For a clean Windows 10 installation, the formatting process is even more streamlined. Boot from a Windows 10 USB installation media. When you reach the "Where do you want to install Windows?" screen, you will see a list of drives and partitions. Select the SSD (ensure it has no existing partitions of importance), then click on each partition until the drive shows as "Unallocated Space." With the unallocated space selected, click New and then Apply —Windows will automatically create the necessary system partitions (EFI, MSR, and primary). Finally, select the primary partition and click Format . Windows will perform a quick NTFS format and set proper alignment automatically. This method is preferable for boot drives as it ensures the correct partition layout for UEFI booting and BitLocker encryption support.
For a clean Windows 10 installation, the formatting process is even more streamlined. Boot from a Windows 10 USB installation media. When you reach the "Where do you want to install Windows?" screen, you will see a list of drives and partitions. Select the SSD (ensure it has no existing partitions of importance), then click on each partition until the drive shows as "Unallocated Space." With the unallocated space selected, click New and then Apply —Windows will automatically create the necessary system partitions (EFI, MSR, and primary). Finally, select the primary partition and click Format . Windows will perform a quick NTFS format and set proper alignment automatically. This method is preferable for boot drives as it ensures the correct partition layout for UEFI booting and BitLocker encryption support.