F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop Yes, you can relocate a System Reserved Partition securely.

Yes, you can relocate a System Reserved Partition securely.

Yes, you can relocate a System Reserved Partition securely.

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Vaorin567
Junior Member
12
05-08-2021, 09:11 PM
#1
I bought a new 2 TB SSD for my game collection. Before that, games were scattered across four drives. I want to erase both the 120 GB SSDs completely for a clean start on each. But Disk 3 once held my Windows 10 setup. After adding a M.2 drive and reinstalling Windows, then upgrading to Windows 11, it seems some partitions were left behind and remain active. Can I safely format Disk 3 without damaging the system? Also, I’m puzzled about why my M.2 has so many recovery partitions... TIA
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Vaorin567
05-08-2021, 09:11 PM #1

I bought a new 2 TB SSD for my game collection. Before that, games were scattered across four drives. I want to erase both the 120 GB SSDs completely for a clean start on each. But Disk 3 once held my Windows 10 setup. After adding a M.2 drive and reinstalling Windows, then upgrading to Windows 11, it seems some partitions were left behind and remain active. Can I safely format Disk 3 without damaging the system? Also, I’m puzzled about why my M.2 has so many recovery partitions... TIA

Q
Quinnsillyhead
Member
197
05-10-2021, 09:53 PM
#2
Make sure disk3 isn't attached before testing. If you successfully launch to the desktop, you're ready to format the drive.
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Quinnsillyhead
05-10-2021, 09:53 PM #2

Make sure disk3 isn't attached before testing. If you successfully launch to the desktop, you're ready to format the drive.

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ZivShabo
Junior Member
13
05-15-2021, 03:28 AM
#3
If you can remove or disconnect the drive you wish to avoid wiping, do that first. Start by booting into the Windows installation media, open the command prompt, and run diskpart. Choose the drive you want to completely erase and execute the clean command on it. This will remove all partitions from the drive. It’s best to use the Windows installer since booted into Windows might otherwise block any system or recovery partitions from being wiped.
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ZivShabo
05-15-2021, 03:28 AM #3

If you can remove or disconnect the drive you wish to avoid wiping, do that first. Start by booting into the Windows installation media, open the command prompt, and run diskpart. Choose the drive you want to completely erase and execute the clean command on it. This will remove all partitions from the drive. It’s best to use the Windows installer since booted into Windows might otherwise block any system or recovery partitions from being wiped.

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DriveIn
Senior Member
739
05-15-2021, 05:42 AM
#4
By default, whenever you work with partitions that were originally for Windows, even on another storage device, it's wise to keep your boot drive disconnected. Formatting or removing partitions is safer this way. Just disconnect all components except the one you're targeting and then boot into Linux or Windows installation media to apply changes. Yes, you can do it.
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DriveIn
05-15-2021, 05:42 AM #4

By default, whenever you work with partitions that were originally for Windows, even on another storage device, it's wise to keep your boot drive disconnected. Formatting or removing partitions is safer this way. Just disconnect all components except the one you're targeting and then boot into Linux or Windows installation media to apply changes. Yes, you can do it.

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Mokai_Mo
Member
212
05-15-2021, 06:52 AM
#5
The 'Active' status doesn't seem to matter in this case. The system started without issues after unplugging the disc 3 and booting into Windows.
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Mokai_Mo
05-15-2021, 06:52 AM #5

The 'Active' status doesn't seem to matter in this case. The system started without issues after unplugging the disc 3 and booting into Windows.

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ZakenMannetje
Junior Member
46
05-25-2021, 07:29 PM
#6
It's tougher than it sounds, removing the CPU fan to reach the M.2 slot... I managed to boot Windows without issues after disconnecting the disc. Should I be concerned about the 'Active' label on the partition? It looks grayed out for Disk 4.
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ZakenMannetje
05-25-2021, 07:29 PM #6

It's tougher than it sounds, removing the CPU fan to reach the M.2 slot... I managed to boot Windows without issues after disconnecting the disc. Should I be concerned about the 'Active' label on the partition? It looks grayed out for Disk 4.