Cleaning up your hard drive is a smart way to maintain performance.
Cleaning up your hard drive is a smart way to maintain performance.
Sure, I can help with that. Using the factory reset on your computer will erase both your SSD and HD storage. Make sure you back up any important data before proceeding.
If you mean reinstalling windows, than you can choose on which drive / partition the operating system should be installed. Than only that drive / partition gets wiped. But if you really got an virus on your PC you probably should wipe all your drives in this PC, at least thats recommended, because you never know where those thingys hide ;D At least use an linux live distro (I use Slax for things like that) to copy all important files by hand and wipe everything else. But no risk no fun
When there’s no significant data on both disks, I’d erase them using Linux for a fresh start. To reinstall Windows, create a bootable Windows installation drive and install from that media. If you’d like guidance on either process, I’m happy to walk through it in more detail.
You can build a bootable Windows media using a USB drive and an ISO file. After creating the device, adjust your BIOS settings to prioritize the USB over the SSD. During installation, the system will recognize both storage options, allowing you to clear the SSD at that stage. You can then configure the SSD as the main drive. Expect several reboots during reinstallation; you might need to revert to searching for the SSD via USB. For detailed guidance, search online for "Windows Install using a USB" to find comprehensive explanations with visuals.
I rely on parted magic to clean my SSD and HDD. Simply make a bootable USB with Linux Live Creator, connect it, and enter the parted magic interface. Once started, you can move files to an external drive and erase both drives before installing a new Windows copy. Linux Live USB Creator is a good option. You might also try Slax, Knoppix, Puppy Linux, or other similar distributions.
Replace all your devices, even the mouse—could be a virus hiding there? Still, antivirus software is meant to eliminate viruses, not to format your system. Viruses are also programs, so you can resolve issues with the right tools. Add Comodo Firewall—it will notify you when any app tries to access the internet.