How to use Diskpart with a Empty Laptop Hard Drive

[nkaufman]

I have a laptop hard drive that I'm trying to clean with Diskpart.

I was wondering if I can use a USB to SATA/IDE Adapter and connect this harddrive to a Win-7 Laptop and use diskpart OR
Do I need to install this in a laptop, use Win-7 install disk and try to use "Recovery Tools" if it can be used at all?

What is the preferred choice - a or b or something else?

thanks for your assistance

 

[AddRAM]

Is it a laptop hard drive ? Then put it in the laptop.

Follow these steps exactly to use diskpart.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/119713-diskpart-pc-startup.html?ltr=D

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/91339-ssd-hdd-optimize-windows-reinstallation.html

 

[nkaufman]

Thanks for your assistance.

will be going over the second link to figure out the benefit of formatting and partitioning the disk in this manner versus letting Win-7 install disk do it.

thanks again.

repped you for your help.

 

[AddRAM]

There`s no benefit per say, but it cleans the drive, sets up a partition, aligns the HD or SSD, and sets that partition active. When done you won`t have a system reserved partition.

I myself prefer using the Partition Wizard Boot CD to set up my partitions.

http://www.partitionwizard.com/partition-wizard-bootable-cd.html

 

[gregrocker]

There's isn't any reason to use Diskpart Clean command except as a solution to installation failure which works quite often. Otherwise you only need to boot the Win7 disk, delete all partitions, create and format new as desired, as shown in Clean Install Windows 7

 

[nkaufman]

There`s no benefit per say, but it cleans the drive, sets up a partition, aligns the HD or SSD, and sets that partition active. When done you won`t have a system reserved partition.

I myself prefer using the Partition Wizard Boot CD to set up my partitions.

Partition Wizard Bootable CD allows user to manage partition directly with partition manager bootable CD.

One thing that interested me in the second link, was the ability to set the size of Reserved Partition to 200MB for Win-7 Backup and Restore. Am I missing something here?

 

[gregrocker]

As long as the System Resrved doesn't get a drive letter nothing can be written there so it will not become clogged which only affects Win7 backup imaging. I would not waste a moment's thought on whether I get a System Reserved partition. It's not worth the time pre-formatting the disk for that reason. Just boot the Win7 installation media, delete all partitions, create and Format new as you please, then install to the first partition after System Resrved.

 

[nkaufman]

As long as the System Resrved doesn't get a drive letter nothing can be written there so it will not become clogged which only affects Win7 backup imaging. I would not waste a moment's thought on whether I get a System Reserved partition. It's not worth the time pre-formatting the disk for that reason. Just boot the Win7 installation media, delete all partitions, create and Format new as you please, then install to the first partition after System Resrved.

So I take that you do not agree with the following:
"The reason for suggesting to create the System Reserved at 200MB instead of the new default of 100MB is an attempt to curb some of the issues we're now seeing with the partition being too small when dual/multi booting and it also being needed for use with the Windows 7 Backup and Restore and BitLocker programs."

from http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/91339-ssd-hdd-optimize-windows-reinstallation.html

 

[nkaufman]

There's isn't any reason to use Diskpart Clean command except as a solution to installation failure which works quite often. Otherwise you only need to boot the Win7 disk, delete all partitions, create and format new as desired, as shown in Clean Install Windows 7

I thought that using Diskpart would ensure that there is no data on the HD that I'm about to install Win-7 on. is that not correct?

Thanks.

 

[gregrocker]

The only reason to run Diskpart Clean command is to overwrite data with zeroes so that it is unrecoverable by all but forensics methods. This has no effect or offers no other benefit since the disk reader doesn't know or care whether it is writing on ones or zeroes or both, and it will always be writing on one or the other.

The efficacy of Diskpart Clean All is to clear the partition table and boot sector which overcomes certain installation failures and in rare cases stops a disk from blocking boot or other problems.

The only clearing of the disk needed before installing Win7 is to delete all partitions, create and format New ones as you please. Anything more if not specifically needed for the purposes given above is superfluous.