When Backup Runs, Windows Reports Backup Target Disk Removed

OK gentlemen, after the asprin kicked in, I went over the procedures that you gave me and came to the conclusion that it was a EBECK error.

I had pulled the plug on the wrong drive. I redid your procedures and my system is now configured correctly.

I will now try to do a backup of my system. Will let you know if it completes.

Thanks so much for your devoted attention to my problem.

What is on the System drive besides the boot files now? Is it residue from a factory OEM preinstall that also included a Recovery partition at one time? Explore using Disk Mgmt after unhiding System Files in Control Panel>Folder Options>View.

If there is no longer a Recovery partition and the preinstalled factory OS has been clean reinstalled, you can clean up the boot partition and recover most of the space, slide C over to against it so it's in the preferred lower HD address, expand your data partition. All of this can be done using free Partition Wizard bootable CD's Resize function which never fails in hundreds of such operations we've helped with here.

We should start with the System partition to see why it is 4gb when it only needs to be about 200mb. Please follow the steps I gave to Explore it and post back a screenshot of the maximized Explorer window of its contents.

Normally when it is this size it is or was a Recovery partition. If so, is there any reason to save it's contents besides the boot files? If not, we can help you carefully delete them and shrink the partition down, then move C over next to it.

You also have the choice to get rid of System patition recovering the System boot files into the Win7 partition itself, rather than mess with sorting through and deleting the files. This is what many prefer and there is no real downside as you can then move Win7 to the lower (left hand) HD address for faster reads.

But let us see what's on it, and tell us where it came from if you can.

View hidden files is on. Went to Disk Management only saw 2 files.
system_partition.flg 1kb
windows_7.flg

Then I loaded Partitionwizard. Viewed System E: and there were more files there than I could not fit on one screen. It also showed almost 4 GB of information.

Looks like it could be related to Recovery.

Did you say you moved the Recovery partition off the HD? Why did you do this?

If not what was on the 125gb? what other changes have you made on this new computer?

What is the computer make/model?

The 125gb partition contained the original OEM installation software. I did not want it on my system.

Some of the data that I am seeing looks like it has come from a second computer that I have. The second computer is networked to this computer. I use it to surf the net or do graphic design on it, when this computer is busy on another project.

This computer, which we are trying to clean up, is a SYX UG-10 4.6GHZ.

The other computer is a home made computer that my kids built from parts that they ordered. They no longer live with me.

If you don't need the files on the 4gb System partition we can help you recover the System boot files into Win7 and resize it into the space. Here's how:

Back up a System Image and your files. Boot free Partition Wizard bootable CD, rightclick on C to Modify>Set to Active, click OK. Then click on HD to highlight it, from Disk tab select Rebuild MBR, Apply both steps. Reboot to see if Win7 starts.

If not boot into Win7 DVD Repair console or System Repair Disk you create now to run Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times until Win7 starts on its own.

Confirm C is now marked System Active in Disk Mgmt.

You have cut out the E partition and can run it this way for awhile to check performance, also delete the paging file on E so it recreates on C now that it is System. Moving Paging File to another Partition - Windows 7 Forums

Once these are confirmed boot back into PW CD, rightclick on E to Delete, click OK. Now rightclick on C to Resize, slide left grey border all the way to the left end of the HD, then slide the right grey border to where you want the partition to end, click OK, Apply both steps. Reboot. You may need to again Rebuild MBR and/or run Repairs after resizing over the boot sector.

Dang how do I make a Partition Wizzard bootable cd? I downloaded the Pwhe7.iso file. When I burnt the file to disk it copied the iso file to the disk, but that does not make it bootable. It is just like a zip file on my disk. The site does not give you any instructions on how to get this program on disk. Do I have to some how creat a bootable disk first then burn thes iso or zip file to the disk? Even then I will just have a zip file on my bootable disk. Duh! Me getting dumber and dumber.