Reset Win10 Home, changed BIOS to enable USB boot, now have 3 drives

Reuben1958 · 10 Sep 2017

I just got done doing a Reset on my laptop, a Dell Inspiron 15 3567. I created a USB flash drive bootable and had to go into the BIOS to enable Legacy devices in order to get my computer to boot from a USB flash drive. Here's the link for the step-by-step I used to do this:

Boot from USB Drive on Windows 10 PC Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials

My computer is now back to normal...except that I now have the following drives:

1. Local Disk (C:\) 209GB free out of 248GB
2. DVD WR Drive (D:\) DVD Rewritable Drive
3. Local Disk (E:\) 24GB free of 24GB
4. Local Disk (F:\) 3.55GB free of 3.57GB

Drives E:\ and F:\ have important system files and folders on them, though I can't see them. I have File Explorer set to show all hidden files and folders on all drives, but nothing shows up.

How can I consolidate all the files and folders on E:\ and F:\ onto C:\ so I can remove them? Is there a disk utility I can use for this?

Bree · 10 Sep 2017

Reuben1958 said:

Drives E:\ and F:\ have important system files and folders on them, though I can't see them. I have File Explorer set to show all hidden files and folders on all drives, but nothing shows up.

Welcome to TenForums @Reuben1958

Did E: and F: only appear after you did the reset? How do you know they're system files/folders if you can't see them? There is another option in File Explore that's on by default, to 'Hide protected operating system files (recommended)', you'll need to untick this to be able to see everything. Click the Options button on the 'View' ribbon to get the 'Folder options' window, it's on the 'View' tab.

How can I consolidate all the files and folders on E:\ and F:\ onto C:\ so I can remove them? Is there a disk utility I can use for this?

Before you think about removing them you should find out what they are for and whether they are needed. A screenshot of Disk Management would help us identify them. It would also help in saying how they could be merged with C: if it turns out to be an appropriate thing to do.

How to Post a Screenshot of Disk Management at Ten Forums

spunk · 10 Sep 2017

As stated, press the Win key+X choose Disk Management. In the lower pane you can view the partitions and disks. Please post a screenshot of this.

Reuben1958 · 11 Sep 2017

Here's an image from "Disk Management"...

Reset Win10 Home, changed BIOS to enable USB boot, now have 3 drives-disk-management-capture.png

And here's an image from "This PC"...

Reset Win10 Home, changed BIOS to enable USB boot, now have 3 drives-pc-capture.png

And this is what I want...

Reset Win10 Home, changed BIOS to enable USB boot, now have 3 drives-pc-capture-2.png

I've never dealt with a situation like this. Is there a disk or partition utility that will handle it?

spunk · 11 Sep 2017

There doesn't seem to be any data on the E: drive, there seems to be .02GB of files on the F:
Your partitions are so messed up, I am afraid you are going to need to wipe your disk and start over. Save any files you want to keep on the F: and C: drive to another drive.
Boot off of the Windows installer USB Flash drive. Choose your language and then Custom Install. Here Delete ALL partitions so the whole drive is Unallocated Space, then go Next. Windows will automatically create partitions and format them during the install.

Reset Win10 Home, changed BIOS to enable USB boot, now have 3 drives

Reset Win10 Home, changed BIOS to enable USB boot, now have 3 drives

Here are images of my situation...