Can I wipe my SSD but keep my OS and drivers?

[spencercorbin]

I read about a few different ways to wipe my SSD. Some will keep the OS and others will not. I'm on Windows 7 and I believe I can wipe my SSD and keep my OS through either advanced boot options or the restore point path. Is that correct? Are those the best methods for wiping the SSD but keeping the OS? As for the second part to the question, can I do that but also keep my drivers? I vaguely recall reading somewhere that that was a possibility.

 

[CountMike]

Wiping a disk means no data is left on it and every bit is overwritten at least once with 0 or some other value, nothing recognizable is left on it. For partial wipe of selected files and/or free space you can use something like this: http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/alternate_file_shredder.html

 

[Remixxeh]

You could try to move your OS and drivers onto a external Hard drive or a flash drive and try to upload them back onto it.

If you are willing to get a new OS there is a free Win10 installer on Microsoft's page

 

[Alabalcho]

There's no (easy) way to keep only OS and installed drivers, wiping user data and applications (if this is what you are after).
I don't think that drivers are of any issue - unless you have some really exotic hardware with no place to get drivers from. So, go on and do a clean install, refresh drivers, install all updates, set it up the way you want it. Then, make an image which will server as your "golden" set in case you want to return to that state in the future.

 

[spencercorbin]

There's no (easy) way to keep only OS and installed drivers, wiping user data and applications (if this is what you are after).
I don't think that drivers are of any issue - unless you have some really exotic hardware with no place to get drivers from. So, go on and do a clean install, refresh drivers, install all updates, set it up the way you want it. Then, make an image which will server as your "golden" set in case you want to return to that state in the future.

I kinda figured a clean install would be the answer. Thought I might as well ask if there was another solution. I don't have any particularly odd drivers so I don't think that's too much of an issue. Thank you and everyone else for the help.