Format a 2nd HDD - restore later w/out losing settings?

DwarfVader

New Member
Messages
16
Greetings - sorry for the crammed title.
Basically I have 2 disks - OS on the first one, and everything else on the disk #2. Disk 2 (an HDD) is currently partitioned under GUID - and one of the partitions is my drive D:, where all of my programs, libraries, cache files and whatnot else are stored.

I would like to reformat it and use MBR. I have backed up everything to an external HDD, however, I would like to know if I can avoid re-setting everything up in Windows (from the page file to temp folders to linked Roaming/Local folders). I wonder if that's at all possible?

I am sorry if anything is unclear, please tell me if any additional info/clarification is needed. Thanks in advance.

partitions.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Schenker XMG P504
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4810MQ (2.80GHz, 4 Cores)
    Motherboard
    Notebook P15SM-A/SM1-A
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    Kingston SDD 60.02 GB (SV300S37A60G)

    WDC HDD 500.11 GB (WD5000LPVX-22V0TT0)
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    avast!
I doubt it. All your current registry entries for installed programs will be lost. If your logged in with a live ID and have the OneDrive Sync enabled so settings and customization will be backed up. You could also have a look at this, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2735227?wa=wsignin1.0

EDIT: Ops, just realized you want to redo the second hard drive. If you recreate the partition structure and match the drive letters it may work. One problem I see is some files may be locked out as in use. Windows may crash before you can get it all back to the way it is now.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
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    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
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    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
I would like to know if I can avoid re-setting everything up in Windows (from the page file to temp folders to linked Roaming/Local folders).

if those files are on the second (non-windows) disk and you format it - windows will still link to those folders - although the links will no longer be valid.. You will have to repoint the links or recreate the folders
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 3.1 > Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8700
    CPU
    I7
    Memory
    24 GB
I doubt it. All your current registry entries for installed programs will be lost. If your logged in with a live ID and have the OneDrive Sync enabled so settings and customization will be backed up. You could also have a look at this, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2735227?wa=wsignin1.0

EDIT: Ops, just realized you want to redo the second hard drive. If you recreate the partition structure and match the drive letters it may work. One problem I see is some files may be locked out as in use. Windows may crash before you can get it all back to the way it is now.

I would like to know if I can avoid re-setting everything up in Windows (from the page file to temp folders to linked Roaming/Local folders).

if those files are on the second (non-windows) disk and you format it - windows will still link to those folders - although the links will no longer be valid.. You will have to repoint the links or recreate the folders


Thanks, yes - my concern is that either Windows will crash before I can re-initiate the drive letter, or that I will lose my settings and that something is going to get messed up.
I will take a look at the Microsoft support article and see if it is helpful. Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Schenker XMG P504
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4810MQ (2.80GHz, 4 Cores)
    Motherboard
    Notebook P15SM-A/SM1-A
    Memory
    1x Crucial 8192MB SO-DIMM DDR3 1600MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M (6GB GDDR5) + Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio + NVIDIA Virtual Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic 15.6"
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Kingston SDD 60.02 GB (SV300S37A60G)

    WDC HDD 500.11 GB (WD5000LPVX-22V0TT0)
    PSU
    ('Not sure yet)
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound (fans lol)
    Internet Speed
    3.5 Mbps down/1 Mbps up
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    avast!
I doubt it. All your current registry entries for installed programs will be lost. If your logged in with a live ID and have the OneDrive Sync enabled so settings and customization will be backed up. You could also have a look at this, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2735227?wa=wsignin1.0

EDIT: Ops, just realized you want to redo the second hard drive. If you recreate the partition structure and match the drive letters it may work. One problem I see is some files may be locked out as in use. Windows may crash before you can get it all back to the way it is now.

I would like to know if I can avoid re-setting everything up in Windows (from the page file to temp folders to linked Roaming/Local folders).

if those files are on the second (non-windows) disk and you format it - windows will still link to those folders - although the links will no longer be valid.. You will have to repoint the links or recreate the folders


Thanks, yes - my concern is that either Windows will crash before I can re-initiate the drive letter, or that I will lose my settings and that something is going to get messed up.
I will take a look at the Microsoft support article and see if it is helpful. Thanks

That link likely won't help, I thought you were reinstalling Windows when I posted it. Sorry.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
That link likely won't help, I thought you were reinstalling Windows when I posted it. Sorry.
Seems so. Can I "safely remove" my HDD while Windows is running as a test, to see if it is going to cause instability? I was thinking of something like disabling it through the Device Manager, but I'm afraid I might corrupt it if I do it like that (plus, what am I going to do if it IS going to crash my system?). Any ideas?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Schenker XMG P504
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4810MQ (2.80GHz, 4 Cores)
    Motherboard
    Notebook P15SM-A/SM1-A
    Memory
    1x Crucial 8192MB SO-DIMM DDR3 1600MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M (6GB GDDR5) + Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio + NVIDIA Virtual Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic 15.6"
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Kingston SDD 60.02 GB (SV300S37A60G)

    WDC HDD 500.11 GB (WD5000LPVX-22V0TT0)
    PSU
    ('Not sure yet)
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound (fans lol)
    Internet Speed
    3.5 Mbps down/1 Mbps up
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    avast!
Your guess is as good as mine? I've never attempted anything like that. I would think you'll get error messages for sure. Whether Windows crashes or not, I don't know? If I was a betting man I would say yes, most likely.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Reformatting the hard drive to MBR will make you lose everything. Even if you back up everything, it more than likely will not restore correctly, as all the links would be gone, as others have stated. And if you have programs installed on that drive, the uninstall programs in the programs and features wouldn't work as the registry wouldn't find them due to a change in configuration.

Sounds like you should uninstall all your stuff before doing that.

I wouldn't remove a hard drive while the system is running. That would cause a power surge in your power supply and ruin the hard disk, power supply, or possibly the whole system. The only way to safely remove a hard drive while the system runs is if it supports "hot swap" but you normally only see those on a server.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40 ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS P5K PRO
    Memory
    2 GB DDR2
    Graphics Card(s)
    PNY NVIDIA Geforce GT 630
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Reformatting the hard drive to MBR

Good Catch.. You caught something that I failed to...

You can not convert Disk 1 to MBR because the system is UEFI-GPT and the system needs to have GPT disk(s)..

MBR and GPT can not coexist on the same system - it's one or the other, but not both

Just want to clear something - you referred to disk 1 and disk 2 - the system refers to them as disk 0 and disk 1
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 3.1 > Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8700
    CPU
    I7
    Memory
    24 GB
Glad to help. Yeah the new UEFI systems are required to use GPT for their file systems. I'm not even 100% sure if a UEFI system would do a hard disk with MBR. Not even for storage.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40 ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS P5K PRO
    Memory
    2 GB DDR2
    Graphics Card(s)
    PNY NVIDIA Geforce GT 630
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
A UEFI system will see the MBR disk as needing to be initialized and formatted..
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 3.1 > Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8700
    CPU
    I7
    Memory
    24 GB
That's what I thought. Thanks for that clarification
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40 ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS P5K PRO
    Memory
    2 GB DDR2
    Graphics Card(s)
    PNY NVIDIA Geforce GT 630
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Thanks for clearing it up. I suppose I'll look for another solution to my problems.

MBR and GPT can not coexist on the same system
I'm not even 100% sure if a UEFI system would do a hard disk with MBR.
In regards to MBR for storage, well, I have a question. Both my Disk 0 & 1 are indeed GUID, however, I have an external HDD which is MBR (it works fine obviously). Is it just the case with external storage (USB +drivers instead of SATA, or something, maybe?), or are your assumptions false?

My third disk/external storage - MBR:

mbr.PNG
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Schenker XMG P504
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4810MQ (2.80GHz, 4 Cores)
    Motherboard
    Notebook P15SM-A/SM1-A
    Memory
    1x Crucial 8192MB SO-DIMM DDR3 1600MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M (6GB GDDR5) + Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio + NVIDIA Virtual Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic 15.6"
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Kingston SDD 60.02 GB (SV300S37A60G)

    WDC HDD 500.11 GB (WD5000LPVX-22V0TT0)
    PSU
    ('Not sure yet)
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound (fans lol)
    Internet Speed
    3.5 Mbps down/1 Mbps up
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    avast!

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro Prieview x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    MacBook Pro Core2Duo
    CPU
    T7600
    Memory
    3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1600
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 800
    Hard Drives
    40GB
    Keyboard
    Apple
    Mouse
    Apple
    Internet Speed
    Varies
    Browser
    Various
    Antivirus
    Defender
That was what the other guy cleared up for me, as I am not fully knowledgeable of the capabilities of a UEFI system. But I do know now that it can do MBR for storage drives. For having 2 internal hard disks as 2 separate partition styles, I've never done that before, as I've never used GPT before. Its very possible it could be done, I just wasn't sure since I don't have a UEFI system to even try that
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40 ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS P5K PRO
    Memory
    2 GB DDR2
    Graphics Card(s)
    PNY NVIDIA Geforce GT 630
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
UEFI supports x64 only and only GPT (removable drives not included) and supports Secure Boot

On a UEFI system you can enable support for Legacy BIOS which will then allow for x86 and x64 with MBR partitions.. (basically disable uefi)

MBR has a four partition /disk limit, GPT has a 128 partition /disk limit..

Windows 8/8.1 setup using UEFI/GPT uses four partitions - so if that was a MBR structure, you're already at the mbr partition limit..

So to overcome the mbr partition limit, the disk is converted to gpt..

Here is a screen shoot of my PC - two internal disks / disk 0 HHD and disk 1 SSD - one USB and two ext HDD
The two internal disks are GPT and the external disks are MBR
View attachment 57685

View attachment 57686
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 3.1 > Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8700
    CPU
    I7
    Memory
    24 GB
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