1TB internal hdd with windows 11 help delete OS and keep downloaded folder help

[boxer29]

hi i have got a 1TB internal m2 ssd in my dell running windows 11. i also have got 500 gb of date on hdd which i want to keep.
I now want to use this in an enclosure to be an external hdd, any way i can just delete the OS and keep the rest of the files.
Thanks

 

[fringle]

It will be much easier to copy the files you want to keep to a different storage device, format the drive and then copy them back. It is possible to just remove the files and folders you don't want any longer but you will likely have to edit permissions/owner in the security tab to delete them all which can be annoying and time consuming.

 

[Hayato213]

Copy the data off to another drive, then format it.

 

[boxer29]

Copy the data off to another drive, then format it.

Thanks for your reply,
is there any other method.

 

[Hayato213]

Thanks for your reply,
is there any other method.

You can delete the windows os data if you want but it is more tedious, it is easier to copy the data off to another drive or network storage, and then format.

 

[sarkwalvein]

Why don't you just delete the other files?
I mean, select them in the file browser, and then delete them.
Sure there may be a folder or two that you may not be able to delete, but that's just an irrelevant detail.
Only annoyance you will probably find is converting NTFS to exFat for a more compatible external drive experiernce.