Tom's Hardware > Forum > Windows XP > Windows XP General Discussion > Question about reinstalling windows
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trilvester   01-24-2008 at 10:54:21 PM

I have windows installed on my C drive and I also have 2 other HDDs with games and other data on them. When I reinstall windows on my C drive what happens to the data on the other drives? Will the games and applications still work or do I need to reinstall them? I'm kind of figuring you'd need to reinstall them because it imbeds stuff into your registry but I'm just curious if you do.

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g-paw   01-25-2008 at 12:38:01 AM
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You will have to install them again. It would be a good idea to format the partition before installing the programs. This will get rid of any recognition at all and likely you won't have to uninstall some programs before installing. With a clean install some programs will recognized but not run, some will run, and some will likely disappear. Recommend you detach the other drives when installing Windows, otherwise Windows could end up on another partition, e.g., D.

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trilvester   01-25-2008 at 03:50:47 AM
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g-paw wrote :

You will have to install them again. It would be a good idea to format the partition before installing the programs. This will get rid of any recognition at all and likely you won't have to uninstall some programs before installing. With a clean install some programs will recognized but not run, some will run, and some will likely disappear. Recommend you detach the other drives when installing Windows, otherwise Windows could end up on another partition, e.g., D.


You're saying I should format my 2 other drives to if installing windows? Now when you say it would be a good idea to format the partition before installing programs. I'm not sure I understand what your saying. When you install windows don't you have to partition your hard drive to install windows on it or else you can't install anything because there is no OS? :??:

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g-paw   01-25-2008 at 03:20:15 PM
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I may have missed understood you, I thought you had your OS on one drive or partition and your games installed on another. If your OS and programs are all on one drive or partition, back up any data on that and then format and install Windows. If you have any programs on a 2nd hdd or partition, also back up your data and format that as well. Of course you'll have to install Windows before any programs. Again, be sure to disconnect all the other hdd before installing Windows. It's not necessary to partition a hdd to install Windows although XP creates a small invisible partition for your restore information. Hope this clears it up. If not, let us know

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Grumpy9117   01-25-2008 at 03:23:07 PM
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g-paw wrote :

It's not necessary to partition a hdd to install Windows although XP creates a small invisible partition for your restore information.



What??? Where did that come from? Windows creates a hidden folder C:\System Volume Information that contains System Restore files.

Grumpy

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rgeist554   01-25-2008 at 03:38:40 PM
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I know dell does the Restore Partition w/ their Windows installs. Maybe that's what he meant?

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g-paw   01-25-2008 at 04:28:03 PM
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rgeist554 wrote :

I know dell does the Restore Partition w/ their Windows installs. Maybe that's what he meant?



Grumpy, stand corrected, I was thinking of Dell, had recently been working on the wife's laptop. rgeist554, thanks for pointing that out confirming my brain has not morphed into total mush :)

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