Can I delete the system reserved partition from 100MB

Repair Install - http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3413-repair-install.html - allows one to reinstall Windows 7 to repair some files and settings. It can only be started from a working Windows 7, so it is limited. If you cannot boot to Windows 7, you will not be able to use this.

"Startup (booting to your Windows to start it up) Repair" is just one of the "System Recovery Tools" available to Windows 7 users. If you have a working 100MB boot partition, these tools are available to use from the boot partition. The same tools are also available by booting to the DVD or the CD that Windows 7 will create and burn for you.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/668-system-recovery-options.html

Repair CD - System Repair Disk Windows Seven Forums

For this question:  "Referring to the present Allocated space, you say "Make it exactly 100MB". It is now 101MB. Any reason not to use all 101MB?" Yes, there is a very good reason not to use all 101 MBs. The Windows 7 installer knows exactly where it needs to start the partition, not necessarily at the absolute beginning of the hard drive. If you were to use a partition utility like GParted, you would see the unused spaces at the beginning and end of the Windows partitions. Some users have trashed their installations by insisting on overruling Windows and trying to use these small empty spaces.

So create a new volume and set the size to exactly 100MB. When you are creating the 100MB partition, YOU can type System Reserved in the line that says LABLE to name the partition.

Windows only allows ONE ACTIVE PARTITION PER HARDDRIVE. When you mark a partition active, the previously active partition becomes inactive. So unless your system is trashed, you will not have two active partitions on the hard drive.

What is it you are going to mess up? You are creating a simple volume of 100MB in size, you are going to assign drive letters, you are going to copy files from one to the other, you are going to mark the newly created 100MB partition as "Active" and give it no drive letter, and boot. If the computer does not boot to Windows, you are going to boot to the DVD and Windows will most likely repair its self. If not, you can select "Startup Repair" from the menu and do it yourself. If you are that uncomfortable with the steps outlined here, perhaps you should have a computer tech do it for you?

"Startup Repair" and "Repair Install" are two totally different operations.

Cheers!

Robert

DonnieR--Many thanks for your comments.  I am glad to hear that the System Reserved partiton was created when I partitioned the external USB drive.  I thought my memory was failing, but it seemed illogical that what I did on that drive would affect Disc 0.

iseeuu --Thanks for your instuctions. I have a few questions--just to be sure. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3413-repair-install.html  Or rather http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/668-system-recovery-options.html  I have a full retail Win7 DVD.

I understand I can use the Windows Disk Management Utility to do what you suggest.

Referring to the present Allocated space, you say "Make it exactly 100MB". It is now 101MB. Any reason not to use all 101MB?

"Now copy all the files from the old "System Reserved" to the new "System Reserved". I assume the new System Reserved is the old Allocated Space from which I have created a new Simple Volume and to which I have given a drive letter. But when and how does it become named "System Reserved"?

"go back and remove the drive letter from the "Active" "System Reserved" partition " From which System Reserved partition do I remove the drive letter? Both the old and new should be Active at this point since the old is already Active and I have made the Allocated Space/new Simple Volume Active. (I assume both can be concurrently Active partitions.)

If I mess anything up, does the Disk Management Utility have an Undo?

"Startup Repair"--Just want to be sure I know what this is. Is it what is called Repair Install here?

Thanks.