Need some advice on reformatting

[boing]

I'm on Win 7 64bit, my comps been playing up a bit with surging CPU fans and disappearing menus so I thought I'd reformat and re-install everything but I wanted to clear a couple of things up first.

1) My drive has 3 partitions, 2 with data and 1 with software, I don't want to touch the data partitions but I do want to erase and reformat the main C: with the software. Am I correct in thinking the MFT for the whole drive is in the primary partition? if so will this ah heck the other data partitions up if I reformat it on it's own?

2) The last time I did this was with Win XP and I seem to recall there was a format option on the Windows disk, I can't find this on the Win 7 disk, just a Windows re-install option. I have tried that, assuming this was shorthand for reformat and re-install but it has left some old AMD and Autodesk program folders on the C: so it mustn't be wiping it. Is there another way to reformat a partition other than using the installation disk? (the folders that were left were on the main C: not in the "Program Files" folders).

 

[Coup27]

C = Windows and software
D = Data 1
E = Data 2

The simplist way to understand this is there is a MFT present on each of the partitions on your disk. That way any partition can be accessed when the drive is inserted into any machine. If you format C, it will not effect the contents of D or E in anyway, unless any of the data on D or E links back to C in anyway.

To format and install Windows, you need a disc or Windows on a stick. I am not sure what you selected for the reinstall but it clearly just reinstalled over the top of your existing install, or ran a repair on your existing install.

You need a Windows 7 disc, boot it, choose install Windows and then customise. It will take you to a partition table editor. Select your existing C drive, format it, and the install to it.

This will give you a brand new clean Windows on C while leaving D and E untouched. D and E will also appear in the new My Computer as data1 and data2 and will be fully accessible.

Make sure D and E are backed up before hand though, just incase.

 

[boing]

Brilliant, thanks for the reply Coup, I thought each partition had it's own MFT but didn't want to risk charging in, the problem with the reinstall was that I wasn't going into the 'customise' part, I think that was the problem, I'll give that a go.


Many thanks.