Win Install Split Between Two Drives

Lyserg · 30 Mar 2012

Ok, so here's my problem that I've been working on for almost ten hours now, hopefully someone can solve it for me in ten minutes (won't hurt my feelings a darn bit).

I have two internal hard drives and one external:
Drive 0: 330gb - Windows 7 installed here on an extended part.
Drive 1: 750gb - Intended to be NTFS Storage Drive, but also wound up containing the 100mb System part. somehow.
Drive X: 500gb USB containing a backup and system image of the two internal drives.

What I'm trying to do (and expected it to be a heck of a lot simpler) is to install the Windows and the System partitions (including bootloader) onto Drive 1 and remove Drive 0.

Problem is, I cannot make an image of just Drive 0 because it doesn't contain the System partition, and because Drive 0 is in an extended partition (God only knows why) I cannot mark it as active and therefore cannot use Windows Repair to make Drive 0 a standalone. At this point, I cannot boot Windows without Drive 1. I say that because I'd planned to repair Drive 0, make a new image, and then install that image onto Drive 1. Because my current image contains both drives and thus cannot be installed onto just one drive.

Any ideas welcome. I have a boot disk of both Win7 and GParted.

seavixen32 · 30 Mar 2012

Welcome to Windows Seven Forums.

I'm off to bed shortly as it's getting very late over here, so I'll make this my last post of the day.

Please upload a screenshot of your fully expanded disk management layout.

Screenshots and Files - Upload and Post in Seven Forums

Others will be along I hope to help you out.

Lyserg · 30 Mar 2012

Unfortunately I don't have access to Windows at the present moment as I'm in the process of reimaging both drives. I thought I could have Windows repair create a system partition by removing the other drive, that's when I realized the problem of the extended partition. Since the current Windows install is not in a Primary partition, it cannot be set as active, and thus cannot become a stand alone as is. The drive layout listed in my OP is complete tho, nothing extra.

SIW2 · 30 Mar 2012

The entire 330gb is an extended partition?

Lyserg · 30 Mar 2012

That's correct. Theres only one partition on the drive, so I have no clue why its extended.

SIW2 · 30 Mar 2012

Either :

1.Convert it to Primary with Free Partition Wizard boot disc.

Partition Wizard Bootable CD allows user to manage partition ...

Rt click the partition (logical drive in fact )

select Modify>convert to Primary, click Apply

Mark it active, run startup repair from win7 repair cd/ install dvd 2 or 3 times.

That will make Drive 0 standalone - make sure it is first in bios boot order.

Or :

2.Use something more flexible than windows sys img.

Macrium free is popular - fast, too. http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

Make an image of only the windows partition on Drive 0 then restore it to somewhere on Drive 1.

You will need space on Drive 1 to restore it to, obviously.

Doesn't matter if it was logical when you imaged it - macrium will give you the choice to restore as primary or logical ( assuming you have enough partition slots - else it will be restored as logical , of course)

Macrium will automatically sort out the bcd entry during restore process

Lyserg · 30 Mar 2012

Worked like a charm. I had no idea you could change a partition from logical to primary (mainly because I've just been using GParted). Thank you much.

SIW2 · 30 Mar 2012

Glad you got it sorted out.:)