quick question

[dnf]

what is the simplest way to erase the whole windows hard drive without having to erase the rest of the drives without using something like hirens boot cd?

[ProtectingSoup]

Do you have the original windows disc?
 

[Mira Yurizaki]

Several ways:

• If it's not the Windows install you're booting into, just format it or use a secure erase program.
• Plug it into another computer and format it or use a secure erase program.
• Create a Windows Install media, boot into it, go to the recovery environment/console, and use something like FDISK or DISKPART to erase it.
• Use a Linux live tool to erase it.

[Guest]

You are talking about multiple drives... Windows on DVD/USB-stick/whatever should have options to erase (format) a single drive. Other drives should not be affected. To be 100% sure, you could disconnect them.

 

Software installed on them other drives will most likely no longer work, because you will be doing a fresh/new windows/linux/whatever install.

[Mira Yurizaki]

Just now, Dutch-stoner said:

Software installed on them other drives will most likely no longer work, because you will be doing a fresh/new windows/linux/whatever install.

Unless the software requires activation or you're working with an incompatible version of Windows (say the app uses a library in Windows 10, but you installed Windows 7), the software usually will run right off the drive.

[dnf]

1 minute ago, ProtectingSoup said:

Do you have the original windows disc?
 

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

1 minute ago, Dutch-stoner said:

You are talking about multiple drives... Windows on DVD/USB-stick/whatever should have options to erase (format) a single drive. Other drives should not be affected. To be 100% sure, you could disconnect them.

 

Software installed on them other drives will most likely no longer work, because you will be doing a fresh/new windows/linux/whatever install.

ik. i mostly use my programs portable, execpt adobe creative cloud and sony vegas.

[Guest]

@M.Yurizaki When did this happen? For a LONG time, software would put crap inside windows folders and/or registries.

[Mira Yurizaki]

16 minutes ago, Dutch-stoner said:

@M.Yurizaki When did this happen? For a LONG time, software would put crap inside windows folders and/or registries.

I've done this probably since Windows XP, but for certain since Windows 7.

 

The registry isn't really necessary for anything other than telling Windows the software is installed (Windows nor the software don't really care), where it's installed (which most software doesn't care if it's not hard coding any paths) if it's not reliant on the PATH environment variable, and what extensions it can handle (something you can rebuild).

 

Anything that tries to write in C:\Windows better either be a system software component, like device drivers, or be abandoned. User applications have no reason to directly install anything in there. If they need a library, it should come with the library's installer or install it on a local level, not a system level.

 

I mean, most of my Steam games aren't "installed" and they run just fine.