Windows 7: Recovery Partition in jeopardy?

Would appreciate your help.
(Started this project about a month ago, and got diverted.)

On a Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit) laptop, doing a full install of Vista Home Basic (32-bit).

Plan to shrink D\: to install Vista.

Disk Management Screenshot (Post #154):
Partition or Volume - Shrink

Will the Windows Seven Recovery Partition (no drive letter shown) become unusable, even if Vista is installed on a separate partition?

Thanks for your guidance.

This ought to help you through it:

Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and Vista

The Recovery partition should not be affected if you are careful. Pay special attention to which partition you're modifying, though. As always, having good reliable backups is worth the effort, both for your data and for your peace of mind. If you have a large portable drive I would use something like Macrium Reflect and back up all of your partitions before you start. Knowing you get a do-over in the event of trouble is worth the extra effort.

You don't mention the make or model of y our computer which is what we need to begin to answer the question.

Make your Windows 7 Recovery disks and a Windows 7 System image as a backup: Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup

If you post up a screenshot of your Maximized Disk Mgmt drive map with listings, using the Snipping Tool in Start Menu, we can advise you better. What is on D partition?

Thanks for the info, profdlp!


If I understand you correctly, before installing the second OS, one could back up (as shown in Disk Management screenshot above) the Recovery Partition (no letter assigned), the Data Partition (NTFS D:\, in this case), and also C:\ (NTFS, which is Active, System, Boot, etc...) and reinstate these in the event of a problem?

Once Vista (the second OS) is installed, the information needed for it to boot is stored in the Boot Configuration Data Store, and that is an area separate from the three partitions mentioned above ?

The only way to back up reliably your Recovery partition is to make the Recovery Disks. You could not count on it booting if reimaged after being taken off as it will lose it's hotlink. However different makes handle this differently.

If you only shrink the Windows 7 partition to install Vista in a Dual Boot, everything should remain the same in most cases. But your Disk Mgmt screenshot may reveal unknowns that factor in here.

@gregrocker,
Did not see your post before my reply. Thanks for your help!

The Disk Management Screenshot is Post #154 in the link provided above (initial post).

The laptop is a HannSpree SN12E2, Model #HSG1121

Bought it from a third party, and did not get a Recovery CD. Needless to say, do not want end up with a lost Windows 7, which is what it came with.

I agree with Shawn's advice for shrinking D to dual boot given in the thread you linked in first post.

I would find the manual for your model on the maker's Support Downloads webpage to see how to make your Recovery disks to have as a back up. There is no way to say for sure if Recovery will work until afterwards when trying to cue it up. If you're concerned about this then I'd make the Recov Disks and save a Windows 7 or Macrium backup image before Dual Booting as your backup.

Remember however that in the future you also have the option to get the superior Clean Reinstall Windows 7 Factory OEM without the bloatware and useless factory utilities that have better versions built into Windows 7, using the Product Key on COA sticker which I would also back up now.

This option sounds very good.

The Windows 7 Home Premium OS installed is 32-bit. Will the Factory OEM come in the 32-bit version?

You would then download the 32 bit Iso. The key on your machine is for the 32 bit version.

Just click the blue link and you'll have everything you need.

Ask back if there are any further questions.