Windows 10: Does a Windows 10, clean install, create the necessary partitions?

I have upgraded my Windows 8.1 system to Windows 10 through the Windows update app and have created an installation media USB stick. I want to clean install, something I am very familiar with, but not since the new uefi, gpt, legacy etc. that I'm not familiar with. If I do a clean install and delete the entire disk, Windows will create the partitions and install the necessary "data" to run the computer correctly? I don't need to save the data on the hidden partitions that are present now?

Thanks,
Ed

:)

 

Why does Windows 10 Clean Install create a hidden reovery partition?

In browsing disk management, I noticed there is a hidden recovery partition that was automatically installed when I had to do a clean install of Win 10 after the infamous INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE fiasco. The drive is only 450MB. I wanted to create my own
recovery partition but am now confused as to why this is here when the new Windows wants us to create external recovery media. So I guess my question is a) What's in it? b) is there a hotkey at startup to boot it or c) can I delete it?

Thanks

 

Why does Windows 10 Clean Install create a hidden reovery partition?

Hello,

Thank you for posting your concern here in Microsoft Community and welcome to the Windows 10 Family.

From the description provided, I understand that you want to modify the System Reserved Partition.

Windows create a special “System Reserved”
partition when you install them on a clean disk.

Windows doesn’t assign a drive letter to these partitions, so you’ll only see them when you use Disk Management or similar utility.
The System Reserved Partition was introduced with Windows 7, so you won’t find it on previous versions of Windows.

This partition contains two important things:

• 
  The Boot Manager and Boot Configuration Data
  
• 
  The startup files used for BitLocker Drive Encryption
  

Windows hides the system reserved partition by default instead of creating a drive letter for it. Most people will never notice they have a System Reserved partition, and Windows will only show it to you when you use disk-partitioning
software.

You cannot delete the System Reserved partition. Because the boot loader files are stored on it, Windows won’t boot properly if you delete this partition. To delete the System Reserved partition, you’d first have to move the boot
files from the System Reserved partition onto the main Windows system drive.

It will involve messing with the registry, copying various files between drives, updating the BCD store, and making the main system drive the active partition. This may lead to damages and a risk that Windows might end up corrupting
itself.

If you don’t want this partition on your drive, the ideal thing to do is prevent it from being created in the first place.

I order to prevent the system reserved partition to be created during installation, follow the below steps.

• 
  Press Shift+F10 while installing Windows to open a Command Prompt window.
  
• 
  Type diskpart into the Command Prompt window and press Enter.
  
• 
  Create a new partition in the unallocated space using the diskpart tool. For example, if you have a single drive in the computer and it’s completely empty, you can just type
  select disk 0 and then create partition primary to select the first disk and create a new partition using the entire amount of unallocated space on the drive.
  
• 
  Continue the setup process. Select the partition you created earlier when you’re asked to create a partition.
  

Hope the above information was helpful.

Thank You.

 

The hidden partitions may contain a factory image that the bios would boot to to restore you computer with all the software from the factory. If you don't mind possibly losing something like that, you can delete all the partitions off the disk in the advanced options of Windows setup and it will create a recovery partition (for Windows 10 only) and the system partition. The short answer you don't need to save the data on the hidden partitions.

 

Thanks. That part was really confusing me. I don't want to save the factory image, old OS and bloatware.

Appreciate it NavyLCDR,
Ed

 

MBR: You can only create 4 primary partitions per HD with maximum size of 2TB.

GPT: New partitioning scheme, readable only by Windows XP x64, Server 2003 SP1, Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10.

• Support a HD up to 2^64 blocks in length. (For 512-byte blocks, this is 9.44 ZB - zettabytes. 1 ZB is 1 billion terabytes) but restricted by Windows to 256TB
• It can also support theoretically unlimited partitions. Windows restricted to 128 Partitions

It is up to you whether you want to install Windows using MBR or GPT and you need to set the option in the BIOS for MBR or GPT style installation.

Having said that. Here's the steps:

• Disconnect all HD/SSD except the one you will be installing Windows
• From the boot menu, Select #1 for GPT or select #2 for MBR to boot up the Windows Installation
  
  
  
  NOTE: The screen is an example and might look different from yours
• Once the Windows Installation started. On the first screen, Press and hold SHIFT Key + F10, a command Windows will popup then type:
  - diskpart
  - select disk 0
  - Clean
  - Exit
  - Exit
• Click Next to continue.
• Select Custom
• Select the first unallocated partition and click next. Windows will create all needed partitions to install Windows 10
• Follow all the rest of the instruction to complete.

MBR installation:

• 500MB System Reserved partition
• C: Drive

GPT installation:

• 450MB recovery partition
• 100MB EFI System Partition
• 16MB MSR partition
• C drive.

 

Excellent, thank you. I prefer and my BIOS is set for GPT (UEFI) style boot.

When you say "100MB System Partition" this would be what is listed as "Healthy (EFI System Partition)" in my Disk Management?

 

On the Where do you want to install Windows? screen, select a partition and click on the "Delete" option for each partition.

You must delete all the partitions until you only see Drive 0 Unallocated Space.

- Once you have deleted all of the partitions, click on the "Next" button. The installation of Windows will begin. All the required partitions are created automatically during the install.

- Or, if you know what you're doing, you can click on the "New" button and create a separate data partition.





- Recovery 450 MB - The Windows Recovery Environment tools.
- System (EFI system) 100 MB or 260 MB - The Boot Configuration Data (BCD).
- MSR (Reserved) 16 MB - Microsoft Reserved.
- Primary - Where Windows is to be installed to.

Here is info about UEFI Boot Mode (installing using the GPT partition style) and Legacy BIOS Boot Mode (installing using the MBR partition style). -> link

 

Hi , brilliant replies , Without hijacking the original thread can I ask a similar question ?
In my sony vaio notebook there is a 30GB SSD and a 500GB HDD ( I,m not sure if its a hybrid drive or 2 separate drives .) I lost my recovery partition Months ago when I installed/uninstalled win10 technical preview so I just use the ssd for the OS and the mechanical drive for storage . My question is this " is it possible to set the both drives up as raid or have the system see them as a combined drive" ?. Alternatively how do I map certain folders such as downloads , pictures ,documents to store on the bigger drive .
Thanks for any help .

 

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1...dows-10-a.html

 

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/ar...D-Caching-148/

For example, this model:

Sony VAIO T14 Ultrabook Review - Out With Express Cache In With DataPlex For SandForce Driven Speed | The SSD Review

"Sony’s new VIAO touchscreen T14 arrived last week, complete with hybrid hard drive and Windows 8."

 

Thanks for that , I hadn't noticed those storage options . well explained by you .

 

Off subject this model is a touchscreen and I never ever use it , in retrospect it wasn't a good decision .

 

This is my disk now. Okay?

 

Yes.