11 partitions on HDD after clean install


  1. Posts : 28
    W10 Build 1809
       #1

    11 partitions on HDD after clean install


    I did a clean install on my daughters old laptop (Lenovo G580) and after looking into disk management there are 11 partitions on the HDD. Can anyone tell me why so many and if I can delete them. The laptop is 7 years old so way out of warranty and she never uses any of the bundle crap that came with it so I'm worried about recovery partitions.

    Could I get away with starting a new install and then, when you have the option of where to install, delete all the other partitions so I have one single drive and let the new install create the partitions it requires?

    11 partitions on HDD after clean install-lenovo-hdd-partitions.png

    Any help appreciated
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 4,588
    several
       #2

    Could I get away with starting a new install and then, when you have the option of where to install, delete all the other partitions so I have one single drive and let the new install create the partitions it requires?
    If you are sure you don't want any of the data on that disk, yes that is one way to do it.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 42,984
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #3

    Hi, as you've just done a clean install, much the easiest way to deal with this is to redo that, but deleting all existing partitions you don't need.

    Perhaps the only partition that may be of interest is D: - at 25Gb it may contain something of interest. I'm guessing the last 20Gb partition may be just a manufacturer's recovery partition - you can have a look and see what's in it. As the laptop is old, it might be e.g. to restore it to Vista or Win 7, say, as bought.

    During the clean install procedure (tenforms tutorial Clean install Win 10, step 13 I think) you are offered a screen allowing you to delete partitions. That's the chance to clean up everything. (If there's a data partition you want to keep, you can, although its location on disk may affect the size of your C: partition).
    Clean Install Windows 10

    Now before you do anything like that, as you presumably have a bootable Win 10 installation, and an older PC, I suggest you take the chance to check everything actually works. Do you have drivers for everything?

    What is the build you have installed? (Windows key + R, winver) or Settings, search for About.
    If you created your bootable disk recently it should be 1903.

    Your other option is to delete unwanted partitions- easiest with a 3rd party partition manager, which you'll likely need to make use of the unallocated space made available- such as Minitool Partition Wizard.

    One of them should be labelled *:Recovery - being the one in use. The others can be deleted.

    The choice is yours.
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 28
    W10 Build 1809
    Thread Starter
       #4

    Many thanks for clearing that up. The istall on it at present is 1903 and everything works just fine and I didn't even have any random exclamation marks in device manager which was a bonus.

    I think I will simply do a new clean install but delete all the partitions as the info contained on the larger ones are old drivers/recovery for windows 8.

    Once again thanks for the replies, just wanted to make sure my thinking was correct.

    Cheers Chaps

    P
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 42,984
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #5

    Sounds good. And once you've done that, make an early priority the creation of a base disk image of Windows with e.g. Macrium Reflect (free), and thereafter periodically a differential image, all to external storage, until the next build update (now probably around May next year). Thus you can restore the PC to a given recent state if necessary- even if the disk fails.
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 6,318
    Windows 11 Pro - Windows 7 HP - Lubuntu
       #6

    Remember that a Clean install starts booting from a Win 10 installation disk, not within Windows.
    Save all your data to an external disk.
    Boot from a USB Win 10 installation disk, go to install - advanced and delete all partitions till you have only on unallocated space and then proceed.
      My Computers


 

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