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Reusing laptop hdd in new system

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  • 15-10-2011 2:29pm
    #1
    KamSaw
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25 ✭


    Hi, I'm building a good-as-possible system on a budget so i'll be using my laptop's hdd and dvd drive (and cardboard box for a case :pac:). What I'm wondering is how would I go about completely wiping all the crap HP put on it (including vista) so I can have a fresh start with it? Would the drive wiper tool in CCleaner do the job? Thanks


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    #2
    Fluffy88
    Registered Users Posts: 1,414 ✭✭✭Fluffy88


    CCleaner should do the job for you, but it probably won't allow you wipe the drive your currently working on. So if that HDD is the only one plugged into the system you might have to wipe the drive from a bootable USB or something.

    If not, CCleaner can do it, Windows has a format option built-in, just right click the drive in Explorer.


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    #3
    KamSaw
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25 ✭KamSaw


    Fluffy88 wrote: »
    CCleaner should do the job for you, but it probably won't allow you wipe the drive your currently working on. So if that HDD is the only one plugged into the system you might have to wipe the drive from a bootable USB or something.

    If not, CCleaner can do it, Windows has a format option built-in, just right click the drive in Explorer.

    Thanks I can plug it in to my home pc and wipe it then


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    #4
    Monotype
    Registered Users Posts: 6,710 ✭✭✭Monotype


    So you want to clean the hard drive -completely- and install a new OS on it?

    If so, just put in the OS disc, boot from disc and in the first stages of installing the OS, delete all the partitions and format the drive.


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    #5
    KamSaw
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25 ✭KamSaw


    installed win 7 a few hours ago and did that Monotype, thanks. Running great. Very impressed with win 7. I formatted the main partition that was 220gb and installed win 7 on that. I left the RECOVERY partition (10gb) as it was


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    #6
    GarIT
    Registered Users Posts: 8,671 ✭✭✭GarIT


    KamSaw wrote: »
    I left the RECOVERY partition (10gb) as it was

    A recovery partition is useless because your MBR is now re-written so the recovery partition can't normally be accessed. If you were extremely good with computers you could possibly get the recovery partition to work it would be pointless anyway because its not in the original computer. Your better off using the 10GB for something else.


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    #7
    KamSaw
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25 ✭KamSaw


    Grand thanks gar next time i'm messing with the os I'll remove it


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    #8
    marco_polo
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 10,079 Mod ✭✭✭✭marco_polo


    KamSaw wrote: »
    Grand thanks gar next time i'm messing with the os I'll remove it

    No need to wait, assuming it is the only other partition on the drive you can simply delete the recovery partition in diskmanager and extend the main partition to take up the extra 10GB.

    http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/resize-a-partition-for-free-in-windows-vista/


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    #9
    Monotype
    Registered Users Posts: 6,710 ✭✭✭Monotype


    Recovery partitions are usually at the beginning though and, AFAIK, you can only extend forward, at least with windows disk manager. The only worry is if windows put it's boot stuff onto this partition, so deleting it may not be the best idea. However, I think windows will tell you if this is the case and mark it active in the disk manager so you wouldn't be able to delete it.

    You could throw the page file on there if you can't merge the partitions.


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