Make a partition after cmd -> diskpart is used to clean an HD

[loninappleton]

I'm practicing with the tutorial at SevenForums called "SSD/HDD Optimize when you're ready to reinstall the operating system."

The practice is on an old drive.

I ran the clean command.

In the boot drive, the cleaned disk is now not shown.
I'm confused on how to simply put a format on the cleaned drive.
I was going to use administrator tools disk management to do this. But if the spare cleaned disk is not shown, how should I proceed?

The sample screen shots show Drive X: which is normally shown when Win & Repair Environment is run.

I have little experience working with these commands but want to add an SSD sometime. My boot drive is secure yet. I'll find the exact thread for reference.

 

[loninappleton]

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

Here is the thread. Apparently there are others to 'optimize' as well.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

After "clean" completes in Diskpart, to format that same disk you would enter these commands:

create partition primary (this will create one primary partition covering the entire drive)

select partition 1 (this selects the partition you just made)

active (this marks that partition active)

format fs=ntfs quick (this formats that partition)

exit (this quits the diskpart program)

exit (this closes the command prompt window)

You would then continue with the Windows installation and tell Windows to install into the partition you just created when you come to the screen that asks you "where do you want to install Windows".

 

[loninappleton]

Thanks for the detailed reply.

I see now that the procedure should be run from the Win7 installation disk during a real time install and is not the same as the Manage Disk procedure in Win7.

Since all installation procedures are scary my last question is: can any errors occur loading the Win7 install disk and going back and forth using these utilities?

I guess I thought that cleaning did some sort of extra good during a reformat/disk wipe.

Since I'm not at the point of doing a scratch install immediately I will save this
for when I add the SDD.

 

[AddRAM]

Diskpart is fine, but using a Partition Wizard Boot CD is so much easier.

Bootable Partition Manager| MiniTool Partition Wizard Bootable Edition

 

[ignatzatsonic]

my last question is: can any errors occur loading the Win7 install disk and going back and forth using these utilities?

I guess I thought that cleaning did some sort of extra good during a reformat/disk wipe.

I've never had any issues. You enter diskpart by hitting F10 when you get to the screen where the installer asks you what language you want to use. I think that's the very first screen. You exit diskpart as shown in my commands above and are automatically dumped back to that language screen. Select English there and continue.

You don't have to use diskpart at all if you don't want to--let alone the "clean" command. Unless you were having installation problems and wanted to make sure the disk was empty.

If the disk had stuff on it, all you'd normally have to do is delete all partitions when you come to the "where do you want to install Windows" screen. That would leave nothing but "unallocated space". You'd then tell the installer to install to that unallocated space. You'd end up with a big C and a small "System Reserved".

I like to use diskpart because if you use the commands I mentioned above, you will NOT end up with a System Reserved partition. You'd just have a C partition, nothing else.

System Reserved in a standard install contains the boot files. You need the boot files, but it's fine if they are on C--which is where they will be if you use the commands I listed.

"Clean" is useful if you have a disk with something on it that you want to eliminate--like on a reinstall when you want to start over. But for a new hard drive or SSD, right out of the box, there's no reason to use "clean".

 

[loninappleton]

Thanks for the follow-up and well-received. I'll look at the wizard soon.