New PC with Windows 11

RedLad · Feb 7, 2023

Bree said:
No, there is no default name, you have to supply one. The person who set it up chose it.

Thanks Bree, that is good to know.

RedLad · Feb 9, 2023

For removing the two sata drives before the clean install, is it just these two cables that I can unplug? Just making sure

Megahertz · Feb 9, 2023

RedLad said:
For removing the two sata drives before the clean install, is it just these two cables that I can unplug? Just making sure
View attachment 52251

Yes. Make sure the computer is off.
As an option, instead of unplug the cables you can disable the SATA port on BIOS.

ThrashZone · Feb 9, 2023

RedLad said:
@SIW2 thanks. Yes, the drives on the motherboard are M.2. So maybe I will try hunt down a guide for this specific motherboard about removing that second drive. Would it be general practice to have to take out the while board to add/remove these M.2 drives? Also the GPU, would that need to be taken out? Sorry for these noob questions.

This clean install isn't something I have to do now, but I will have to do so at some stage.

Hi,
Easier to disable the storage m.2 in bios.

NavyLCDR · Feb 9, 2023

Even easier to just leave it alone. Hundreds of Windows 10/11 installs here and I have never disconnected or disabled any second, third, or fourth drives.

RedLad · Feb 9, 2023

ThrashZone said:
Hi,
Easier to disable the storage m.2 in bios.

That's possible too, I like tha sound of this method. I will look into this.

About that 2nd drive - Is it recommended to format it in Windows before doing the wipe? I have hardly used it at all since I got the PC, just a few DaVinci Resolve exports were sent to the drive. But I would like to reset it to as it was when I forst got it.

I am nearly sure I read somewhere before (maybe on here!) that doing a right click and format on these ssd drives isn't good for them and you should use other tools for doing it? Like Samsung Magician?

Megahertz · Feb 9, 2023

RedLad said:
That's possible too, I like tha sound of this method. I will look into this.

About that 2nd drive - Is it recommended to format it in Windows before doing the wipe? I have hardly used it at all since I got the PC, just a few DaVinci Resolve exports were sent to the drive. But I would like to reset it to as it was when I forst got it.

I am nearly sure I read somewhere before (maybe on here!) that doing a right click and format on these ssd drives isn't good for them and you should use other tools for doing it? Like Samsung Magician?

A quick format won't damage it more than a delete.
If the drive has many partitions you should delete all partitions and then create a new partition and format it.
Please post a whole window Disk Manager image of your drives. Don't forget to expand the columns so we can read them. How to Post a Screenshot of Disk Management
If you have a MiniTool or AOMEI Partition use it instead or Windows disk manager.

RedLad · Feb 9, 2023

NavyLCDR said:
Even easier to just leave it alone. Hundreds of Windows 10/11 installs here and I have never disconnected or disabled any second, third, or fourth drives.

Thanks for the reply. But some say that certain installation files can get installed to the second drive it it is left in. Have you never had this happen? I think for peace of mind, I'd just want one drive visible during installation. A bit OCD

RedLad · Feb 9, 2023

Megahertz said:
A quick format won't damage it more than a delete.
If the drive has many partitions you should delete all partitions and then create a new partition and format it.
Please post a whole window Disk Manager image of your drives. Don't forget to expand the columns so we can read them. How to Post a Screenshot of Disk Management
If you have a MiniTool or AOMEI Partition use it instead or Windows disk manager.

Megahertz · Feb 10, 2023

Drives 3 (D:), drive 0 (E:) or drive 1 (F:) are single partition data drives. Just quick format the one you want to erase.

As Drives 3 (D:), drive 0 (E:) or drive 1 (F:) have no traces of a Windows installation you don't need to detach (SATA or power cable) from the MB during re-installation on drive 2

glasskuter · Feb 10, 2023

Good to have you on the forum @RedLad.
How are the rest of you keeping the questions/answers in this thread straight as it keeps jumping from one issue to another within the thread. I'm sorry but I am having a problem following everything. It makes it easier for both the poster and those trying to assist if a thread concerns one (maybe 2)specific issue at a time. It also makes it possible for other users with the same question find answers.
Apologies, but my old mind has become one track in my old age.

ThrashZone · Feb 10, 2023

RedLad said:
Thanks for the reply. But some say that certain installation files can get installed to the second drive it it is left in. Have you never had this happen? I think for peace of mind, I'd just want one drive visible during installation. A bit OCD

Hi,
You usually only have an issue if you get lucky and the drive with boot files dies and os can't boot anymore :plead:

op:
I would usually go into bios and disable all but os if m.2 were used and if sata to unless it was harder than disconnecting the sata data cable.
Better safe than sorry in my book.

NavyLCDR · Feb 10, 2023

RedLad said:
Thanks for the reply. But some say that certain installation files can get installed to the second drive it it is left in. Have you never had this happen? I think for peace of mind, I'd just want one drive visible during installation. A bit OCD

If by some chance the boot files do get installed on a second drive, it is easier and faster to fix it with diskpart and bcdboot commands than it is to open a case and pull off connections to drive(s) - and much, much easier than pulling out an M.2 slot SSD and risk dropping that tiny little screw that holds it in place. It takes me less than 2 minutes to create a new system partition on an existing drive where Windows is installed and no removing screws, panels or cables to do it.

My desktop computer has 5 physical drives attached via a combination of M.2 slots, SATA ports, and an add-on M.2 PCIE adapter card. I can't image removing 4 out of 5 of those drives just to install Windows. And all three of my laptop computers have two drives. I can't imagine removing the screws from the bottom of the laptop and opening up the bottom panel with a guitar pick like tool just to get to a second drive to remove it in order to install Windows.

cereberus · Feb 10, 2023

ThrashZone said:
Hi,
Easier to disable the storage m.2 in bios.

I tried that on my pc and the installer fell over.

RedLad · Feb 10, 2023

glasskuter said:
Good to have you on the forum @RedLad.
How are the rest of you keeping the questions/answers in this thread straight as it keeps jumping from one issue to another within the thread. I'm sorry but I am having a problem following everything. It makes it easier for both the poster and those trying to assist if a thread concerns one (maybe 2)specific issue at a time. It also makes it possible for other users with the same question find answers.
Apologies, but my old mind has become one track in my old age.

Hi glassjuter, yeah I understand what you are saying. I kind of wanted to just have one thread instead of lots of them. I'm always having to ask questions and if I had to keep making new threads for them, it would be a bit of a mess I feel.

RedLad · Feb 11, 2023

I don't believe this. I'm at the screen where I'm meant to hit Shift + F10 to type in the command oobe\bypassnro

It won't even allow me to type one letter. Me and computers just do not go well together!!!

Any ideas??

RedLad · Feb 11, 2023

Please ignore that last post by me. I didn't know you had to click into the window to activate typing. I told you we don't go well together hahaha

Bree · Feb 11, 2023

RedLad said:
It won't even allow me to type one letter. Me and computers just do not go well together!!!

RedLad said:
Please ignore that last post by me. I didn't know you had to click into the window to activate typing. I told you we don't go well together hahaha

When you opened the command prompt that window didn't have focus yet ('focus' is which window is active and where you typing goes to). Clicking on it switched focus from the setup page to the command prompt. I can't say I've ever noticed that I needed to do that, but then I've been around Windows so long that I probably did it automatically without thinking about it :wink: