Hi, Dave.
Jim, please read my post. The recovery partition is the boot partition and
you need to copy over some boot files from it to the system drive (which
will need to be marked as the default boot partition).
Dave, I think you need to read Winston's reply to your post - and STUDY the
link that he gave. Here it is again:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/what-are-system-partitions-and-boot-partitions
The language used by Microsoft (and others) is so convoluted and
counter-intuitive that it's very hard to keep it straight. We use the terms
"boot" and "system" and "drive" and "partition" and "volume"...etc. so
promiscuously that it's a wonder that any of us manage to understand each
other. :>( Ed Bott's ironic comment from about WinXP days helped me to get
the two most critical terms straight in my own head:
"Those unfamiliar with such matters might think it strange that we BOOT from
the SYSTEM partition and keep the operating SYSTEM files in the BOOT
volume."
But that's the way it has been since before Windows - and perhaps even
before MS-DOS.
But Win7 introduced ANOTHER bit of needless confusion: the \Boot folder!
:>( As Winston's link says, "The system partition contains ... files and
the Boot folder that tell a computer where to look to start Windows." Note
that this "Boot folder" is a small folder in the Root of the System
Partition that simply POINTS TO the Boot Volume; It is NOT C:\Windows, which
has always been called the Boot Folder. :>(
Disk Management (first appeared in Windows 2000) helped clarify it further
for me. Its Graphical View helps me to see the distinction between a
physical DISK (often called a "drive") and a logical PARTITION (which we
also call a "drive", as in "Drive C:", or a "volume"). Disk Management
clearly shows which partition has the "System" status and which has "Boot" -
and which partition is (currently) the "Active" partition. ( These change
when we multi-boot into another Windows.)
So, your statement that "The recovery partition is the boot partition..." is
wrong. The Boot Volume (aka the Boot Partition) is usually (but NOT always)
Drive C:; it is the volume that holds the \Windows tree, with its entire
sub-tree of thousands of folders and gigabytes of files. When the computer
powers up, the BIOS directs attention to the Active Partition, which is also
the System Partition, which points the way to the Boot Volume and the
C:\Windows\system32 folder, where it finds the Winload.exe file, which gets
Windows started. The computer is already started by this point, thanks to
instructions in the BIOS and the System Partition, and Winload in the Boot
Volume then starts Windows. Thus it has ever been, at least since WinXP and
still in Win8.
To understand the Windows startup process, you must discard the mindset that
Windows resides in the System Partition. And that the Boot Partition holds
the files that "pull the System up by its own bootstraps". Once you get
past that confusion, it will all fall into place. ;<)
RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP (2002-2010)
Windows Live Mail 2012 (Build 16.4.3508.0205) in Win8 Pro
"Dave" wrote in message
On 2013-08-12 5:34 PM, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message <
[email protected]>,
(e-mail address removed) writes:
Hi,
I have a Dell laptop with Windows 7. The HDD (hard disk drive)
has two hidden partitions, one is less than 20 GB and it contains
the "System Restore"
files. In the past, when you bought a new computer, you usually
received a "System Restore" CD/DVD rom disk(s). Note: I made a
disk image copy of the C: drive to an external HDD as backup. I do
not need the "system restore"
partition.
Are you sure - that, for example, you can restore from your "backup"?
[]
That depends on the imaging software he OP used. In any case the
following may be useful information.
The system restore partition is used to repair the OS, or if need be to
return the computer to factory-fresh condition. This is not the same as
a backup and restore of the C: drive, nor an image >> replace corrupted
partition operation.
OP should make repair DVDs or USB flash drive. AFAIK, he can do only
one or the other. The repair media can then be used like the system
restore partition.
To the OP
1- When you have the system working well and have no problems then make
a backup of your C drive with Macrium Reflect, Acronis True Image or
whatever backup program works best for you. This is better than the
manufacturers backup because it is newer, requires a lot less updating
and isn't filled with the bloatware that comes with the original system.
I would also make a backup (or two) of the backup and put it in a safe
place. You should test that backup to make sure that you can restore
from it. This is important as the backup will be your only means to
restore your system once you delete the manufacturers backup partition.
2- Use a program like EASEUS Partition Master to delete the hidden
partition, then resize the C partition to fill the unallocated space.
3- I always make my C partition about 70 gigs or so and partition the
rest of the drive to a D drive to store my data. Making a smaller C
drive makes it a lot easier to make backups in the future as your system
changes.
Note: One giant C drive with all your stuff on it makes no sense to me.
You can make a new D partition at anytime with EASEUS as it is not
destructive to data. Having said that, it wouldn't hurt to back up all
your data before you partition just in case something goes wrong.
Jim
Sorry reading the header you want to just convert it to a logical drive
and use the 20gb partition?
use EASEUS Partition Master:
Right click on the 20gb partition and select delete Right click the
partition and select Create Select logical drive Apply the changes
Jim
Jim, please read my post. The recovery partition is the boot partition and
you need to copy over some boot files from it to the system drive (which
will need to be marked as the default boot partition).
But this whole post is questionable, I run dosbox in order that my wife
can run an old bridge program written for msdos. This program used to run
in winxp but not on windows 7.
The bridge program is in an ntfs partition. I've no experience running
programs in dosbox that would require actual writing to the hd.
Macrium image backup will copy and save all those Dell partitions in a
single file so recovery is assured even if the hd is replaced.
