Question Changing from Windows 7 to 10 -- will the installer only format the C partition ?

[croPath]

Hi sorry for the noob question but i am not very tech savvy.
I have a very old PC with a single hard drive split into two partitions C and D. I'm wondering if the windows 10 install will just wipe C and leave D alone as that would make it easier for me to backup key files as i cannot easily afford an external backup drive and cloud backup is not practical for the size i have to backup with my current internet speeds.

 

[Colif]

how were you going to install it?

run the installer from inside windows or boot from the windows installer?

if you just run from inside windows it would update 7 to 10 and keep the structure mostly the same. it might make some new ones at end of drive.

If you boot off USB, you have a choice. Update like above or clean install. If you clean install it includes deleting all partitions on the drive.

 

[DSzymborski]

How large is the drive? Or more importantly, how much space do your backups take? Having files backed up on the same drive is barely better than having no backups at all; it's like keeping your house key and your spare on the same keychain. Figuring this out is *way* more important than an OS upgrade.

 

[croPath]

How large is the drive? Or more importantly, how much space do your backups take? Having files backed up on the same drive is barely better than having no backups at all; it's like keeping your house key and your spare on the same keychain. Figuring this out is *way* more important than an OS upgrade.

2tb total ,40-50 gigs for essential stuff prob more going to nearly the entire 800+ gig partition for extra stuff that would be convenient to bring over but can reproduce given a few month.

Some of us can't afford multiple drives to make extensive backups , the reason i have a single HDD is cuz i could not afford two SSDs when i got it some 9 years ago , atleast not without compromising on other components.

 

[croPath]

how were you going to install it?

run the installer from inside windows or boot from the windows installer?

if you just run from inside windows it would update 7 to 10 and keep the structure mostly the same. it might make some new ones at end of drive.

If you boot off USB, you have a choice. Update like above or clean install. If you clean install it includes deleting all partitions on the drive.

most likely from the drive in that case, like i mentioned i want to keep files on my D partition

 

[DSzymborski]

2tb total ,40-50 gigs for essential stuff prob more going to nearly the entire 800+ gig partition for extra stuff that would be convenient to bring over but can reproduce given a few month.

Some of us can't afford multiple drives to make extensive backups , the reason i have a single HDD is cuz i could not afford two SSDs when i got it some 9 years ago , atleast not without compromising on other components

I'm not being an ass. My doctor telling me to lose weight isn't being a jerk, either. The fact is, whether you're a billionaire or you have $1 to your name, you can lose your important data all the same. And unless you don't care about your data at all, protecting it is far more important than tinkering with your OS.

But, since you apparently cannot handle hearing things you do not wish to hear, there's no more purpose for me to assist with this issue. Good luck to you.

 

[Colif]

he was just trying to help.

While it makes sense to backup files, putting both copies on the same physical drive is just really risky. It doesn't achieve anything. If the drive dies, you lose both anyway.

The entire point of backups is to have 2 different copies on different drives. Not the same one. IN case something goes wrong to the main drive.

(I didn't delete comment either).

if you install windows 10 from inside 7 it will update that install as is and not remove d.

I would really contemplate getting a backup drive... even a USB drive if need be... just be careful as lots of the big USB drives are fakes.

 

[croPath]

he was just trying to help.

While it makes sense to backup files, putting both copies on the same physical drive is just really risky. It doesn't achieve anything. If the drive dies, you lose both anyway.

The entire point of backups is to have 2 different copies on different drives. Not the same one. IN case something goes wrong to the main drive.

(I didn't delete comment either).

if you install windows 10 from inside 7 it will update that install as is and not remove d.

I would really contemplate getting a backup drive... even a USB drive if need be... just be careful as lots of the big USB drives are fakes.

Like i tried to tell the other guy i wasn't in a position to make alternative backups. I am very aware of the need to have backups in other places and i used to have such for my previous PCs.
I'm still not in a position to make cloud backup or afford a backup drive. This is a very old PC and my plan was originally to get an SSD made that main use drive and use the hard drive for backups and things like media that don't really require and SSD.
Thank you for your great help.

 

[Colif]

original plan still sounds like the way ahead

 

[plausible_deniability]

You can format C (not using the install disk or installer) with (FREE) third party s/ware then when ready to install 10 will install only where you tell it to, w/o any hidden partitions etc ...
W10 can be installed on a system with a BIOS and MBR style disk, 32bit or 64bit or on a GPT style disk with UEFI.

 

[Colif]

Most of the hidden partitons are useful. He won't get a boot partition as that function would be in C now... probably. recovery partition is used by windows when it runs windows update. Windows version updates would create one of those whether he wanted it or not.