Does installing Windows 7 format all partitions?

Question

I installed Windows 7 on a PC a few days ago. I don't remember if I chose upgrade or custom. However, when the windows started up I saw there's nothing left in the hard disk and there's only one drive (C) left with a size almost equal to the whole hard disk. The disk had more drives (C-F) before that and the windows was installed on the first drive. As far as I knew installing windows will at most format the partition in which it is installed. The computer had faced some problems before. I wonder whether deleting data on drives D,E and F is because of windows installation or another problem and is it possible to format and delete the partitions While installing Windows 7?

Answer 1

There would have to be some other problem

like some BOOT manager or you just didnt read the options it

offered you.

if you didnt check the drive partitions before the install then it is possible

that the SATA port options in the bios somehow got changed in such

a way that the disk data got scrambled. This could happen if

swopping between AF and Non AF(advanced format huge sectors) formatted drives.



All windows versions offer a crude menu system to DELETE partitions

and RE-Create them, and format them.

its always obvious what you are doing.

If windows did not offer you the chance to see these partitions then it must have

thought they did not exist.

Answer 2

I hate to tell you this, but when going through the installation steps, you didn't pay very close attention, because one of the steps asks how much space you want to allocate to Windows 7, and the default (if I remember correctly) is the full HD.



There may be some kind of recovery program that I'm unfamiliar with, but don't do ANY thing until you can find such a program. Perhaps some one else who answers this question can give you more details.



I'm sorry for your loss. :-(

Answer 3

during install you will have several options.... Upgrade or fresh install. If you fresh install, you will be given more options. Keep drives intact or reformat drive.

Why you had your hard drive partitioned into 4 drives befuddles me but its what it sounds like according to your question. Now your hard drive is divided into 1 partition. Whats the problem with that?