is it safe to delete all partitions during a clean install?

[w7y7a7t7t]

my pc came with windows 8. I plan on deleting everything, and re installing windows 7 (oem provides all the drivers for both windows 7 and 8 on there website). I have several partitions that came on hard drive. there are 2 small 260mb partitions, 2 recovery partitions one is 1.44gb the other is 19.61gb, and then then just under 700gb, which is where windows is installed.

my questions are, is it safe for me to remove these partitions during installation? and second could I just create a "back up" partition and toss the files i need to keep on it, install windows, then move the files back over to the main partition after windows is installed, and delete the "back up" partition?

thanks

 

[USAFRet]

During an install, especially a proposed clean install of a new OS, it is highly advisable to have any critical files saved elsewhere and offline.

 

[Guest]

I would run Magic Jelly Bean Key Finder to save the CD-Key of OS first.
It is safe to delete partitions (if it will let you).
You could "Back-up" to a new partition and install on a different partition.

 

[mbreslin1954]

Yes, it's safe to delete all partitions. That's what I would recommend.

If you want to use the hard drive to hold your backup files, leave plenty of space to install Windows 7 and create a backup partition after that space. If you have Windows 8 already installed and have lots of extra space, just go into Disk Manager (diskmgmt.msc) and create a new partition in the empty space, don't go crazy and make it larger than you need. Then put your files there for safe keeping.

When installing Windows 7, delete all other partitions except the backup partition you just created. Be careful, a mistake and your files are gone. Write down the size so it will be easy to recognize it in the Windows installer. Then, after Windows 7 is installed and your files are copied over to "C", use Disk Manager again to delete that backup partition, then "extend" "C" into the unused space (Disk Manager allows you to grow or shrink partitions).

 

[mbreslin1954]

USAFRet has good advice, it really is best to back up your files to another device. Much safer.

 

[w7y7a7t7t]

During an install, especially a proposed clean install of a new OS, it is highly advisable to have any critical files saved elsewhere and offline.

alright, I just don't have anything large enough to hold what i want to back up (around 50gb), So I thought that might work.

 

[USAFRet]

During an install, especially a proposed clean install of a new OS, it is highly advisable to have any critical files saved elsewhere and offline.

alright, I just don't have anything large enough to hold what i want to back up (around 50gb), So I thought that might work.

What critical stuff do you have that constitutes 50GB?

(and if it is that critical, you should have a second copy anyway)

 

[mbreslin1954]

Yes, always have a second copy of anything critical, because all hard drives WILL fail, it's only a question of when, and it's always unexpected when they do fail.