Can I delete the system reserved partition from 100MB

Funny you suggesting switching to Linux as a way of fixing their problem. The irony is that past versions of Windows used a pretty straight-forward method of managing boot settings, in the boot.ini file. Since Windows Vista, they are moving more towards the boot managers used in LINUX.

If you know anything about Linux, you notice when you go to install even a minimal Linux distribution, it will try to make a 100MB boot partition and use the rest of the hard drive for the root partition (some make you split the /home and /var directories and other such jazz).

Everybody is crying about the 100MB partition, but Linux does the same thing. There are three solutions to this problem:

1.) When you install windows, it says it will make the 100MB partition and then the partition that Windows will install on. Delete the partition Windows is going to install on and Extend the System Reserved partition (the 100MB partition, extend it to fit the entire drive) then install Windows on that.

2.) On an existing install of Windows 7, you find out how to circumvent the friendly safety controls in Windows that Bill Gates put there so you can delete the 100MB partition. I think someone mentioned LOL Bitlocker. If you do this, I highly recommend you learn how the boot manager works and back it up and move it over to your Windows partition before you delete the System Reserved partition. Otherwise it's the equivalent of purposely circumventing the safety on a firearm and then shooting yourself in the foot and then blaming the gun manufacturer.

or 3.) Quit complaining. Average computer users' PCs and Laptops have hard-drives tend to be more than 100GB. 100MB of 100GB is roughly 0.1%. Get over it. Like I said, Linux does the same thing.

Okay I am also having this same problem after installing Windows 7 on a brand new SSD. My previous install on my HDD did not display a system reserved partition. What are the real steps for deleting this partition in Windows 7? Or do I have to format and repartition to do so?

Questions:

1. Why did the Windows 7 installer put the System Reserved partition on one drive, and the C: (OS files) on the other?   It seems to happen more often than not on machines with 2 drives.  It's damn infuriating because I can't remove the 2nd drive.
2. Can you relocate the System Reserved partition to the other drive (using software mirroring?)

 

Thanks,

Paul

p.s. Don't get me wrong, I have Windows 7 running on 2 PCs and 4 laptops ... love it.

For the answer as to why the Windows 7 installer placed the 100MB boot partition on one drive, DonnieR says in his post above:  "What is not explicitly mentioned is that in multiple HD systems, the 100MB will be written to Drive 0, no matter what drive is specified by the BIOS as the Boot Drive."

In my experience, the Windows 7 installer only creates the 100MB boot partition on an empty drive. So did you install 7 on a computer with two empty hard drives? If so, then the Installer just did what you told it to do.

Yes you can move the 100MB boot partition. You might take notice that in some 15 posts in this thread, jcimarron did just that. I am not sure what you mean by "software mirroring", but the easiest way I know of is to use a Partition Utility like the free Partition Wizard, create the empty space where you want the 100MB boot partition to be, use "Copy Partition" to create the 100MB partition in the empty space, mark the new partition "Active" and mark the old partition "Hidden", then if necessary, use the Install DVD or the "Repair" CD to do a "Startup Repair" to complete the move. Afterwards, you can go back and delete, resize or whatever needed to clean up the hard drive space.

Cheers!

Robert

**Hi iseeuu,**I enjoyed reading your answers - finally someone knowledgeable - thumbs up...

All that you said helped a lot, I'm a bit more savvy with this stuff, so should manage all w/o problems

but just wanted to confirm with you, given the scenario I have at hand - and believe it's a pretty common one

• I had a Vista partition before installing Win7 (did not know at the time about this - but as soon as I hit the image restore, VHD-s and booting VHD-s I realized it could be a problem for 'moving things around' on a long run - so yes, 'its' not the space' that's the problem of course, but logistics),
• my Win7 did not create a 100MB system/active hidden partition...
• instead it used the existing Active Vista one, to add the necessary files to it, only after reading thru all this is that I became aware of it - it has (and dates match) boot dir, bootmgr and bootsect.bak on the Vista partition,
• so I have a C[Win7] newly installed (Ultimate x64), D:[Vista] old + E[] some work load data one (but can remove for the sake of moving things),
• I've made all the backups of all the partitions, Acronis and VHD - have external HDD sitting there on the side for backup, restore...
• I have not got the time (nor space to waste on the laptop internal HDD) to go ahead and reinstall everything from scratch - goal is to keep Win7 (installed) working and use Vista occasionally until I fully move to Win7 - it's a common scenario I was referring to...

what I want to do now is the following - aka the scenario...

• (hopefully) create bootable Vista VHD (it's off topic, I'm looking into this in parallel, by switching Win7 bootmgr solution floating on the net, any suggestions welcome but it's not related to this discussion),
• at this point I became aware of the potential problems given the 'sitting' system/boot hidden files on the Vista partition - I cannot, don't want to backup/restore the whole Vista so just my Win7 can exist,
• so, I have to move 'system bootmgr hidden files' from the Vista drive -> to the new 'shim' 100MB partitionjust for that (or shrink the Vista, leave just that, but it's easier removing, recreating I guess)
• I could also move the files to Win7 partition (as it's probably going to stick around on the bare metal like that) but dont want to constrain myself with it, so I guess would rather keep it separately as you suggested anyway, if MS made it I guess it makes sense having it as is - as long as I can be sure to recreate it at will, move it etc. - all that you resolved here,
• than remove completely the old Vista partition (once I confirm it works and boots so I can boot it up at will - but I no longer need it sitting around),

...and to wrap this up,

• as far as I can see, I don't see any problems here, just moving the necessary files somewhere 'out' temporarely (keeping the active status of it etc.),removing Vista, creating new 100MB partition - moving 'in' back again, giving it active status, system etc. - using partition wizard to move the partitions around if needed, extend to the left (as I think Vista is now first on the left, then comes the Win7 etc.)
• and let Win7 Startup Repair - do the rest...if needed...

or i.e.

the necessary 'paratemers' here that need preserving are...

• the boot dir, bootmgr, bootsect.bak dir/files,
• the partition holding them needs to be active, system so boot can look there,

...else is irrelevant (whether files are on the Win7 or on other partition, or on itw own - I mean I want it organized as above but theoretically)

• if bootmgr cannot then manage to locate the WIn7 (give re-allocation, moving around) - Startup Repair to repair 'the links' - as I understand it

Am I missing something here?

Thanks!

Gaga