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Windows 7: How to format a drive with Windows 7 Dual Boot system?

01 Sep 2011   #1

Windows 7 Ultimate x64
 
 
How to format a drive with Windows 7 Dual Boot system?

I am unexperinte with partitions and boots on Windows & (and other systems too). I had installed Windows 7 x64 ultimate on my computer in a 150GB hard drive.
I bought a new 1TB HD and created 3 partitions (two with 250 GB and another with 500 GB). I copied my system from 150GB drive to the first 250GB partition on my new HD and had a dual boot system installed (my old 150 GB system and my old system copy on my new 250 GB partition). I following reinstalled the Windows 7 x64 system in my second 250GB in order to reinstall all my programs again to clean up all dirt stuff I had installed since I installed Windows 7 the first time.
Now I had 3 boots working fine (my old system, my copy, and my new system).
I in sequence formatted my old system in the 150 GB and did a new boot and what a surprise! The system did not boot any more.
Surprised and desesperated I reinstalled the Windows 7 again on my 150Gb drive and everything started normally again, but I had 3 boots (my copy, my new system where I was installing my programs again and the system in my 150Gb HD).
I looked now on my Disk Management and get the following:
Disk 1 Drive E: 250,60GB NTFS Healthy (Active, Primary Partition (my copy)
Disk 1 Drive C: 251,23 GB NTFS Healthy (Boot, Page File, Crash Dump, Primary Partition (the system where I am installing my programs again)
Disk 2 Drive F: 149,05 GB NTFS Healthy (System, Active, Primary Partition)
I realize that when I did a format in my 150GB partition it had the system installed and that caused the boot crash.
My question is the following:
How can I move the system partition to my Disk 1 in order I am format the disk 2 to use as a data file only?
I had some things on Google and did some suggested procedures without success.
Can someone help me on this?

My System SpecsSystem Spec

01 Sep 2011   #2

ME/XP/Vista/Win7
uk Hampshire
 
 

Reading your post, all I see is one big mess, & not sure what stage you are at.
From what i can see, your HD Drive layout may be like the screenshot below.

How to format a drive with Windows 7 Dual Boot system?-working-001.png

Take a look at this base tutorial:
Help me get windows 7 to boot (again)

But you may like to start afresh with a clean install, with the 1TB HD Drive as Disk0 & the other HD Drive physically disconnect.

You also say you are dual booting, Windows 7 & OS unknown.
My System SpecsSystem Spec
01 Sep 2011   #3

Windows 7 Ultimate x64
 
 

Yes theog it is a big mess and I am trying to fix it all.
I am not sure I will do a fresh start installing a clean Windows 7 in my 1TB HD drive due to I had already done a lot of work reinstalling my day-by-day programs. I will do this only if everything fails.
I will take a look in the tutorial you mentioned and check if it works.
I will let you know about the results as soon as I finish the process.
Thank you very much for the prompt answer and help. Have a very nice day from a Brazilian friend.
My System SpecsSystem Spec
.


01 Sep 2011   #4

Windows 7 Ultimate x64
 
 

theog, it worked. I follow the instructions on the tutorial you provided and all is working fine now.
Thank you very much!
My System SpecsSystem Spec
01 Sep 2011   #5

ME/XP/Vista/Win7
uk Hampshire
 
 

Well done.

You are welcome.
My System SpecsSystem Spec
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 How to format a drive with Windows 7 Dual Boot system? problems?



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