How to uninstall Windows: prepare to reinstall

It's worth paying tribute to the programmers from Microsoft: after folding the line of Windows 9x all subsequent operating systems are increasingly resistant to various failures. For example, if in the time of the famous "95-98" the expression "Blue Screen of Death" (BSOD) was familiar to each user, now newcomers who started studying the world of operating systems with Win 7 may not even know what BSOD is. The absence of serious errors and the improved memory manager allowed to achieve high reliability of the system: many Win 7 works for years without reinstallation.

Nevertheless, sometimes there is a need to reinstall, and at this stage there may be some difficulties, for example, many simply do not know the answer to the question "how to remove Windows". This operation allows you to free up several gigabytes of disk space. To remove Windows 7 is simple enough if you know the order of the actions.

Let's look at an example from life: the computer was infected with a virus that extorts money, and does not load. It is impossible to use the antivirus, because there is no Internet for downloading, and to search for acquaintances with the computer means a loss of time, often exceeding the period for reinstalling Windows. In fact, the reasons for looking for a way to remove Windows can be different.

In any case, the initial data is the operating system folder on the disk partition, which should be deleted. There are three ways to remove Windows, so you need to select the most appropriate one. We list them.

The first is the simplest, but at the same time, the least flexible. Its use is possible if the hard disk is divided into several partitions, among which one is assigned to the system. The second condition is that important user files were saved on other partitions or "nothing of value is there." In this case, it is not necessary to search the Web for answers to the question of how to remove Windows, because the problem is solved in a few minutes. You must run the operating system installation (Windows or Linux). At one of the initial stages, the partition manager will be loaded, and the user will see a dialog box with possible actions on the hard disk. You should select the system partition and format it. All data will be deleted. It is important not to confuse anything and correctly specify the target partition. The main drawback of this method, in some cases rendering it completely unusable, is the impossibility of such formatting if there is only one main partition on the hard disk.

The second way to remove Windows is to download the LiveCD from a pre-prepared CD or flash drive. The Live system is the same Windows (Linux), but with support for only the basic functions. From the shell to delete the folder with the old system will be able to everyone. If you do not allow access to the files, you should add yourself to the list of owners: the right mouse button on the folder, then "Properties - Security - Advanced - Owner" ("change", tick and assign yourself). This order is relevant for LiveCD based on Windows 7. Note that many CDs that carry an operating system distribution and many auxiliary programs (for example, the famous Zver DVD) already contain the option to download the LiveCD in the menu.

The third way is implemented by the installer. If necessary, re-install the Seven. Having started the installation from the distribution, the choice of the target disk for the operating system will be offered. Specify exactly the section on which there is an "old" system. The installer will copy all the system folders to Windows.old, whereupon all user data can be easily restored. If you then can not perform the removal of Windows.old, we read the recommendations given for the second method (how to assign yourself as the owner).