Do I need to unplug power cables on other drives for a clean Windows reinstall?
Asked by
CrazyCat234
I'm about to do a clean reinstall of Windows and I only have my SSD connected. To avoid any issues, I want to make sure it's the only drive my PC recognizes during installation. I'll be unplugging the SATA cables from any additional drives, but do I also need to unplug the SATA power cables? It would be a hassle to do so without unscrewing the PC and redoing the cables.
Answers
If you're worried about Windows putting the bootloader on another drive, it can be smart to unplug everything. While some say to just select your C drive, it's common advice to unplug the extra drives and reconnect them after you install Windows.
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It’s not necessary to unplug power cables. Just removing the data cables will do the trick! But if you feel uncertain, you could also disable the drives in your BIOS, though some find that intimidating.
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You only need to unplug the data cables. There's no need to worry about the power cables; just disconnecting the data cables should be fine! Unless you're super anxious about it, then that's understandable, but really, the data side is enough.
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I disabled my extra drives in BIOS, which might be a safer option if you're cautious. I totally get where you're coming from—it's a bit nerve-wracking if it's your first time dealing with this stuff!
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