how to format hard drive

[GianyBoi]

i have recently added another hard drive to my computer, as i connect it i realise that it still has windows on it. the files on it are corrupt. Is there a way to format the hard drive without deleting windows,  using disk management on another copy of windows?

thanks 

[wojtepanik]

if files are corrupted, then format and reinstall windows

[CaptainChaos025]

i would recommend to buy a device in wich you can connect a hard drive to make it an external hard drive. then go to the windows-explorer app (not the internet one, but the files-one. dont know the english name of it) and search the name of the hard drive, right-click the name and press format. i warn you though, to place any important files on that hard drive to your current drive. i hope this works for you

[GianyBoi]

i dont have the product key

[Uptivuptiz]

1 minute ago, CaptainChaos025 said:

i would recommend to buy a device in wich you can connect a hard drive to make it an external hard drive. then go to the windows-explorer app (not the internet one, but the files-one. dont know the english name of it) and search the name of the hard drive, right-click the name and press format. i warn you though, to place any important files on that hard drive to your current drive. i hope this works for you

he wanted to keep his Windows files. If this is on a single HDD that's not possible  

[CaptainChaos025]

2 minutes ago, Uptivuptiz said:

he wanted to keep his Windows files. If this is on a single HDD that's not possible  

oh yeah...

 

 

 

 

 

 

i just noticed......

[Uptivuptiz]

What you can do is download the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft's website and make a bootable USB with it. After that you can boot in to it and follow the install wizard. At one point the the installation wizard it prompts you to either Upgrade or Custom. Choose the custom option and click on all the drives that a shown. Then click Delete until there is only the amount of drives left that are in your system. Afterward click on the drive and click format so it's NTFS. Then select drives and delete:

[jools]

if drive is corrupted then win OS may be corrupted, so why keep?

[GianyBoi]

Just now, jools said:

if drive is corrupted then win OS may be corrupted, so why keep?

i dont want to pay for a new windows key 

 

[Uptivuptiz]

Just now, GianyBoi said:

i dont want to pay for a new windows key 

 

Oh... In that case just ignore what I posted before and just click Upgrade instead  

[jools]

https://www.howtogeek.com/64600/how-to-recover-windows-and-software-keys-from-a-broken-computer/

[GianyBoi]

4 minutes ago, jools said:

https://www.howtogeek.com/64600/how-to-recover-windows-and-software-keys-from-a-broken-computer/

will the product key still work if i dont have the original usb? i have a new one

[GianyBoi]

12 minutes ago, jools said:

https://www.howtogeek.com/64600/how-to-recover-windows-and-software-keys-from-a-broken-computer/

this software didn't recognise the hard drive im trying to get the key off. it only read the hard drive i use  

[jools]

you have select the drive

[Uptivuptiz]

3 minutes ago, GianyBoi said:

this software didn't recognise the hard drive im trying to get the key off. it only read the hard drive i use  

In the program click "File" and then click "Select source". Then find the HDD you want.

[jools]

source