A question regarding Windows 10 clean reinstall

[BadKarmaPT 48]

I'm about to do a clean reinstall of Windows 10 on my C : drive to solve some issues I'm having.

My question is, since my libraries (Documents, Pictures, Music and Videos) are on D : drive, are they safe from the reinstall process?

This is probably a silly question but I want to be sure I'm not losing any files on other drives other than C :.

Thank you!

[BIGSKY 316]

I always unplug all my other drives,only made that mistake once.....

[jmdriskell 178]

I'd get an external drive and back up everything before rebuilding your system.  Your libraries on your d drive are currently linked to the system on the c drive so they may be affected during the rebuild.

[somiller 694]

WTH, Jim Driscoll, and James M. Driskell - consecutive comments on the same thread - what are the chances.

I'm going out to buy lottery tickets!

[jmdriskell 178]

Haw, haw!  The only question is who doesn't know how to spell his own name! 🐵

[GB014934 5]

Another alternative is to change the location of each of the folders (Documents, Pictures etc) back to the C Drive  BUT do NOT take the option you are given to move the files. In this way Windows does not see your D drive as holding the data.  Do your clean install and afterwards move the folders back to the D drive.  I have not found an easy way to change the location - such as a powershell script - so each folder has to be changed manually. This is a bit of a fag but better a bit of work than lose your data.

[BadKarmaPT 48]

10 hours ago, GB014934 said:

Another alternative is to change the location of each of the folders (Documents, Pictures etc) back to the C Drive  BUT do NOT take the option you are given to move the files. In this way Windows does not see your D drive as holding the data.  Do your clean install and afterwards move the folders back to the D drive.  I have not found an easy way to change the location - such as a powershell script - so each folder has to be changed manually. This is a bit of a fag but better a bit of work than lose your data.

When I installed Windows 10 I changed the path to those folders to drive D :.

Maybe it would be enough to revert that change? 

I guess all I need to know is the path to those folders on a "default" Windows 10 install.

Something like (c :\windows\libraries\) maybe?

Edited September 22, 2021 by BadKarmaPT

[pgde 571]

The path for documents (as an example) is C:\Users\<username>\Documents. Ditto for Music, Pictures, etc.

[udidwht 133]

[pete_auau 1,159]

here a link

used  this  before  with no issues in losing  any  of  your  data  or  games  etc