I reinstall windows will all my programs just be gone or will there be a windows old folder with all my applications from before?

Will my steam games be affected as they are installed on a separate HDD?

Is there anything else I should know about reinstalling windows?

Thanks in advance

 

 

[Skiiwee29]

The only way the old stuff would be gone is if the drive was in a raid array done through windows. If its just standalone, then everything will be there, and you will need to make new short cuts etc if you want them in your all apps folders etc.

[Tieox]

If you select reset windows from the settings menu, it will ask you which drive you wish to wipe, such as the drive with the OS or all the drives.  You can even select to keep all files on your OS drive and only install the OS itself.  Don't recommend that one really.

 

 

[another random person]

2 minutes ago, Kierax said:

If you select reset windows from the settings menu, it will ask you which drive you wish to wipe, such as the drive with the OS or all the drives.  You can even select to keep all files on your OS drive and only install the OS itself.  Don't recommend that one really.

 

 

 

 

9 minutes ago, legacy99 said:

The only way the old stuff would be gone is if the drive was in a raid array done through windows. If its just standalone, then everything will be there, and you will need to make new short cuts etc if you want them in your all apps folders etc.

 

what would happen if i copied all the program files and program data on my C: drive, pasted in an external drive and after windows reinstalls copy all the program files back into their original places?

[Tieox]

Just now, another random person said:

 

what would happen if i copied all the program files and program data on my C: drive, pasted in an external drive and after windows reinstalls copy all the program files back into their original places?

 

Some of the programs may have created registry entries in order to facilitate their running properly, this could cause programs to have issues when you move them back. 

 

I tend to backup larger stuff like Steam libraries, personal documents, then to speed things up while backing up those things, I will download the most needed programs, so once the wipe is completed I can be setup in no time.

 

 

[Skiiwee29]

7 minutes ago, another random person said:

 

what would happen if i copied all the program files and program data on my C: drive, pasted in an external drive and after windows reinstalls copy all the program files back into their original places?

The programs would still function, but you would have no short cuts associated within your apps window. You would need to manually map it out.