Can I delete the system reserved partition from 100MB

What it means by "Trusted Installer" is that it will only allow a certain application touch it (when in Windows). SP1 requires it to install, which means that it obviously can access and modify it. If you want to change it you need to use Linux (or possibly Mac). Also, you don't want to remove this partition because it contains all the files needed for booting. If you don't have it, Windows won't start.

First, as a side note, does anyone have a clue as to why you have to enter your whole Live email address instead of just your name as a login when you ARE logging in to Live?  Ridiculous.

Anyway, reading down through this monstrous topic, I saw quite a few amazing posts.

1. You absolutely CANNOT and MUST NOT get rid of, or avoid, the now infamous 100MB partition.
2. The 100MB partition was ALWAYS created, including with Vista.

3)etc.

You CAN get rid of the partition and it's not very hard, either.

I currently have Windows 7 x64 Ultimate and I have no intention of ever using BitLocker. TrueCrypt volumes are the way to go if you want to store encrypted files and folders. Just Google "TrueCrypt", it's a small program and it's free.

Why not just use BitLocker and encrypt your whole drive? (you can't encrypt files or foldes with it, you know)

Well, just for one tiny example, search "BitLocker" in your Windows 'Help and Support' and you'll see this little gem:

"Make sure that you create this recovery key when you turn on BitLocker for the first time; otherwise, you could permanently lose access to your files."

Sounds like a winner to me.

What triggers the need for this "recovery key"? According to said 'Help' topic:

"...for example, a change to the BIOS or changes to any startup files."

Yep, and I've experienced those changes many times. For example,  I installed a new sound card and went to the BIOS to disable my motherboard's built -in (yes I know it's called 'onboard', I've been a Computer Technician for 25 years, for Pete's sake) sound chip.

Oops, my files are locked out of my reach forever. That is, unless I had to have happened to make a 'recovery key'.

I installed a goofy program one time to check it out, decided it was stupid and un-installed it.

Supposedly.

It left a driver in the System32 folder named 'Hot65.sys' or something like that. Well, Windows doesn't like things in the System32 folder that it didn't put there or at least give it the royal nod of approval. The next time I re-booted, Vista saw it and refused to budge one inch further. I was totally screwed. (well, not totally screwed, I fixed it.)

But anyway, that constitutes a change*"...to any startup files".*

So, once again, without having the aforethought to make a 'recovery key', my files are gone, really gone.

Since I have, and use, TrueCrypt (offering a truly staggering level of encryption), and will never have the need for BitLocker AND (being the rebel that I am), insist that I own my computer and my hard drives (including their silly partitions) not Microsoft.

If they are the owners, I want to be reimbursed for the cost of my system :)

Furthermore, if you're not a government or corporate entity, what do you want to encrypt a whole drive for?

I admit that if you forget your TrueCrypt password you're pretty screwed, too. However, all the hardware  and software changes in the world won''t prevent you from accessing it. It makes a file, (the 'vault' or 'container') 1MB or 100GB, doesn't matter, and you can copy it to another drive or delete it or email it to someone. It doesn't matter.

My post is getting a little longer than I intended, so here's the deal:

1. Vista did not make those stupid 100MB partitions. I re-installed a hundred times and it NEVER made one of those partitions. (Whoever said that, I'm not sure if you're with the program here. If somebody else says that, then my apologies)
2. I was fooling around in my Acronis Disk Director Suite (partition manager and some other useful stuff) when I saw the 100MB partition. I also saw a 89KB (!) partition at the end of my C: drive (I haven't seen anybody else mention that so maybe it's  just me). I say at the 'end' because as somebody mentioned above, that's how it appears visually when you're in some kind of partitioning utility. The 'beginning' of any partition is at the left and 'end' is at the right.
3. Simply delete the partition(s) and resize your C: partition to fill the now unallocated space. That's it. Maybe you just can't do all that from within Windows, I don't know, but that's how I did it. Pretty easy. About 3 clicks if I remember correctly.
4. No, I did not incur all the mess about "I can't boot anymore", "I had to re-install Windows", "Can I move the 100MB partition to someplace else?", "Why are you worried about 100 measly MB. Leave it alone!". (mainly because it's MY 100MB, that's why) 

Forget all the tricks and tips and hacks and "partially install once to change the partitions, then re-install again...blah-blah".

Trash the idea of worrying about BitLocker, unless you seriously have a real need for it (and ask yourself whether it's a matter of needing it or just wanting it just because you can), use a partiton manager, delete them, and resize C:.

No problem.

.

I'm quite certain that my problem was a bad new SATA III cable used on two different drives/systems.  The system corrected itself to Disk0 for C drive by itself at some point on port1, DVD on port0.  Continuity check of the cable supports a short but the probe setup is poor and erratic in results.   Seems this was unrelated to Win 7 or new drives.