Deleting a windows install from a second drive?

Zascar

I just got an SSD and installed windows. I want to use my old drive as my data drive, but it still has windows installed on it. I've tried deleting as many files as I can but there are still loads of files it won't let me delete.
Any idea how I get around this?

200motels

Zascar wrote: »

I just got an SSD and installed windows. I want to use my old drive as my data drive, but it still has windows installed on it. I've tried deleting as many files as I can but there are still loads of files it won't let me delete.
Any idea how I get around this?

Download Take Ownership link below, or format the drive.


http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/add-take-ownership-to-explorer-right-click-menu-in-vista/

Zascar

Thanks a mil!

Is there anything else I should do to my hard drive? Just a defrag etc?

200motels

Zascar wrote: »

Thanks a mil!

Is there anything else I should do to my hard drive? Just a defrag etc?

No not really as your not using it for the operating system, if you want you can defrag it but I wouldn't.

Zascar

Ok, how come? What bad would defragging do?

200motels

Zascar wrote: »

Ok, how come? What bad would defragging do?

Defraging would do nothing bad, do it if you want, analyse it first to see if it needs a defrag.

Overheal

It would improve sorting and loading times from the drive all the same

28064212

Would not just format the drive and start fresh? No need to worry about defragging or left-over files then

Zascar

I'd have to move over 1TB of data onto another drive and then back again - cannot be assed.

I'll leave it as is, I'll defrag. I was just wondering if any remnants of an install could do any harm...

PropJoe10

Zascar wrote: »

I'd have to move over 1TB of data onto another drive and then back again - cannot be assed.

I'll leave it as is, I'll defrag. I was just wondering if any remnants of an install could do any harm...

Nah not really. Just make sure you dont defrag your new SSD. It would damage it.

Capt'n Midnight

Defrag doesn't damage SSD's it just ages them a little

The reason you defrag a HDD is because it's spinning rust. The out side track (start of drive) transfers data about twice as fast as the shorter tracks on the inside. And the head takes less time to move to the start track.

With an SSD there is no advantage to defrag as all sectors on the drive have the same access time.

Linux systems defrag files when they are written to the disk, so you don't need to defrag them because it's already done. The interesting thing is if you turn off this feature you get maybe 10-15% speed boost.

Overheal

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Linux systems defrag files when they are written to the disk, so you don't need to defrag them because it's already done. The interesting thing is if you turn off this feature you get maybe 10-15% speed boost.

I would have assumed that was the case. Think about unloading a truck for a retail store, equate that to installing a program or downloading a large program. What is faster: stocking all the pieces off the truck as they come by putting them in their proper place, or dragging the goods off the truck in hand trucks or pallets and then worrying about it after the goods have been received? Same theories apply since you're talking about a physical storage process. I still remember something of databases before I dropped out