Can I remove OS off old SSD without having to format everything?

[engchuan98]

Hi guys, might seem like a very obvious and stupid question but I don't really have much experience with this so trying not to screw and mess things up before I start.

So I'm changing the motherboard and CPU on my PC and have bought a M.2 SSD to go along with it. Currently my OS and everything else is on a 2.5 inch SSD.

My question is, I'm guessing I'll have to reinstall Windows 10 and I thought it would be a good time to install this on the new M.2 SSD. Is there any way after that for me to just remove Windows from my old 2.5 inch SSD without having to reformat the whole thing and losing everything on it in the process? Basically I'm hoping to use the 2.5 inch just as storage after that.

I know there are quite a few similar sounding questions but just can't seem to find the answer I need so thanks in advance for any help!

 

[jsmithepa]

This is actually not so hard.

\Windows and \Program Files and \Program Files (x86), are the 3 big OS folders, get rid of those 3 and it's mostly (but not completely) cleaned.

 

[AkaSh SAncheti]

I am getting a new ssd and will be installing win 10 . I have a wd blue drive on which i am using win 7 . After installing the os on to my solid state drive . Can i plug the hdd with win 7 and format it? Or there’s a different way?

I think it’s a very stupid question to ask

 

[karenjoly]

no problem

 

[AkaSh SAncheti]

Karenjoly

Thanks mate.

 

[jsmithepa]

Or there’s a different way?

There is always a different way based on your final goal.

My first solution given above is, because the user doesn't want to ERASE EVERYTHING, by formatting. He just want to pick what belongs to the Windows OS and only get rid of that.

In your case, once you boot W10 from new install, what is in the old drive W10 could care less, and if you don't have anything to save, format away, the old drive to free up space for something else.