Many laptop users (Dell, HP, Lenovo) use the built-in "Reset this PC" or "Recovery Manager" instead of USB media. Some OEM recovery tools are lazy. They are programmed to revert the PC to "factory state."
To answer your query definitively (and exclusively):
Follow these steps to guarantee your exclusive data (games, videos, work) survives. does clean install wipe all drives exclusive
Step 1: Physically disconnect secondary drives.
Step 2: Boot from USB.
Step 3: When you reach the partition screen, identify the target.
Step 4: Delete only the boot drive’s partitions. Many laptop users (Dell, HP, Lenovo) use the
Step 5: Select the unallocated space and click Next.
It does not touch other physical drives unless you explicitly tell it to. Step 2: Boot from USB
There are two scenarios where a clean install might affect other drives: