I'm having some trouble with my PC. It won't boot, and I can't reset or repair it through the Windows recovery menu or even the command prompt. I have Windows 11 on a USB drive and I'm going through the fresh install process, but I noticed there are several partitions with data on them. If I want a completely fresh install, should I delete or reformat my primary partitions? Or is it okay to just leave them and install Windows on Disk 0 Partition 3, which seems to be labeled for OS? When I started the installation, it mentioned that it would wipe everything, so I assumed my drives would be empty. Thanks for your advice!
4 Answers
Exactly! You should delete all partitions on Disk 0, especially if you're sure you don't need the data. But remember, Disk 1 might have stuff you want to keep, so only work on Disk 0. If your USB is Disk 2, leave that alone. Sometimes it's easier to disconnect any other drives to avoid confusion.
Just a heads up: deleting all partitions will wipe everything on that drive, so ensure there's nothing you need. If there’s a small 24GB RESTORE partition, that's usually for a factory reset. If you don’t care about it, go ahead and start fresh with a clean install!
If Disk 0 is your main drive, I generally recommend deleting all partitions. The Windows setup will create a new recovery partition for you. Keeping old partitions could lead to issues down the line because they might still contain old recovery files. Just make sure you back up any important data first!
Be cautious! If you want to keep any data, only delete partitions on Disk 0. For your installation, Windows can only see the drives connected, so if you're not sure, just disconnect the other drives before doing the install to prevent data loss. After installation, you can manage the remaining drives.
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