Windows 7: Format partition C damages the hidden partition?

Table top, Acer brand, Aspire M5700
HDD: 500GB
Part:
1. Hidden partition, 20GB, eRecovery
2. Partition C partitioned by Acer, 240GB, OS
3. Partition D partitioned by Acer, 240GB

I plan to format both C and D partitions and make 4 partitions.
So, check with Acer first.
Acer's reply is confusing,
saying that the hidden partition will be damaged if format C partition.

I do not understand.

Please help.

Thanks!

Neither do I. You can, of course, shrink both C and D and create additional partitions without impacting the hidden recovery partition. Just make sure the new partitions are simple extended/logical partitions and NOT primary partitions. Additional primaries would get you into trouble.

Your Acer Recovery Partition will be unusable.

Thank you, Mr. Whs!

What you have said is just what I plan to do.
I did this before when I still used XP and a different machine.
But this time purchased an Acer machine and experienced some odd things.
So, I have become a bit suspicious of their product.
That is why I ask them first.

Thank you!

Thank you, Mr. Theog.

Why is that Mr. Theog?
Is not the eRecovery hidden partition all independent by itself?
Please help.

Thank you!

To launch recovery from the hidden partition, you need to either choose a special option at boot (or press a particular key combo) or start erecovery from inside windows. For the former, there needs to be a pointer in the mbr which is wiped out when you format C: , for the latter you need the acer erecovery suite which comes installed by default but will be lost when you format C: and install windows afresh.

So what you need to do is make a set of recovery disks- these are like the recovery partition on bootable media. After that go ahead with whatever you want to, if you want to revert to factory later on, boot from the recovery disks and let them finish.

Bill, you lost me here. If I understood the OP correctly, he just wanted to shrink some space off the C and D partitions and create two additional partitions. That should not impact either the MBR nor the Bootmgr - thus te recovery partition should continue to function normally.. Am I missing something?

Thank you very much, Mr. Bill2!

Yes. I burned a set disks of the recovery. And have used them one or two times.
I cannot recall whether I formatted the C partition when I used the recovery disks.

The reason that I ask Acer this time is that I attempt to format both C and D partitions
so that I can re-partition the disk according to my needs: Vista on C partition; Win 7 on D partition; XP on another partition, and still another partition for temporary storage.

What you are saying is that, if I read your comments correctly,
1. go ahead to formate C,
2. use the recovery disks to restore the OS,
3. but it is risky that I might have to revert to Acer for the finishing.

Have to give it a second thought whether I am willing to take the trouble.

Thank you!

Well,, if it were me, I would make the Recovery disks, and blow the whole drive away and start from scratch.

Why?

1.) you could potentially damage the ability to use the Acer Recovery anyway and it's more of a pain to try and work around it in the first place.

2.) you can recover the space taken up by the Recovery location and use it more wisely for a triple boot system.

3.) You can reformat and start from a clean drive, again, without worrying about the recovery partition.

Basically, you can never really tell what is going to cause the Recovery partition to go belly up once you start messing around with the partitions.

Partition resizing does not always go to plan and can blowup an entire drive causing you to have to reformat and start from scratch anyway. (It happens far more than reported).

Also, why triple booting with Vista, you have 7, there is extremely little different about vista from 7, (like 3% if that, and really even that is pushing it and useless knowledge), 7 is the better OS.

What Acer told you is correct: Reinstalling to C will likely disable the Recovery partition.

But since you have the Recovery Disks which put it all back to factory condition anyway, there is no reason to keep the eRecovery partition which won't run anyway. Just wipe the HD and use a Windows 7 installation DVD for your version to clean reinstall with Product Key on the COA sticker: Reinstalling Windows 7