How do i format and get rid of partitions on an old HDD in a new build?

Goucho

Goucho

Goucho

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Hey there guys i will be soon putting a new OS (W10) on a new build SSD but i want to use an old HDD for backups etc etc.

The old HDD has Windows 7 on it so how do i format it when it is in the new machine? Can i do this when i am installing W10 on the new SSD or will it boot up W7 instead?

I have W10 on a USB stick so if i set bios to only boot from the USB would that do the trick? Will it show both drives (SSD + HDD) when i get the choice of where to install Windows 10 and then give me the option to format both drives prior to install. How do i get rid of the partitions on the HDD?


OK short version lol :-

New PC with new SSD and old HDD(with W7) in it. I want to install W10 on new SSD and also want to format plus get rid of partitions on old HDD at the same time.
 
Install Win10 on the SSD. Then boot into windows.


On the search bar in win10 (bottom left) Type disk management. You can format etc from there
 
Holst1981 said:
I wouldn't even plug the new drive in initially.

Install Q10 to ssd, then format old drive in Windows.
Click to expand...
You mean old drive.

But having only the drive you want to install OS to is the best way to avoid possible problems and quarantee that everything needed for booting OS is installed onto it.
 
Ok thanx guys .... how do i get rid of the small partitions etc on the old HDD .... will a normal format in disk management do that?
 
Goucho said:
Ok thanx guys .... how do i get rid of the small partitions etc on the old HDD .... will a normal format in disk management do that?
Click to expand...

When you go into disk management it will show all the little partitions, a right click should allow you to kill the partition and then when you have a large un-formatted space right click and create partition and then format it
 
Maundie said:
When you go into disk management it will show all the little partitions, a right click should allow you to kill the partition and then when you have a large un-formatted space right click and create partition and then format it
Click to expand...
Not trying to argue but `sometimes`you cannot format a hdd this way
I have had a few that refuse to format this way.I ended up having to use put the hdd into a test pc then try to install windows.It would then let me form at the hdd.Weird huh?
Had this a few times too,proprietary system maybe like HP etc?
 
ANDARIAL said:
Not trying to argue but `sometimes`you cannot format a hdd this way
I have had a few that refuse to format this way.I ended up having to use put the hdd into a test pc then try to install windows.It would then let me form at the hdd.Weird huh?
Had this a few times too,proprietary system maybe like HP etc?
Click to expand...
That's a lot of faffing; next time just fire up an elevated command prompt and do this:
Code: 
diskpart

list disk

select disk [# of disk you want to format - be careful, diskpart takes no prisoners]

clean

exit


This should completely blow away all the data structures, including any weird proprietary protected partitions. You can then go into disk management and create/format partitions in the usual way, after re-initialising the disk either as MBR or GPT format.
 
I usually boot gparted from a USB and nuke the site from orbit, it's the only way to be sure. :)

That said disk part as admin cmd will generally do the job.
 
CaptainCrash said:
That's a lot of faffing; next time just fire up an elevated command prompt and do this:
Code: 
diskpart

list disk

select disk [# of disk you want to format - be careful, diskpart takes no prisoners]

clean

exit


This should completely blow away all the data structures, including any weird proprietary protected partitions. You can then go into disk management and create/format partitions in the usual way, after re-initialising the disk either as MBR or GPT format.
Click to expand...
+1 You could do this from the Windows 10 installer if you wanted, by pressing Shift + F10 to bring up a command prompt.
 
CaptainCrash said:
That's a lot of faffing; next time just fire up an elevated command prompt and do this:
Code: 
diskpart

list disk

select disk [# of disk you want to format - be careful, diskpart takes no prisoners]

clean

exit


This should completely blow away all the data structures, including any weird proprietary protected partitions. You can then go into disk management and create/format partitions in the usual way, after re-initialising the disk either as MBR or GPT format.
Click to expand...
Cheers have made a note of this:)
 
darael said:
Right clicking the logo from setup doesn't bring anything up with my Windows 10 ISO on a virtual machine.
Click to expand...
I missed the fact you were in setup

But it does from the win10 desktop..:D

In my defence I'd been up all night on 4 hrs sleep from the night before
 
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