May I safely delete program and Windows folders on my transplanted E: drive?

RichmondDan · Oct 19, 2025

24H2 OS Build 26 100.6899

I removed my C: HDD from my Windows 10 PC and installed it in my Windows 11 PC as the E: drive. All of my programs are now installed on my C: drive and I'm using the E: drive solely for data storage. May I safely delete all of the program and Windows files from the E: drive?

allan · Oct 19, 2025

Winuser · Oct 19, 2025

Just make sure that you have saved everything you want then go for it.

Spunk · Oct 19, 2025

If all the User files on the E: drive are either backed up or on your C: drive, then just Format the E: drive.
Press the Windows key +X and choose Disk Management.
right click the E: drive in the lower pane and choose Format.
This will clear the drive and you can then use that drive for backup storage.

RichmondDan · Oct 19, 2025

@Winuser
That's kind of my question: why would I want or need anything from my program files or Windows files if I'm only using that drive for storage? In fact, can I just have four folders in that drive (pictures, videos, documents, and music) and delete all other folders?

antspants · Oct 19, 2025

RichmondDan said:
@Winuser
That's kind of my question: why would I want or need anything from my program files or Windows files if I'm only using that drive for storage? In fact, can I just have four folders in that drive (pictures, videos, documents, and music) and delete all other folders?

Create the folders on the E drive.
- pictures, videos, documents, and music
Move any files you want from the old User folder on the E drive, (Users your name etc etc) into the corresponding folders you just created.
Delete all other folders (The old OS) and leave the new folders you created that now have your files etc.
Follow these tutorials to let Windows know where you have moved your user folders to:
- Windows 11 (on the new C drive) will then use those folders as the new defaults
- So if you save a document to the Documents folder, it will be in E:\DocumentsBecause thats where you have told Windows 11 that your new folders live by default

Move or Restore Default Location of Documents Folder in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to move or restore the default location of the Documents folder for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11. The Documents folder (shell:personal) is a component of the user profile that is used as a unified location for storing personal data. By default, the...

www.elevenforum.com

Using any one of these tutorials basically teaches you how to move any user folder, only the folder changes in the tutorials.

Spunk · Oct 19, 2025

The cleanest easiest way to do in Disk Management,
Delete all partitions until the disk is all Unallocated Space.
A Windows disk has hidden system partitions you also don't need.
Windows will not allow you to Delete the Windows files on the E: drive. Deleting partitions and creating one partition is the cleanest option.

Right click that Unallocated Space and create a new Simple Volume, Format it NTFS, Name it, and give it a drive letter.

Browse that drive and either create those 4 folders. And open each one individually, and copy and paste the files you want to add to those folders.
Or drag and drop or copy and paste those folders to the E: drive.

As stated by @antspants, you can move the Default User files to the E: drive. This saves space on the C: drive and if anything happens to the C: drive your user drives will be saved on another drive.

Winuser · Oct 19, 2025

RichmondDan said:
That's kind of my question: why would I want or need anything from my program files or Windows files

I was thinking more in line with personal files and folders. As for answer to the question, why would I, only you can answer that question.

SIW2 · Oct 19, 2025

can I just have four folders in that drive (pictures, videos, documents, and music) and delete all other folders?

you will find it difficult to delete the os files from the other disk. boot to winre to do it or use something that bypasses permissions.

if there is nothing on there that you want you could format it instead of deleting

The way I do it is to first use regular windows explorer to delete the windows\system32\config folder

then use dism++ file explorer to delete the windows namespace folders

https://github.com/Chuyu-Team/Dism-Multi-language/releases/download/v10.1.1002.2/Dism++10.1.1002.1B.zip

( Delete the config folder first, because when you fire up dism++ it searches for windows installations and lists them across the top. You woint be able to delete the hives while dism++ has hold of them )

glasskuter · Oct 19, 2025

I don't think anyone has asked whether this user uses a Microsoft account and syncs to Onedrive on the new computer. If so Onedrive will have to be dealt with first.
Before I spend my time writing out how to handle this correctly, @RichmondDan needs to provide that information.

IMO he should do it right...and clean...so in the end he will end up with a cleanly formatted drive with his data files moved correctly and no permission problems. That's just the way I do things. Shortcutting is not for me. I don't want permission or BCD problems later. We've all seen what can happen when a user has 2 drives, both with BCD configurations on them.

Winuser · Oct 19, 2025

glasskuter said:
I don't think anyone has asked whether this user uses a Microsoft account and syncs to Onedrive on the new computer. If so Onedrive will have to be dealt with first.

OneDrive shouldn't have anything to do with deleting any files on the drive. The drive is no longer the system drive.

RichmondDan · Oct 20, 2025

For what it's worth, I turned off OneDrive then uninstalled it.

DJNelson · Oct 20, 2025

You can safely delete whatever you need to from the old drive.

I learned the hard way, when I was learning how to debloat windows, to do things a little differently. I keep all of my applications and important files on a separate drive from windows, and copy, zip and paste the USER and PROGRAMDATA folders on a regular basis, which ensures most of my application settings and all of my important files will survive a clean install.

allan · Oct 20, 2025

DJNelson said:
You can safely delete whatever you need to from the old drive.

I learned the hard way, when I was learning how to debloat windows, to do things a little differently. I keep all of my applications and important files on a separate drive from windows, and copy, zip and paste the USER and PROGRAMDATA folders on a regular basis, which ensures most of my application settings and all of my important files will survive a clean install.

So does imaging the drive(s) on a regular basis.

DJNelson · Oct 20, 2025

allan said:
So does imaging the drive(s) on a regular basis.

Yes. That is a more efficient way to back up a typical software setup, if you have the right tools. I would do that myself, but I don't want the wear and tear on the SSDs. My eyes are going bad, and those little m2 screws are getting difficult to thread.

SIW2 · Oct 20, 2025

My eyes are going bad, and those little m2 screws are getting difficult to thread.

These dual bay caddies are handy. Put the caddy in a 5.25 bay on front of pc case. Slide in 2.5 ssd or 3.5 hd easily. Has a power switch so turn on or off as desired

obviously need to screw the caddy into bay but it only has to be done once.

you can probabaly find it cheaper than below

Amazon.com

SIW2 · Oct 20, 2025

The os I am currently posting from is on a 2.5 ssd in the top tray of one those

I also cba fiddling inside the case with those wee m.2 screws

Spunk · Oct 20, 2025

DJNelson said:
Yes. That is a more efficient way to back up a typical software setup, if you have the right tools. I would do that myself, but I don't want the wear and tear on the SSDs. My eyes are going bad, and those little m2 screws are getting difficult to thread.

You do not have to remove a drive to Image it. If you use a 3rd party imaging app like the free Hasleo Backup Suite your Windows drive and save that image to a secondary internal drive or to a USB HDD to restore it in case of disaster.

May I safely delete program and Windows folders on my transplanted E: drive?

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