🗂️ WindowsNuke Windows Remover tool for secondary Drive

WindowsNuke safely remove Windows installations from secondary drives, helping you reclaim valuable storage space after system migrations.

🎯 Purpose

When upgrading to a larger SSD and keeping your old drive as secondary storage, the old Windows installation becomes redundant and wastes significant disk space. This tool provides a safe, controlled way to:

• 🔍 Scan secondary drives for Windows installations
• 📊 Analyze space usage of Windows-related files and folders
• 🗑️ Remove system files while preserving user data (with careful handling)
• 💾 Reclaim gigabytes of storage space

⚠️ Important Safety Notice

🚨 CRITICAL WARNING: This tool performs irreversible file deletion operations. Always backup important data before use. The safest method for drive cleanup is manual backup followed by drive formatting.

✨ Features

🖥️ Modern GUI Interface

• Dark Theme: Easy on the eyes with CustomTkinter styling
• Real-time Feedback: Live status updates during operations
• Detailed Results: Comprehensive scan results with size calculations
• Safety Prompts: Multiple confirmation dialogs before deletion

🔧 Advanced Functionality

• Administrator Privilege Check: Ensures proper permissions for system file access
• Multi-Drive Support: Automatically detects non-system drives
• Intelligent Scanning: Identifies Windows installations via System32 detection
• Size Calculation: Accurate space usage analysis with GB conversion
• Permission Handling: Advanced file permission management using Windows tools

🛡️ Safety Features

• System Drive Protection: Automatically excludes the current Windows drive
• Confirmation Dialogs: Multiple verification steps before deletion
• Error Handling: Graceful handling of permission and access errors
• Progress Tracking: Real-time deletion progress with detailed logging

📊 Screenshot

🚀 Installation

Prerequisites

# Required Python packages
pip install customtkinter psutil

System Requirements

• OS: Windows 10/11
• Python: 3.7 or higher
• Privileges: Administrator rights required
• Memory: Minimal (< 50MB RAM usage)

Quick Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/LMLK-seal/WindowsNuke.git
   cd WindowsNuke

2. Install dependencies:

   pip install customtkinter psutil

3. Run as Administrator:

   # Right-click Command Prompt -> "Run as administrator"
   python WindowsNuke.py

📖 Usage Guide

Step-by-Step Process

1. 🔐 Launch with Admin Rights

   • Right-click WindowsNuke.py → "Run as administrator"
   • Or run Command Prompt as admin and execute the script

2. 💿 Select Target Drive

   • Choose your secondary drive from the dropdown menu
   • System drive (C:) is automatically excluded for safety

3. 🔍 Scan for Windows Installation

   • Click "Scan for Windows Installation"
   • Wait for the comprehensive analysis to complete
   • Review the detailed results showing files and space usage

4. 🗑️ Execute Deletion (Optional)

   • Review the scan results carefully
   • Click "DELETE Found Files & Folders" if satisfied
   • Confirm through multiple safety prompts
   • Monitor the real-time deletion progress

📁 What Gets Deleted

The tool targets these Windows-specific components:

Folders	Description	Typical Size
Windows	Core system files	15-25 GB
Program Files	Installed applications	5-50 GB
Program Files (x86)	32-bit applications	2-20 GB
ProgramData	Application data	1-10 GB
$Recycle.Bin	Deleted files cache	0.1-5 GB
Users	⚠️ User profiles and data	Variable

System Files	Description
pagefile.sys	Virtual memory file
swapfile.sys	Modern swap file
hiberfil.sys	Hibernation data

🔧 Technical Implementation

Architecture Overview

WindowsRemoverApp (CustomTkinter)
├── Drive Detection (psutil)
├── Permission Management (Windows API)
├── Threading (GUI responsiveness)
├── File Operations (shutil, os)
└── System Integration (subprocess)

Key Technologies

• 🎨 GUI Framework: CustomTkinter for modern interface
• 💽 System Access: psutil for drive enumeration
• 🔐 Permissions: Windows takeown/icacls commands
• ⚡ Threading: Non-blocking UI operations
• 📊 File Operations: Python standard library

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please follow these guidelines:

Code Standards

• Style: Follow PEP 8 guidelines
• Documentation: Comment complex operations
• Safety: Prioritize data safety in all modifications
• Testing: Test on non-production drives only

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

⚠️ Disclaimer

Use at your own risk. This software is provided "as-is" without warranty. The authors are not responsible for data loss or system damage. Always backup important data before use.

🙋‍♂️ Support

• 📧 Issues: GitHub Issues
• 💬 Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• 📖 Wiki: Project Wiki

🎖️ Acknowledgments

• CustomTkinter team for the modern GUI framework
• Python community for excellent libraries
• Windows system administrators for inspiration

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⭐ Star this repository if it helped you reclaim storage space! ⭐

Made with ❤️ By LMLK-seal.