Windows 7: Where is my system reserved partition,please ?

Hello all,

First of all, i am not that good in english ; therefore ,please try to understand what i try to explain.

I formerly install window xp in drive C , having reserved disk in drive D - 49.8 GB free of 49.9 GB in which I don’t install anything and no hidden file. I recently install window 7 in drive E and backup system partition (C and E ) separately .



However, During backup window 7 partition (E) by third party software, it suggest to backup reserve partition (automatically ticked in C letter partition). My question is where is the location of system reserved partition of window 7 in drive C and how to access to it also what is 0.1 GB in drive D , please?

One more query , what is the effect of installing window 7 in window? ie. clean install window xp and install window 7 from window XP. ( in case of inability to boot from optical drive or unsuccessfully create bootable usb)

Any information or suggestion will be appreciated.


Regards,
AA

This may help you understand the Windows 7 System partition. Was reading it myself & saw your post.
Partition / Extended : Logical Drives

It's not entirely clear what your hard drive(s) look like. One hard drive with multiple partitions? Multiple hard drives, with multiple partitions?

It would allow us to better answer your questions if you will post a screenshot from DISKMGMT (both from WinXP and Windows 7, so that we can see what both OS's think) that shows your hard drive layout. Please maximize the window and spread the columns so that we can see all the text, before you take the screenshot.

Once we see what DISKMGMT sees, it will be possible to answer your questions accurately.


Just one observation, however. I'm guessing that your Windows 7 is probably 32-bit, and not 64-bit. Yes?

Also, I'm guessing you ran the 32-bit Windows 7 installation DVD while you were booted to 32-bit WinXP. This would explain how you ended up with Windows 7 installed on drive E (as seen by WinXP as well as Windows 7), and not on C from its own 64-bit perspective.

If you'd wanted to install 64-bit Windows 7 you could not have run the Windows 7 install while under 32-bit WinXP, but rather would have to have booted directly from the Windows 7 installation disc, and you would have ended up with 64-bit Windows 7 on the same physical "E" partition, but it would have been lettered C from Windows 7's perspective and E from WinXP's perspective.

Anyway, seeing both screenshots from DISKMGMT, from both WinXP and Windows 7, will answer all the speculation.


One other observation... when you install Windows 7 as a second Windows, with WinXP already installed as your first Windows, the Windows 7 boot manager files get placed into the "active" primary partition which is WinXP itself. Normally, in a standalone Windows 7 environment this would have been created as a small 100MB (i.e. .1GB) "System Reserved" partition. But with an already existing WinXP partition, there is no need for a true small System Reserved partition. The WinXP partition serves the same purpose since it's "active" and primary, and thus the Windows 7 boot manager files can go there.

So with WinXP already installed, that partition is "active" and thus where Windows 7 boot manager files go. That "active" partition is certainly crucial to the bootability of Windows 7, so your 3rd-party backup product is probably referring to your WinXP partition to include in your system backup when it points to "C" and pre-checks it. It's thinking that it must be System Reserved, but we know it's actually the WinXP partition. Nevertheless, it really IS pertinent for a system image backup, since it IS critical to restore in order to preserve the bootability of Windows 7 since that's where the Windows 7 boot manager files were placed that then allow you to boot to either WinXP or Windows 7.

Again, this suggests that Windows 7 sees itself on E and the WinXP "active" partition as C, again suggesting that you installed a 32-bit Windows 7 while booted to WinXP to read the Setup program on the Windows 7 installation disc.

I don't know what the .1GB in D could be. We'll look into that later.

Please post the two DISKMGMT screenshots.

@Comp Cmndo thank you for the link yet, still have some problem since I do not have the Windows System Reserved or a System Primary partition completely separate from the Windows 7 partition , thank you anyway


@ dsperber Please see disk management file


You are right , I ran window 7 32 bit while booted in XP 32 bit. I partitioned the harddisk since I did clean install window XP and still prefer 32 bit system as I have 2 GB ram and most of applications are 32 bit support ; however I might consider 64 bit in the future.


Regarding windows 7 boot manager files, where is exact location of the Windows 7 boot manager files in drive C , can I copy those files to window 7 (E) partition and backup both system partitions separately?


Likewise, what is the difference between installing window 7 from bootable dvd then select drive E and setup window 7 on XP then select drive E, please?

   Quote: Originally Posted by dsperber

I don't know what the .1GB in D could be. We'll look into that later.

still need advice.

Looking at Disk Management, you installed Win XP to the Acer Recovery Partition. (System Reserved)

Acer Empowering Technology > Acer eRecovery Management.
Acer Support - Answers, E-Mail, Chat - How can I restore my computer with the backup discs I created?
Manual how to use Acer eRecovery Management here:
ftp://ftp.support.acer-euro.com/notebook/empowering_technology/NB%20ET2%20user's%20guide/Acer%20eRecovery%20Management%20English.pdf

Have you tried pressing <Alt+F10> at boot up, to goto the Acer eRecovery Management.
Acer Support: Frequently Asked Questions list for How to use Acer eRecovery
You can Order Acer recovery disks from here:
https://secure.tx.acer.com/RCDB/Main.aspx?brand=acer

@ theog thank you for suggestion and your link. Unfortunately , i didn't backup with e- recovery before i format and unlikely to order dvd now as i still have validated backup from other software.

To all,

according to disk management file , does the system have any problem with drive E ? (with boot , page file , crash dump logical drive)



I still need suggestion , kindly help.

Thank you

Ok. Things are much clearer with that screenshot of your hard drive.

It doesn't look like anything is wrong at all. As I'd guessed earlier and as you confirmed, you got Windows 7 installed to "E" (from both the point of view of WinXP and Windows 7) because you ran the Setup of 32-bit Windows 7 installation while booted to 32-bit WinXP. There's nothing wrong with this approach, and you now have a consistent drive lettering of C and E, from both WinXP and Windows 7. This really is a good thing, if you ask me... and is because of the way you did your Windows 7 install.

(Actually, if you'd not installed this way, and instead booted directly from the Windows 7 installation disc, you would have ended up with your Windows 7 partition lettered as C from Windows 7's point of view, and your WinXP partition would have gotten some other letter. Both partitions are still visible from both WinXP and Windows 7, but their letters are not the same in each world. Doing things the way you did, which again is only possible because both Windows are 32-bit and you ran Windows 7 Setup under WinXP, you now have C and E identical in both WinXP and Windows 7. This is obviously much more user-friendly.)

In your setup, as I also guessed, your WinXP partition is your "active" primary partition that the BIOS boots from, and where your Windows 7 install (added to your existing WinXP environment) placed its own boot manager files. I'm sure that the boot manager menu which appears when you boot the machine presents both (a) WinXP and (b) Windows 7, and this is coming from the Windows 7 boot manager files planted on the C-partition where WinXP lives, since it is the "active" primary partition.

Nothing wrong with any of this. And you have Windows 7 placed in one of your logical partitions. Again, nothing wrong with this.

So the one and only final question regards what your backup software referred to as your "System Reserved partition on drive C", and why it recommended that you back it up along with your Windows 7 E partition, and pre-checked it for you. As I guessed before, this is simply because normally in a standalone Windows 7 environment (with no other existing WinXP partition), there really would be a small 100MB primary System Reserved partition created by the standalone Windows 7 install. It would be marked as "active", the Windows 7 partition would be created as a second primary partition and Windows 7 would be installed there, and BOTH partitions really are crucial to your bootability if you need to restore the system image.

That's why the authors of that backup software discovered what they did... that your "active" partition (on C, in your case, where WinXP lives along with the boot manager files of Windows 7) is crucial to the bootability of Windows 7 and definitely needs to be part of a system image backup. In other words BOTH partitions really must be restored in case of disaster, since boot manager is in the "active" C and Windows 7 is in the second E partition.

I agree, the wording and reference to "system reserved partition C" may confuse you but it's honestly a legitimate need. You should go ahead and let that backup create a system image that includes BOTH your Windows 7 partition E as well as your WinXP partition C (which again, is "active" and where Windows 7's boot manager files live).

If it's any comfort to you, I have EXACTLY THE SAME SITUATION in my own two systems. Both of these had WinXP partitions (primary "active") when I added Windows 7 as a second partition (also "logical" partitions, like yours). And like you, every time I run a Windows 7 system image backup it includes both my partition for WinXP as well as my partition for Windows 7. I have no true "system reserved" partition, just as you don't.

You have no worries. Everything looks perfect. Just let that backup do what it wants, and include both C and E.


As far as D and its 150MB or so of content, can you show the contents with a screenshot from Windows Explorer? There might be a System Volume Information folder on it which is taking up that space.

I think the best is to save all your data, clear this whole disk and reinstall Windows7. Right now you have a holy mess as far as I can tell.

+1

@ dsperber thank for suggestion, please see drive D as in attached file



boot menu certainly represents both window XP and window 7 also window xp partition is active primary partition that the BIOS boots from . A while ago, I did clean install window 7 and have 100 MB system reserved partition same as your information, yet current different situation (no 100 MB system reserved partition) confuses me.

   Quote: Originally Posted by dsperber

and where your Windows 7 install (added to your existing WinXP environment) placed its own boot manager files.

means that it is possible to access to those boot manager files and copy to window 7 partition E so that the crucial files for bootability would be in the same partition , do I understand correctly ?

Normally, I use window partition (both xp and window 7) for installing applications only other documents would be stored in other drive this help prevent losing data on system failure.

Per your advice , to back up both partition at the same time, I am aware of times (it might take twice) and backup version during restoration. My machine recently failed and needed to try more than twice with different backup versions. Moreover, I have clean install backup version for window xp which could not be merged with current backup these are the reason why I ask about location and possibility to copy window 7 boot manager files to window 7 partition E and backup both system partitions separately.

please advise,

thank you