Does clean install of Win10 format hard drive?

Granted...this may be a dumb question...but

I botched the upgrade to Win10 by selecting 32-bit instead of 64-bit.
I'm planning to do a clean install, from a bootable flash using the Media Creator tool (that includes the Ann. update)
I know I'll lose all my apps and data, and have made two sets of backups on two different media.

Now the questions. Does doing a clean install wipe out all the garbage that has been accumulating, like old registry entries and such? Do I need to do a format of the drive before I do the clean install to make it really "clean" or does the bootable USB use clean and tidy my hard-drive when I use it?

Does the Win10 install automatically populate a "recovery drive" like what came with my machine, or is that something I do separately? (Although I'm not sure I would ever need it, probably opting to go with a USB recovery instead)

This is the first time I've attempted something like this, and I know there are some really good tutorials which I will and have been using to do the install. I'm just not sure about what happens in this kind-of-in-between-what-I-have-and-what-I'll-get part.

As always, thank you so much for your help. I don't know what I'd do without all the help I've been given over the years.

Sounds like you already completed the most important step...to back up your data. You wouldn't have to remove everything, but then it is known as an in-place install. That's usually the option when a repair fails. As Brink said, I prefer clean installs because I can guarantee nothing is left behind.

BRINK: Thanks for the quick response. Another dumb question...is the "partition" the same as the "drive" like C: or D: ? I thought "partitions" were only used by users who knew what they were doing, which is NOT me.

DEACON FROST: I don't want to leave anything behind, I want to start from scratch just so I know there is nothing icky left over. Does a clean install remove EVERYTHING from the hard-drive automatically, just like formatting it?

way2ob2se said:

Does a clean install remove EVERYTHING from the hard-drive automatically, just like formatting it?

It certainly can, but not automatically. You'll come to a screen that sows you how your current drive is formatted, but it gives you an option to delete any partitions to make it a clean, blank drive. Then, when you continue, Windows will partition and format it for you. Since you have your data backed up, you have little to worry about. If you do something wrong, no big deal, you can start over.

Deacon Frost - Thank You! I'm going to give this a go this weekend, before an ulcer can form in my belly. Dealing w/computers at this level always scares me spitless. But, as long as I have "do-overs" and you guys, I should be OK.

Call me crazy, but your data is the most important thing. An operating system, drivers, and programs can all be reinstalled, with time being the only thing to lose. It will be a great learning experience in the end.