Boot Windows 7 from a Logical Partition

OK, here's the better way (to me) to do this; no matter which way you go you're going to have to do the at least 3 separate startup repairs with the system restarts between each repair to create a new set of boot files out-lined in this tutorial at the link below.

Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times


Create the Windows 7 new "System, Reserved" partition so it will become the system volume partition instead of the way XP is now, see the first disk management snip to see what I mean.

Then the XP partition can be easily deleted using Windows 7 disk management.

This link below has additional information on this subject.

Boot Windows 7 from Logical


Start in Windows 7 disk management and right click the XP partition and click "Shrink Volume" as I have done in this snip to my "E: Data" partition, the partition doesn't matter as long as there's a little room to shrink it.

Partition or Volume - Shrink

click any image to enlarge

It'll scan the available shrink size and you'll get a dialog box like this one; enter 200 (for 200MB) in the amount to shrink box and click "Shrink" it'll do the shrink that'll only take a couple seconds.

Then right click the newly created space and click "New Simple Volume".

Partition or Volume - Create New

Then do not give it a drive letter in the first dialog box and in the second give it the Label "System Reserved" (without the quotes) and un-tick the quick format box then click next and the partition will be created and formatted.



Now right click the newly created "System Reserved" partition and click "Mark Partition as Active" then in the second snip down you can see that the "Active" partition has changed from the XP partition to the new System Reserved partition.

Then put the Windows 7 installer DVD or the repair CD listed in this tutorial in the Optical Disk Drive (ODD) and restart the PC, and set the PC BIOS to boot first from the ODD and do the startup repairs with the restarts needed to create a new set of boot files to the new SysResv partition.

Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times

This is what you'll have when the startup repairs are finished.

If you need to get back into XP you may need to add a boot entry with EasyBCD in Windows 7 so you'll get the dual boot option at system startup but that's a piece of cake, very easy.

EasyBCD Free Boot Manager Software

Enjoy! :)

Hello Greg and thanks!



All these tests I've been running with this have been done with the repair CD downloaded from NeoSmart that is out-lined in Option Two of this tutorial at the link below.

How to Create a Windows 7 System Repair Disc

I wanted to make sure it just wasn't something that is possible with a Windows 7 full installer.

"Interesting that the Repair CD will also write the Repair console to the F8 Advanced Boot Tools menu, which is a prime benefit of having the SysReserved partition."

I've tested all end results and there is a fully functioning Repair Console present when finished.



Here's the end result of an earlier test.

Boot Windows 7 from Logical

click to enlarge

I just wanted to bring this around again for those that haven't seen it yet.