You manually choose which drive to format. Other drives are only affected if you deliberately select and format them in the "Custom" installation menu.
The keyword "exclusive" implies a specific set of circumstances where a clean install does wipe all drives. These are edge cases, but they happen frequently. does clean install wipe all drives exclusive
Once the clean installation is complete and you have reached your new desktop: Shut down the computer. Reconnect the cables to your secondary storage drives. Power on the PC. You manually choose which drive to format
The installation wizard allows users to delete partitions to create unallocated space. Clicking "Delete" on a partition belonging to a secondary backup drive will instantly destroy the file system structure on that drive. 3. Automatic Drive Reordering These are edge cases, but they happen frequently
It's crucial to understand that while your files on other drives will remain safe, many applications store critical data and configuration files on the system drive (C:). Even if you have installed a game or large software program to your D:\ drive, a clean install of Windows will wipe out all the registry entries and necessary data on the C:\ drive, which will likely break those applications. Therefore, you should plan to reinstall all your programs after a clean Windows installation.
Before starting, give your partitions clear names (e.g., "Games," "Backup") in File Explorer. During the installation screen, these labels help you identify which drive is which, as they may not appear as "C:" or "D:".