Is it necessary to remove partitions before reformatting HDD

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Windows hosts.
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appollo147
Posts: 3
Joined: 27. Jul 2015, 10:37

Is it necessary to remove partitions before reformatting HDD

Post by appollo147 »

I am wanting to reformat my HDD and was needing to know If I need to remove all my Virtualbox Partitions before doing so. If it is necessary, could someone please tell me how to remove them as I am fairly new to using Virtualbox. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
mpack
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Posts: 39134
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: VirtualBox+Oracle ExtPack
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Re: Is it necessary to remove partitions before reformatting

Post by mpack »

VirtualBox doesn't create any partitions. It uses normal host files. Like all other host files they'll be lost when the host partition is reformatted.

But just FYI as well: if you actually reformat the hdd rather than just the system partition (C:\) then yes, you would lose all other partitions on the drive.

These are rather basic questions about a very dangerous operation. Perhaps you should get local hands on advice before you do anything.
appollo147
Posts: 3
Joined: 27. Jul 2015, 10:37

Re: Is it necessary to remove partitions before reformatting

Post by appollo147 »

Thank you for the quick reply. I know I will lose everything on my HDD, that is my intention. I just wanted to make sure virtualbox wouldn't cause any conflicts with the process.
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