Reinstalled Windows 7 Multi-Partition Drive (Basic Disk now Dynamic)

You have decided to abandon Win7 we were trying to help you save?

I want you to understand clearly that this is not necessary. It is fully recoverable as has been every accidental conversion to Dynamic we have helped with here, 3-4 per week for four years.

However not one of these hundreds of users we've helped has been as impossible as you have been to help, so if you want to give up just realize it's only necessary because of that.

Gregrocker, I am going to give your last post a try right now. I'll post once I am back up.

If the System Recovery counts as one of the 4 max limit, then since I started using Windows 7 my drive must have been "Dynamic". This is what is very confusing to me. Originally when I did Disk1 everything went smooth. I then ran Acronis and backed up the drive. Now I am pretty sure, Acronis DOES NOT recognize Dynamic disks without one of there add-on packs. Which I didn't have. I really should have taken a look at Windows "Disk Management" after I did the drive. 50/50 hinde sight.

It will not normally boot if it's converted to Dynamic. Something must have tipped it to convert, which is almost always adding the fifth partition in Disk Mgmt.

If you are going to try to repair it then I will wait to hear back from you. I stayed in for my Saturday night to help you. It' is 1:30 am here.

AddRam, Yes sorry I should have used the current partition names, I will be making the above changes to "WD1TB_C" it might not be C: untill all is said and done.

I am going to try to save the drive as per gregrockers instructions first.

Ok so posting from my laptop.

Disconnected Disk0, and now only Disk1 is connected.

Booted and Windows 7 gave me:
Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause.
1. Insert your Windows installation disc and restart the computer.
2. Choose your language settings and click next.
3. Click "repair your computer"
...
Status:0xc0000225
Info: The boot device failed because a required device is inaccessible.

Inserted Windows 7 DVD and rebooted.
Got to the "Repair your computer" option.
It scanned and is giving me a pop up saying:
System Recovery Options
- Windows found problems with your computer's startup options. Do you want to apply repairs and restart your computer? View Details
-View Details Gives me a bunch messages.

I am going to put up the screen shots. Not sure what to do next.

That may work, so accept Repair and restart to see.

If not it is Repair 1 of possibly 3 Startup Repairs with reboots needed, no matter what it reports. It is writing or rewriting the System boot files, then testing all parameters with each step.

hey greg,

So it rebooted into Windows 7. All partitions are showing up. The "System Reserved" is showing up as Primary. The other partitions (C D E F) are all showing up as Logical drives.

What should I do now? PS and I am seeing a little unallocated box after all the partitions too.

This is with all other HD's unplugged correct?

System Reserved should read System Active in Disk Mgmt. Check that now.

You can leave C Logical since WIn7 only requires its boot partition to be Primary, and it already is.

With Logical drives you can shrink to create as many new as you want, resize, extend, etc. I recommend Partition Wizard boot CD to work with Logical drives. The coolest new feature will let you redistribute space from any partition to/from any other partition or unallocated space, whether its adjacent or not: How to extend partition easily with Partition Wizard - video help.

greg, yes the other drive is unplugged. System Reserve is reading as "System Active"

I booted off of Partition Wizard cd and it gave me the option to change C & D into primary partitions but it would not let me do E or F.

Leaving them as a logical partitions sounds attractive. But let me ask you is there greater chance of data loss if a logical partition fails as opposed to a primary? I have been setting up my partitions as primary since XP becuase it seemed it was fully isolated if one of the other partitions was damaged.

Gredrocker and AddRam, thanks for all your help. I am sure this thread will help others out as well.