Resetting my SSD and HDD

[Thuglas]

Hi. I want to reset my HDD and SSD so that nothing is on them. I have two HDD's, but currently only use one of them (this one is very full), I also have 1 SSD where my windows is. What I want to do is resetting and removing all data from both my SSD and HDD + installing my other HDD (that hasnt been used yet) I have no important files, but so my question is; How do I remove everything, and what will happen with my windows 10? I do have windows 10 on my USB (but no license key). And can I also just install my other HDD and that will work, or do I have to do something about it first or after?

Thanks in advance

 

[geofelt]

To find your license key, run a free app called "magical jellybean keyfinder"

You can then do a clean install on the ssd and use the key to reactivate.
Leave both hard drives disconnected or windows will place hidden files on it complicating things later.

After the install, you can reattach the hard drives and use windows functions to delete all partitions and reformat them.

 

[Unkk]

If you want to start fresh from scratch, download Daricks Boot and Nuke (also known as DBAN).

If you want to keep some files or OS, you can.

A PC Reset wipes your drive, including apps, all your files…everything, and then reinstall Windows.

A PC Refresh, on the other hand, allows you to reinstall the OS without losing your photos, music, and other personal files. However you will need to reinstall all of your apps and desktop programs.

In Windows 10, both features are added together under one umbrella with the Reset this PC tool. The cool thing here is you get the options to keep your files, do what is essentially a clean install, or restore to factory settings.

Click on Start, find the Gear icon for PC settings, then click on Update and Recovery, then click on Recovery.

 

[PeterZ640]

Hi. I want to reset my HDD and SSD so that nothing is on them. I have two HDD's, but currently only use one of them (this one is very full), I also have 1 SSD where my windows is. What I want to do is resetting and removing all data from both my SSD and HDD + installing my other HDD (that hasnt been used yet) I have no important files, but so my question is; How do I remove everything, and what will happen with my windows 10? I do have windows 10 on my USB (but no license key). And can I also just install my other HDD and that will work, or do I have to do something about it first or after?

Thanks in advance

No responsibility taken but this is what I did.
Load all the discs, boot from retail version of Win 10, choose 64 bit if that's your config. Choose the ssd you want windows on.
Then choose Custom install. It asks where to put Win 10 and shows 4 partitions, system, recovery, unallocated and primary.
If you load it in Primary you will have 2 copies of windows, what you have now on the old ssd, plus the new one. Imalso dont know how you would format that drive then.
What I Was told to do , was to delete all the partitions, except Unallocated ( actually that is greyed out anyway - if I remember well )
Then select Unallocated. With my NVMe PCie discs its says its not possible, ignore that, but in my Samsung 850 Evo that was possible.
Now windows knows to format the whole drive and rebiuld the GPT Partitions, and then you load windows into the Primary drive.

Note what phased me was after deleteing all the partitions the drive looked very small, i thought by deleteing partitions it would throw the extra space at the unallocated, it did not on my system. But when Windows recreates the gpt partitions after formatting it - then you see 500GB again .

Note when loading Windows despite heing loaded before and inputting my retail keys, it still asked for the prod key no.
I had been told it would know it as its locked to the MB.
Apparently, you just skip that part and somehow magically later Windows knows it was loaded before or an approved free upgrade. A friend has done this and Inchecked as I have a Laptop that upgraded from Win 7 legitimately.

Note once I didnt delete all the deletable partitions and ended up with 2 partitions, 2 copies of windows and instability. I redid it and it was fine.

Check MS to be sure I got this right. Plus I have no idea about folks without a licence key other than what my friend showed me. His system has a clean install and worked first time - so I assume he is corrdct.

 

[mbarnes86]

Hi

Is your windows 10 a upgrade from 7 or 8 ?
If so was the windows 7 or 8 oem or retail?

In either case you have the key for win 10 which can be recovered by programs like nirsoft produkey
And (november 2015) current version of win 10 can use the key from win 7 or 8

unplug the sata power & data cables from the old hdd & ssd
Connect the new drive and re install windows

Once windows 10 up and running and re activated you can erase the old disks

Format and untick quick format will wipe the data clean

This is good enough unless you are paranoid then consider utilities such as heidies eraser
Or run ccleaner after the format

Or use the old favorite

Dban but there is a risk of selecting wrong disk for erasing especially if several disks are the same size

It is on a bootable cd disk so unplug the new windows disk before using it

Regards
Mike Barnes

 

[Thuglas]

To find your license key, run a free app called "magical jellybean keyfinder"

You can then do a clean install on the ssd and use the key to reactivate.
Leave both hard drives disconnected or windows will place hidden files on it complicating things later.

After the install, you can reattach the hard drives and use windows functions to delete all partitions and reformat them.

How to I clean install my SSD? And what do you mean that I can use Windows functions to delete all partitions and reformat them? And will everything I have on my HDD be deleted? ( I want it to be deleted)

 

[PeterZ640]

To find your license key, run a free app called "magical jellybean keyfinder"

You can then do a clean install on the ssd and use the key to reactivate.
Leave both hard drives disconnected or windows will place hidden files on it complicating things later.

After the install, you can reattach the hard drives and use windows functions to delete all partitions and reformat them.

How to I clean install my SSD? And what do you mean that I can use Windows functions to delete all partitions and reformat them? And will everything I have on my HDD be deleted? ( I want it to be deleted)

I explained that, did you read my post?

 

[geofelt]

When you boot from your windows 10 usb stick, ask for a clean install, and direct it to your ssd(the only drive that should be attached)
Confirm that you want everything on it to be deleted.

After the windows install, reattach your hard drives.
Go to administrative tools, computer management, storage, disk management
You should see your drives.
You can then delete partitions, reformat or whatever.

 

[Thuglas]

When you boot from your windows 10 usb stick, ask for a clean install, and direct it to your ssd(the only drive that should be attached)
Confirm that you want everything on it to be deleted.

After the windows install, reattach your hard drives.
Go to administrative tools, computer management, storage, disk management
You should see your drives.
You can then delete partitions, reformat or whatever.

Ok, so basically what I need to do is that I disconnect my HDD, and only leave my SSD in (that has Windows on it already) and the USB stick in, and I boot up from the USB, then choose to install Windows onto the SSD? After I do this, what happens when I attach my HDD`s? Will I lose all the data on my HDD that I already use? (I do want it to be deleted) And also what is partitions? Should I delete, reformat them or ?? Is there anything I have to do with the partitions?

 

[geofelt]

When you reattach your HDD, any files on it will be available to you if you want.
If you do not want them, you can delete individual folders, or the entire partition if you want.

 

[Thuglas]

When you boot from your windows 10 usb stick, ask for a clean install, and direct it to your ssd(the only drive that should be attached)
Confirm that you want everything on it to be deleted.

After the windows install, reattach your hard drives.
Go to administrative tools, computer management, storage, disk management
You should see your drives.
You can then delete partitions, reformat or whatever.

One last thing before I go ahead and do it, how do I ask for a clean install?

 

[geofelt]

When you boot from your windows 10 usb stick, ask for a clean install, and direct it to your ssd(the only drive that should be attached)
Confirm that you want everything on it to be deleted.

After the windows install, reattach your hard drives.
Go to administrative tools, computer management, storage, disk management
You should see your drives.
You can then delete partitions, reformat or whatever.

One last thing before I go ahead and do it, how do I ask for a clean install?

When you boot from the usb stick, it will ask you what you want to do and give you the choices.

 

[Thuglas]

Hi, I did the process and I am trying to delete the partitions that I don't need, but when I right click, I can't click anything other than "help"... Do I need to restart my PC ? or download all my drivers ?