Windows 7: Backup/System Image problem

I'm trying to make a system image and configure backups but I'm unable to select the internal drive that has the space I need.

I have a 1Tb drive partioned into C:\ [Windows 7] and D:\ [Data]
and a 750Gb drive [H:\] that used to have XP on it that I want to put my backups on.
I used to dual boot XP and Windows 7.

Computer Managment > Disk Management shows

C: Healthy (Boot, Page File, Active, Crash Dumo, Primary Partition)
D: Healthy (Primary Partition)
H: Healthy (System, Active, Primary Partition)

System Imaging/Backup help says you can't backup to the system (startup) drive (not sure why?)

Is there any way to change which drive is designated as the system drive?

I've removed the dual boot and used bcdedit on C: to only reference itself
What's else do I need to do to make C: the system drive?

Thanks

- Norm

That H drive has boot files for XP. As long as those files are there, it will not let you back up to it. You can remove them and put them back if you ever want to boot to XP again.

I fixed the problem.

First I copied the Windows 7 bootloader files from H: to C:

Then I used
to create a MBR on C:

I then disabled the H: drive in the BIOS and made sure the C: drive was the at the top of the boot priority list.

I then booted from my Windows 7 DVD and selected Repair which quickly detected errors in the boot loader and fixed them

That enabled me to boot Windows 7 OK.

I then reenabled the H: drive and in the BIOS and rebooted.
The H: was no longer marked as the System drive, allowing me to delete the old boot loader files.

I can now backup to H:

- Norm

Very good to hear. Wish I could have been more help. Have a good day!

You went thru an awful lot of trouble for a bad solution. The purpose of imaging is (amongst other situations) to have a copy of your system in a safe place in case your HDD crashes. That's why one ALWAYS puts it on a different physical drive - I even image to 2 different physical drives. And after the imaging I physically disconnect those drives to be 100% safe from malware. To keep it on the same HDD as the system makes little sense.

My C: and H: drives are physically seperate - that's why I wanted to be able to backup to H: and not onto the D: partition which IS on the same drive as C:

- Norm

OK, then misunderstood. Sorry. Got mixed up with all your drives. But if H is an internal drive, you still want to make copies to an external drive from time to time to ward off malware.