How to remove Partition on Drive

[mg2909]

Hi all,

Further to my previous post, whereby I installed a SSD into my HP pc, I now wish to use the original 2TB hard drive as a storage unit.

The drive appears to be partioned into 4 chunks, please see attached image.

How can I remove the partitions so that I can utlise the whole capacity of the drive? The only option I appear to have is on the section labelled Windows F: to format shrink or delete volume.

Help as always much appreciated.

Regards.

[Grzwacz]

Hello

Will try to assist you.

You want to remove or delete each patition volume for the HDD. The reserved Windows volume may not be able to be removed. You will need to use a partition manager for that one.

Then create new volume for unused space created. Then quick format with NTFS.

Grzy

[mdklassen]

I would advise that you do NOT delete all the partitions.

Just use 'FORMAT' on the 'F:' drive, with the "quick-format" option, to delete ALL the files on that drive-letter, to quickly create an "empty" partition for your data.

The amount of additional disk-space that you would gain by deleting the other 3 partitions is "minimal" -- less than 1% of the 2TB -- and you would lose the 'EFI' and the 'System Image" files. Bad!

[Grzwacz]

Hello

Yes, very little space to be gained by using entire HDD by removing reserved system and HP recovery partitions.

But I disagree on bad effect.

First, PC is UEFI and uses GPT. Removing reserved partition has no effect on EFI. The HDD will be data drive and run as Basic GPT disk by default.

I hope mg2909 has made plans for HP recovery or other recovery option as there seems to be no HP recovery partition on new SSD.

Grzy

[mdklassen]

> I hope mg2909 has made plans for HP recovery or other recovery option as there seems to be no HP recovery partition on new SSD.

Yes, it would be "bad" to delete the "recovery" and "image" partitions, just to gain less than 1% of "usable" space on the 2TB (huge!) disk-drive.

Leave those partitions alone -- if you need them, at some time in the future, and you have deleted them, you could "paint yourself into a corner".

[mg2909]

I appreciate the responses, and will take on board your suggestions regarding keeping the "recovery" and "image" partitions. As you both say, not much extra space to be gained there.

A couple of questions though. How does one use the recovery image when something goes wrong and how is this different to the WIndows 10 media creation tool which I have now got on a USB stick, which Erico kindly gave me the link for:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Thanks.

[Grzwacz]

Hello

You are welcome.

Did you make an HP Recovery discs or USB drive. You might want to plug HDD back in, boot to OS, and then run HP recovery Manager and make a USB stick or DVD discs before you reformat the HDD.

The HP Recovery partition will talk to HP Recovery Manager or HP recovery option at boot in Startup Menu if you need to set your PC back to factory state.

I am not sure the HP recovery partition will work on a different SATA port and also not being part of the operating system on the new SSD.

The Win 10 Install image on USB or disc that you made using the Media creation tool can be used to repair the OS, System Restore, and reset the PC.  A reset may or may not be the same image as HP Recovery image. It depends on if HP has included drivers and software in WinPE recovery image.

A reset on non OEM system can be done and save files but not installed programs or drivers. HP may have modified this.

GRzy

[mdklassen]

> How does one use the recovery image when something goes wrong and how is this different to the WIndows 10 media creation tool which I have now got on a USB stick,

From: http://support.hp.com/ca-en/document/c04949195

Your "HP Pavilion 550-254na Desktop PC"
Product Number: T1J77EA
Release Date: 23-Jan-2016
Country/region Sold In: United Kingdom

Given that date, the version of Windows 10 that is present on the "system image" probably was the "November 2015" version, customized by HP for your specific hardware, and including extra HP-provided software.

The version of Windows 10 that is on that USB stick probably is the "July 2016" version, without any customization by HP, i.e., without specific hardware device-drivers and the extra HP software.  You'll need to download (maybe via Windows Update) those device-drivers, and install them.

[mg2909]

Thanks all for your replies, they've really helped.

[mdklassen]

>  they've really helped

Please click the "Thumbs Up" icon for the response(s) that have been helpful.