New PC with Windows 11


RedLad

Active member
Member
Local time
11:32 PM
Posts
196
OS
Windows 11 Professional
Hi,

First post here!
I hope everyone is well and good. If this post should be in another location, please let me know. I have got a new PC and have Windows 11 installed. I have four drives in the machine. Two are SSD's on the motherboard and the other two are older 3.5 inch ones from my previous PC that I got the guy to hook up when I collected my new PC. The 3.5 inch ones just have data and project files on them. Windows is installed on C: on the drive on the motherboard. For peace of mind, if I want to ever install a fresh copy of Windows 11, I had a few questions in relation to it:

1. Is it really nescessary to disconnect ALL drives except the one I want to install a new fresh copy of Windows 11 to? I think I have seen this in a video on YouTube before. Does simply telling Windows during the installation that I want it to install to C: do the trick?

2. If I did install a fresh Windows, what about all of the hardward like CPU, GPU, Ram, RGB lighting etc, will the drivers for all of these parts get installed automatically or would I have to go and find them manually online?

3. I am in the process of installing my programs. I have a Macrium Reflect image of the C: drive now as it stands, with the programs that I have installed so far that are working fine. If anything goes wrong in this process of installing more programs, is it easy enough to just tell Macrium to load that image and Windows will work fine as a result of that?

4. Can someone point me to the process of getting a fresh copy installed? I did this a good while back with Windows 10, but just want to know the process for Windos 11 as it has been some time! The guy I got the PC from says I don't need a code/serial and that it is build into my system.

I am sure I will have more questions soon, but these as ones I wanted to start with.

If this helps, my main system specs are:
Asus Strix X670E-E Gaming WiFi
Ryzen 9 7950X
3080 Ti Suprim X
Corsair DDR5 64GB Dominator Platinum RGB
980 PRO NVMe M.2 SSD 1TB
970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 SSD 2TB
iCUE H150i ELITE LCD Display Liquid CPU Cooler

Thanks
 
Windows Build/Version
Windows 11 Pro 22H2 Build: 22621.1105

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming WiFi
    Memory
    DOMINATOR® PLATINUM RGB 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 DRAM 5200MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti SUPRIM X 12GB
    Hard Drives
    980 PRO NVMe M.2 SSD 1TB
    970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 SSD 2TB
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000 1000 W 80+ Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Meshify 2
    Cooling
    iCUE H150i ELITE LCD Display Liquid CPU Cooler
It depends. If there is already a system partition on one of the other disks, setup.exe might put the boot critical files there.

Easy way round that is to partition the target disk first. Then apply the wim image to the windows partition you just created, followed by bcdboot command pointing at the system partition you just created. Advanced users do this all the time. It is very quick.

if you are lazy like me, it is quite easy to do it from a currently running os so the installation can be done without booting into winpe to do the partition/apply.
Can use any decent partition manager or the handy little bootice to partition the target disk in seconds.
Can also use JFX's winntsetup with a nice gui if you cant be bothered to do the apply and bcdboot with commands.
winntsetup530

If you want to install over your current running os, then boot into winpe and bootice and winntsetup will run fine from winpe.

If that is too complicated, then unplug the other disks.
 
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My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i
  • Operating System
    win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    pentium g5400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    1x8gb 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
Welcome to Eleven Forum @RedLad

1. Disconnect all drives except the one you install Windows on. Disconnect the internet also.
2. Windows 10 or 11 will have most, if not all of the needed drivers.
3. Yes. Macrium makes you a computer god. Make sure to make Macrium's bootable rescue media.
4. You won't need the code/serial. Windows doesn't work that way anymore.




And all those specs and Windows version... put them in your System Specs on this forum. :-)






You get a gold star for making a backup after the clean install. :cool:

000000 Get backup software.png
 
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My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3374 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
I have got a new PC and have Windows 11 installed.
Welcome to Eleven Forum.....
Is it really nescessary to disconnect ALL drives except the one I want to install a new fresh copy of Windows 11 to?
It's best to, if you don't there is a chance that Windows may install the EFI partition on one of the other drives. That make things complicated, your PC won't boot if you ever remove that other drive.
If I did install a fresh Windows, what about all of the hardward like CPU, GPU, Ram, RGB lighting etc, will the drivers for all of these parts get installed automatically or would I have to go and find them manually online?
Generally Windows has most drivers you will need, maybe not the latest though. Once installed Windows Update may well offer many more drivers as optional updates. I've even had bios updates offered for my Dell laptops through Windows Update.
Can someone point me to the process of getting a fresh copy installed?
Here's the tutorial....

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
Wow, thanks so much for the welcome and quick replies. Amazing help here, that is so great to see.

@SIW2 Thanks, but I am not an advanced user to be trying that stuff so I think just disconnecting the other 3 drives is the safest option.

Wouldn't you think Windows would be clever enough to just install to the drive you tell it too. Anyway, good to know this info.

For disconnecting the drives - that is another story.

1. Can the other SSD be removed withought having to take the full motherboard out of the PC? Keep in mind I never do any of this stuff like messing around with the inside of a PC! My older Dell had slots at the front and the 3.5 inch drives simply just slid out. No wires/unscrewing etc. to remove them, it seemed great.

2. But this new PC, the guy had to do a bit of fiddling to put the two 3.5 inch drives in. I do remember him not just being able to slide them into the PC. So that is something I would need to look into also.

Cheers for the links to the fresh install guide too, very helpful.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming WiFi
    Memory
    DOMINATOR® PLATINUM RGB 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 DRAM 5200MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti SUPRIM X 12GB
    Hard Drives
    980 PRO NVMe M.2 SSD 1TB
    970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 SSD 2TB
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000 1000 W 80+ Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Meshify 2
    Cooling
    iCUE H150i ELITE LCD Display Liquid CPU Cooler
Wow, thanks so much for the welcome and quick replies. Amazing help here, that is so great to see.

@SIW2 Thanks, but I am not an advanced user to be trying that stuff so I think just disconnecting the other 3 drives is the safest option.

Wouldn't you think Windows would be clever enough to just install to the drive you tell it too. Anyway, good to know this info.

For disconnecting the drives - that is another story.

1. Can the other SSD be removed withought having to take the full motherboard out of the PC? Keep in mind I never do any of this stuff like messing around with the inside of a PC! My older Dell had slots at the front and the 3.5 inch drives simply just slid out. No wires/unscrewing etc. to remove them, it seemed great.

2. But this new PC, the guy had to do a bit of fiddling to put the two 3.5 inch drives in. I do remember him not just being able to slide them into the PC. So that is something I would need to look into also.

Cheers for the links to the fresh install guide too, very helpful.
just unplug the power connectors to the 3.5" sata disks., you can leave the disks where they are. Same with any sata 2.5" disks.

If you have an m.2 connected disk you want to avoid, you will need to remove it being careful not to lose the tiny screw.

sata power connector is the wider one. just unplug , then plug back in after you have completed the installation

sata-cablesjpeg.jpeg
 
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My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i
  • Operating System
    win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    pentium g5400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    1x8gb 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
@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.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming WiFi
    Memory
    DOMINATOR® PLATINUM RGB 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 DRAM 5200MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti SUPRIM X 12GB
    Hard Drives
    980 PRO NVMe M.2 SSD 1TB
    970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 SSD 2TB
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000 1000 W 80+ Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Meshify 2
    Cooling
    iCUE H150i ELITE LCD Display Liquid CPU Cooler
Would it be general practice to have to take out the while board to add/remove these M.2 drives?
No. just a tiny screw and then slide it out.

You shouldnt need to remove the mobo.

In this video he has the mobo out, but only so it easier to show on camera. You should be able do it with the mobo in the case.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i
  • Operating System
    win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    pentium g5400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    1x8gb 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
Please edit your profile with ALL your hardware specs. It will help us to help you
I seen you gave us the hardware specs on the first post but that isn't the way on the Forum.

To disconnect the 3.5" drives you just need to pull the SATA or power cable.
To disconnect the M.2 drive it is also easy. Make sure you disconnect the PS from the wall outlet. Remove the little screw at the board end. The card will rise up. Pull it gently.

I don't think you will have any problems with drivers but you can save all current drivers using DISM.
dism /online /export-driver /destination:E:\MyDrivers (where E:\MyDrivers is the location to save the drivers)

Let MCT built a Win 11 USB installation drive. You need a 8G (or bigger) drive.

Windows can be installed in two ways: Legacy-MBR or UEFI-GPT
To install as Legacy-MBR you must boot the installation drive as Legacy
To install as UEFI-GPT you must boot the installation drive as UEFI.

As you have a UEFI BIOS, you should install as UEFI-GPT
Detach any other drives
(SATA or Power cable) from the MB.

During POST, press F8(?) to launch the boot menu. You will see two options for the USB drive. USB UEFI (Name) and USB (Name). Select USB UEFI (Name) if you want to install as UEFI-GPT or select USB (name) if you want to install as Legacy-MBR.
Go to install and delete ALL partitions on the main drive till you have one and only one unallocated space and then proceed.
If you don't want to use MS account, there is a little trick
 
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My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 7 HP 64 - Windows 11 Pro - Lubuntu
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    custom build
    CPU
    i5 6600K - 800MHz to 4400MHz
    Motherboard
    GA-Z170-HD3P
    Memory
    4+4G GSkill DDR4 3000
    Graphics Card(s)
    IG - Intel 530
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 226BW
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    (1) -1 SM951 – 128GB M.2 AHCI PCIe SSD drive for Win 11
    (2) -1 WD SATA 3 - 1T for Data
    (3) -1 WD SATA 3 - 1T for backup
    (4) -1 BX500 SSD - 128G for Windows 7 and Lubuntu
    PSU
    Thermaltake 450W TR2 gold
    Keyboard
    Old and good Chicony mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech mX performance - 9 buttons (had to disable some)
    Internet Speed
    500 Mb/s
    Browser
    Firefox 64
  • Operating System
    Windows 7 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Q550LF
    CPU
    i7-4500U 800- 3000MHz
    Motherboard
    Asus Q550LF
    Memory
    (4+4)G DDR3 1600
    Graphics card(s)
    IG intel 4400 + NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Display LP156WF4-SPH1
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    BX500 120G SSD for Windows and programs
    & 1T HDD for data
    Internet Speed
    350 Mb/s
    Browser
    Firefox 64
If you want to be absolutely certain that the Windows installer doesn't put boot files on the wrong drive, disconnect all drives except the one you wish to be a boot drive.

However, I doubt that getting boot files on something other than the boot drive is a common occurrence. Others have posted about many clean installs without that happening.

I have done a few installs with multiple drives attached without problems.

I wonder what conditions cause the installer to spread the Windows files to be spread around? I doubt that it's random.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Amd Threadripper 7970X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte TRX50 Aero D
    Memory
    128GB (4 X 32) Kingston DDR5 5200 (RDIMM)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    Sound Card
    none (USB to speakers), Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27E1N8900 OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @ 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Crucial T700 2TB M.2 NVME SSD
    WD 4TB Blue SATA SSD
    Seagate 18TB IronWolf Pro
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1600 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL
    Cooling
    Alphacool Eisbaer Pro Aurora 360, with 3 Phanteks T30 fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Internet Speed
    1200 Mbps
  • Operating System
    windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel I9-13900K
    Motherboard
    Asus RoG Strix Z690-E
    Memory
    64GB G.Skill DDR5-6000
    Graphics card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 3090 ti
    Sound Card
    built in Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA329C
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB
    8 TB Seagate Ironwolf
    4TB Seagate Ironwolf
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
If you want to be absolutely certain that the Windows installer doesn't put boot files on the wrong drive, disconnect all drives except the one you wish to be a boot drive.

However, I doubt that getting boot files on something other than the boot drive is a common occurrence. Others have posted about many clean installs without that happening.

I have done a few installs with multiple drives attached without problems.

I wonder what conditions cause the installer to spread the Windows files to be spread around? I doubt that it's random.
Windows installer will only put the boot manager on another drive IF the other drive has or once had (and wasn't properly cleaned) another Windows installation.
If the other drives doesn't have a partition set as active (MBR) or have a UEFI partition (GPT) there is no reason to Windows installer to install the new boot manager on those drives
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 7 HP 64 - Windows 11 Pro - Lubuntu
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    custom build
    CPU
    i5 6600K - 800MHz to 4400MHz
    Motherboard
    GA-Z170-HD3P
    Memory
    4+4G GSkill DDR4 3000
    Graphics Card(s)
    IG - Intel 530
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 226BW
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    (1) -1 SM951 – 128GB M.2 AHCI PCIe SSD drive for Win 11
    (2) -1 WD SATA 3 - 1T for Data
    (3) -1 WD SATA 3 - 1T for backup
    (4) -1 BX500 SSD - 128G for Windows 7 and Lubuntu
    PSU
    Thermaltake 450W TR2 gold
    Keyboard
    Old and good Chicony mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech mX performance - 9 buttons (had to disable some)
    Internet Speed
    500 Mb/s
    Browser
    Firefox 64
  • Operating System
    Windows 7 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Q550LF
    CPU
    i7-4500U 800- 3000MHz
    Motherboard
    Asus Q550LF
    Memory
    (4+4)G DDR3 1600
    Graphics card(s)
    IG intel 4400 + NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Display LP156WF4-SPH1
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    BX500 120G SSD for Windows and programs
    & 1T HDD for data
    Internet Speed
    350 Mb/s
    Browser
    Firefox 64
Windows installer will only put the boot manager on another drive IF the other drive has or once had (and wasn't properly cleaned) another Windows installation.
If the other drives doesn't have a partition set as active (MBR) or have a UEFI partition (GPT) there is no reason to Windows installer to install the new boot manager on those drives
Thanks for the explanation.

That means that the OP needn't worry about disconnecting drives to do a clean install.

It also makes me feel wise about deleting the partitions on a boot drive before re-using it as a data drive.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Amd Threadripper 7970X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte TRX50 Aero D
    Memory
    128GB (4 X 32) Kingston DDR5 5200 (RDIMM)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    Sound Card
    none (USB to speakers), Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27E1N8900 OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @ 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Crucial T700 2TB M.2 NVME SSD
    WD 4TB Blue SATA SSD
    Seagate 18TB IronWolf Pro
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1600 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL
    Cooling
    Alphacool Eisbaer Pro Aurora 360, with 3 Phanteks T30 fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Internet Speed
    1200 Mbps
  • Operating System
    windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel I9-13900K
    Motherboard
    Asus RoG Strix Z690-E
    Memory
    64GB G.Skill DDR5-6000
    Graphics card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 3090 ti
    Sound Card
    built in Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA329C
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB
    8 TB Seagate Ironwolf
    4TB Seagate Ironwolf
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
Doing hundreds of Windows, I have never disconnected any drives. You can for peace of mind and to prevent accidentally erasing the wrong drive, but I never have.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Homebuilt
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero (WiFi)
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Education
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 7773
    CPU
    Intel i7-8550U
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce MX150
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 512GB NVMe SSD
    SK Hynix 512GB SATA SSD
    Internet Speed
    Fast!
Hi again,

I had a few questions while my PC is slowly settling down if anyone could help. I have most programs installed and everything seems very good overall. These questions are quite different to each other, but I wanted to keep them here in my thread if that is OK, so I have easy access to the information the helpful people here provide.

1. I keep getting pop-up messages about about protected folder access being blocked when I try to open/run certain programs. One program wouldn't even carry out its task untill I clicked on the popup and gave it access. I just disappered/crashed to the desktop untill I gave the access. I'm not 100% sure of the exact text that appears, but it is something along the lines of 'Protected folder access blocked. Your administrator has blocked this action.'

An example is when I launched Unreal Engine, the pop-up is also happening.

I don't recall seing this as much, if at all, on Windows 10. Can anyone give an insight to this? Would it be the way the guy who built my PC has set it up for some reason, or is it just a Windows 11 thing?

2. My motherboard rgb light is staying on when I shut down my PC, which I find to be a bit weird. It is an Asus Strix X670E-E Gaming WiFi motherboard. Would you recomment to disable this? Would it use any power?

3. This is kind of related to the last question - my graphics card (MSI 3080 Ti SUPRIM X 12GB) has rgb also. But the rgb on it seems to have a life of its own and doesn't have any options to change it in my iCUE software. It is in a continuous cycle of rainbow colours, with a soft repeat/pulse whatever it is usually called. The guy that built the machine for me said that he tried installing MSI's own rgb sortware for the graphics card, but it was causing conflicts. Not sure if he meant crashing or conflicts with the iCUE software. Can anyone recommend what to do in order to get control of the rgb on the graphics card?

4. The last question for now! My Wacom Intuos 4 (PTK-640). Wacom have said in an email that 'there are no compatible drivers for Intuos 4 under Windows 11.' The tablet worked fine in Windows 10. If I installed the driver for Windows 10 would it maybe work then? I have heard Windows 11 is built on the same architecture as Windows 11? This is the release not page for it:

Thanks so much
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming WiFi
    Memory
    DOMINATOR® PLATINUM RGB 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 DRAM 5200MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti SUPRIM X 12GB
    Hard Drives
    980 PRO NVMe M.2 SSD 1TB
    970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 SSD 2TB
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000 1000 W 80+ Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Meshify 2
    Cooling
    iCUE H150i ELITE LCD Display Liquid CPU Cooler
No takers here this time guys? People were falling over each other the last time to help me!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming WiFi
    Memory
    DOMINATOR® PLATINUM RGB 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 DRAM 5200MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti SUPRIM X 12GB
    Hard Drives
    980 PRO NVMe M.2 SSD 1TB
    970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 SSD 2TB
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000 1000 W 80+ Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Meshify 2
    Cooling
    iCUE H150i ELITE LCD Display Liquid CPU Cooler
Check the "Smart App Control" Settings. It might be in evaluation mode if this is a relatively new Windows 11 installation.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    macOS (plus VMs: Windows XP, 7, 10 Home/Pro, 11 Home/Pro, Linux Distros)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    a) Apple MacBook Pro (Intel) - 2019 b) Apple MacBook Pro M1 MAX - 2021
    CPU
    a) Intel i9 b) M1 MAX (ARM)
    Memory
    a) 16GB b) 32GB
    Hard Drives
    a) 1TB SSD + 256GB SD Card b) 1TB SSD (+ 1TB SD Card)
    Browser
    a) Safari/Vivaldi/DuckDuckGo b) Safari/DuckDuckGo
    Antivirus
    -
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro (plus VirtualBox VMs: Windows 11 Pro & Linux Distros)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    a) Microsoft Surface Book 2, b) HP Spectre X360
    CPU
    a) i7, b) i7
    Memory
    a) 16GB, b) 16GB
    Hard Drives
    a) 1TB SSD, b) 1TB SSD
    Browser
    a) MS Edge, b) MS Edge
    Antivirus
    a) Defender, b) Defender
I'll echo the earlier remark about the utility of re-formatting Windows drives before re-using them. I'm in that habit myself, and have only run into the "whoops -- wrong efi!" error on laptops where I've upgraded from smaller to bigger drives, then forgotten to reformat the previous Windows/boot drive. Sigh.
Live and learn!
--Ed--
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo X380 Yoga
    CPU
    i7-8650U (8th Gen/Kaby Lake)
    Motherboard
    20LH000MUS (U3E1)
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Sound Card
    Integrated Conexant SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    FlexView Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 1 TB PCIe x3 NVMe SSD
    external 5TB Seagate USB-C attached HDD
    PSU
    Lenovo integrated 65W power brick
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    Laptop
    Keyboard
    Integrated Lenovo ThinkPad keyboard
    Mouse
    touchscreen, touchpad
    Internet Speed
    GbE (Spectrum/Charter)
    Browser
    all of em
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Purchased early 2019 as Windows Insider test PC
Check the "Smart App Control" Settings. It might be in evaluation mode if this is a relatively new Windows 11 installation.
That is turned off
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming WiFi
    Memory
    DOMINATOR® PLATINUM RGB 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 DRAM 5200MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti SUPRIM X 12GB
    Hard Drives
    980 PRO NVMe M.2 SSD 1TB
    970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 SSD 2TB
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000 1000 W 80+ Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Meshify 2
    Cooling
    iCUE H150i ELITE LCD Display Liquid CPU Cooler
#2. A motherboard can indeed have a light on it as long as it it plugged into a wall socket/surge protector. One has to hold down the power switch for 8-10 seconds for the Operating System to be fully shutdown but still will have power to the board until unplugged from the power source. The switch only tells the motherboard to get started, feature of ATX-style boards and controls what the power supply does.

EDIT: left out a word.
The switch on computers with the old AT-Style boards 15-20 or more years ago attached directly to the power supply.
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
Just wanted to add - if you ever do decide to do a clean install, you can save all your current drivers first, just in case Windows doesn't find any. There's a link on here I believe - if someone could kindly find it!

As for a good copy of Windows 11 - download from the Microsoft site and burn to a usb.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 14-ce3514sa
    CPU
    Core i5
    Memory
    16gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 evo plus 2TB
    Cooling
    Could be better
    Internet Speed
    200mbps Starlink
    Browser
    Firefox
    Other Info
    Originally installed with a 500gb H10 Optane ssd

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