How to delete Windows 10 after a fresh install on another drive

[DISH433O]

I need to know how to delete my previous version of Windows 10 off of my HDD. I recently got a new Samsung 960 Evo 500gb NVMe m.2 SSD. I know how to properly put a fresh install of Windows 10 onto my SSD and make it the boot drive. I would like to know the proper way of deleting windows off of the HDD because it will now only be used as a storage device. I have read many articles but they are all a couple years old so i would like to make sure that I am getting new and relevant information. However, feel free to tell me how to do the whole process of the fresh install on my SSD as you will probably tell me something I didn't know before because I am fairly new to pc.

 

[Colif]

You can use diskpart to clean the hdd but obviously be careful to not select the nvme drive: https://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/52129-disk-clean-clean-all-diskpart-command.html (follow the win 8.1 way)

Another option is run the free version of dban on HDD but I would remove the nvme when doing this just to avoid any mistakes (it shouldn't work on ssd anyway)

 

[ArtPog]

Obviously should the user have no need for any of the programs/data residing on the secondary HDD following, for example, a disk-cloning operation where the HDD was the source (boot) drive, then it's a simple matter (as Colif points out) to use Diskpart's "clean" command and then initialize, partition, and format the drive for further use.

But the following assumes the user is interested in deleting only the Windows folder/files and perhaps other folders/files on the secondary HDD that ordinarily the user cannot delete by the usual process of deleting a folder or file. Windows will generate a "Folder Access Denied" message that "You need permission to perform this action".

The Windows OS balks at a user's attempt to delete the Windows folder, even when that folder resides on a secondary drive in the system and not on the boot drive. While there are ways for the user to take control of that Windows folder and delete its enormous number of files, the process is quite complicated and generally very frustrating for the user.

As a general proposition I'm loathe to use a third-party (non-Windows-integrated) program to achieve an objective involving the Windows OS. I do so only when I've concluded that utilizing such a program is the only reasonable alternative in achieving the objective and that I'm reasonably assured whatever registry changes are made by the program won't play havoc with my current system and (hopefully) won't adversely affect my system in the future.

I mention this because I'm recommending a third-party program for your consideration in order to delete the Windows 10 OS from your secondary HDD.

A number of years ago someone came up with a simple-to-use program that achieves the objective of deleting the Windows folder (again, we're referring to the Windows OS residing on a SECONDARY drive in the system, NOT the boot drive). It's the "Take Ownership" program - see
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/3841-take-ownership-add-context-menu-windows-10-a.html
for a copy of the program. The website's description of the program and its use is quite clear.

Basically the registry change made in the OS will add a "Take Ownership" menu item that appears when you right-click on the Windows folder. After clicking that menu item the program will "mark" the nearly 200,000 files in the Windows folders in a manner that allows the user to "take ownership" of them. In so doing the user can delete all the files/folders in the Windows folder. It's pretty much an automatic process although during this process the user will be asked to confirm the deleting of this or that file. The process is not terribly quick but it's not unduly lengthy and there's very little intervention needed from the user during the process.

We've been using this "Take Ownership" program for a number of years going back to Windows 7 and have not experienced any problems or untoward events involving this program. But as we all know when it comes to PCs, #!)* happens!. That why we ALWAYS recommend that the user FIRST CLONE the contents of the HDD to another drive BEFORE undertaking a major change (such as this one) in the configuration of the HDD involved when there's data on the drive the user desires to retain aside from the data the user is deleting by this "Take Ownership" program.

Capiche?

 

[DISH433O]

Obviously should the user have no need for any of the programs/data residing on the secondary HDD following, for example, a disk-cloning operation where the HDD was the source (boot) drive, then it's a simple matter (as Colif points out) to use Diskpart's "clean" command and then initialize, partition, and format the drive for further use.

But the following assumes the user is interested in deleting only the Windows folder/files and perhaps other folders/files on the secondary HDD that ordinarily the user cannot delete by the usual process of deleting a folder or file. Windows will generate a "Folder Access Denied" message that "You need permission to perform this action".

The Windows OS balks at a user's attempt to delete the Windows folder, even when that folder resides on a secondary drive in the system and not on the boot drive. While there are ways for the user to take control of that Windows folder and delete its enormous number of files, the process is quite complicated and generally very frustrating for the user.

As a general proposition I'm loathe to use a third-party (non-Windows-integrated) program to achieve an objective involving the Windows OS. I do so only when I've concluded that utilizing such a program is the only reasonable alternative in achieving the objective and that I'm reasonably assured whatever registry changes are made by the program won't play havoc with my current system and (hopefully) won't adversely affect my system in the future.

I mention this because I'm recommending a third-party program for your consideration in order to delete the Windows 10 OS from your secondary HDD.

A number of years ago someone came up with a simple-to-use program that achieves the objective of deleting the Windows folder (again, we're referring to the Windows OS residing on a SECONDARY drive in the system, NOT the boot drive). It's the "Take Ownership" program - see
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/3841-take-ownership-add-context-menu-windows-10-a.html
for a copy of the program. The website's description of the program and its use is quite clear.

Basically the registry change made in the OS will add a "Take Ownership" menu item that appears when you right-click on the Windows folder. After clicking that menu item the program will "mark" the nearly 200,000 files in the Windows folders in a manner that allows the user to "take ownership" of them. In so doing the user can delete all the files/folders in the Windows folder. It's pretty much an automatic process although during this process the user will be asked to confirm the deleting of this or that file. The process is not terribly quick but it's not unduly lengthy and there's very little intervention needed from the user during the process.

We've been using this "Take Ownership" program for a number of years going back to Windows 7 and have not experienced any problems or untoward events involving this program. But as we all know when it comes to PCs, #!)* happens!. That why we ALWAYS recommend that the user FIRST CLONE the contents of the HDD to another drive BEFORE undertaking a major change (such as this one) in the configuration of the HDD involved when there's data on the drive the user desires to retain aside from the data the user is deleting by this "Take Ownership" program.

Capiche?

So what I should do (if I understand correctly) is first install my fresh windows 10 onto my ssd. Boot from the ssd to assure it functions correctly. Then backup all of the files on my hdd including windows. Then download the "take control" program, delete the windows file using it, and reboot from the ssd.

 

[ArtPog]

1. Obviously you're going to fresh-install Win 10 on your SSD. That's what you want. Naturally before you do ANYTHING else you will ensure that you can boot to the SSD and that it functions without problems. That is absolutely crucial.

2. Now my understanding was that you intended to use your HDD as a storage (secondary) drive and merely desired to delete the Windows OS currently on that drive. But that you desired to retain your personal files and other data that resided on that drive. So you can accomplish that through the "Take Ownership" process we mentioned, i.e., deleting the Windows OS and related OS files from the drive.

3. However, I suggested that before you undertake the process in 2. above you clone the contents of that HDD just in case things go awry during the deletion of the Windows & related files and you're left with a corrupt, unusable drive. It isn't really crucial - just a precaution which we generally do as a fallback position in the event untoward events strike. Again, it's not absolutely crucial if all you want to do is delete the Windows & related OS system files from the HDD. Just ensure as indicated in 1. above that you have a bootable functional SSD before manipulating the HDD.

 

[DISH433O]

1. Obviously you're going to fresh-install Win 10 on your SSD. That's what you want. Naturally before you do ANYTHING else you will ensure that you can boot to the SSD and that it functions without problems. That is absolutely crucial.

2. Now my understanding was that you intended to use your HDD as a storage (secondary) drive and merely desired to delete the Windows OS currently on that drive. But that you desired to retain your personal files and other data that resided on that drive. So you can accomplish that through the "Take Ownership" process we mentioned, i.e., deleting the Windows OS and related OS files from the drive.

3. However, I suggested that before you undertake the process in 2. above you clone the contents of that HDD just in case things go awry during the deletion of the Windows & related files and you're left with a corrupt, unusable drive. It isn't really crucial - just a precaution which we generally do as a fallback position in the event untoward events strike. Again, it's not absolutely crucial if all you want to do is delete the Windows & related OS system files from the HDD. Just ensure as indicated in 1. above that you have a bootable functional SSD before manipulating the HDD.

Ok thank you very much for your advice and support you have helped me out a lot.