Windows 7: Changing the System Partition?

When i installed Windows 7, I created a new partition so I could make sure that I could transfer all of the files from Vista over to Windows 7. I couldn't upgrade because I was going from Vista Home Premium 32-bit to 7 Professional 64-bit.



Now I want to get rid of the partition with Vista on it, and still be able to boot up my computer. Does anybody know how to change the System Partition from the Vista partition to the Windows 7 one?

Currently, the Vista Partition says Healthy (System, Active, Primary Partition) and the Windows 7 Partition says Healthy (Boot, Page File, Crash Dump, Primary Partition). I want to change that so Windows 7 is the System Partition.

Okay, I fixed that part on my own. Now I have a different problem. I deleted the old partition, but now I can't merge the unallocated space into my Windows 7 Partition because it isn't contiguous space. Basically, I have Unallocated Space -> Windows 7. Is there any way to move Windows 7 to the front of the drive so I can merge it with the empty space?

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greetz

You are doing things in a way that creating allot of problems, what you should have done was not create any new partitions, insert the install disc reboot the computer and start the installation.

When you were asked where to install you should have chosen the Vista Partition and then install it without formatting, you would have then completed the install and the Data from the Vista install would have been placed in a folder on the c drive called Windows.old.

You could then retrieve any data and then after making sure you had nothing left in there of value you could then delete it.

Unfortunately none of that will help you now, you will probably need to get a 3rd party partitioning software to be able to merge the unallocated space, you could try using the free version of Partition Magic but I'm not sure what restrictions are on the trial version.

Download Partition Magic 8.0 Free Trial - Partition Magic allows you to create, resize and merge partitions.

Hello PickleDelight, and welcome to Windows Seven Forums.

The "System" label you refer to is the partition currently running the "Operating System". So in a dual boot configuration, when you boot to Vista, that partition becomes the "System" partition and when you boot to 7, that partition becomes the "System" partition.

Based on your description of the 7 partition, that partition contains the "Boot" code. You should be able to delete the Vista partition and still boot to 7. However, other questions should be raised here. During fresh installs of 7, a 100MB boot partition is automatically created the the start of the hard drive. You do not indicate your system has a boot partition, rather that 7 skipped the boot partition and put the boot code in the 7 partition. That will work OK, but if you want, now would be a good time to delete the Vista partition and install a fresh copy of 7 in the empty space. Then reinstall your apps and use the easy transfer wizard to complete the new 7 install. Then you can delete the initial 7 partition and extend your new 7 partition into the empty space.

If the 7 partition is the second partition on your hard drive, as I suspect, after you delete the Vista partition you will not be able to extend the 7 partition into the empty space moving to the LEFT using the Windows Drive Management utility. You can do this with other software like GParted. Check out the links under my sig at the bottom of this window.

Another possible solution is to delete the Vista partition and use Clonezilla to move the 7 partition into the empty space at the front of the drive. Then you can delete the initial 7 partition and extend into that empty space. There is also a link to using Clonezilla under my sig.

Should the worst happen, here are some links to fixing the startup, a "repair install", and updating the "boot code".

Startup Repair

Repair Install

MBR - Restore Windows 7 Master Boot Record

I know it doesn't help with your current situation, but for future reference, knowing what I know now, I would shrink the "old" operating system to the right and install any "new" operating system I eventually was going to keep at the "front" of the hard drive and include room for the 100MB boot partition if needed. It is so much easier then to delete the "old" os and use Windows to extent the partition to the right.

Cheers!

Robert

Thanks. But I already figured out what I needed to do and solved everything already based on other forums I found with people who had similar problems. The boot files are now where they should be, I deleted the Partition with Vista on it, I moved the partition with 7 on it to the front of the drive and merged it with the empty space I got from deleting Vista. It all boots up perfectly fine now, and I'm enjoying my new Operating system.

By the way, when I posted that last night, I was drinking. It's amazing how when you wake up sober, you can actually think and find the information to solve a problem on your own.

To Mr. ISEEUU:

Thanks for that Tutorial on restoring the MBR, ISEEUU. I'm going to be getting rid of my vista and win732 bit on a different hard drive and preserve my Windows 7 64 bit on s serperate new SSD. I took screen shots (using Firefox's addon sure shot) of your tutorial now i'm going to print them and do each step one by one. I'm not good at DOS commands so the screen shots are a heaven sent. I'm never gonna be as good as some of you guys here, but I'm getting there.

FyrmnJ in Philly

FyrmnJ;

You are most welcome. Glad it proved useful to you! And thanks for letting me know.

BTW, I have never been very good with DOS either.

Cheers!

Robert

Could you tell me the thread of the forums that solved your problem? Thanks.

'iseeuu's MBR tutorial is located at:

MBR - Restore Windows 7 Master Boot Record

For "Tutorials" in general, 2 ways:
At the opening 'home page', it's near the bottom.
For other pages, it's a blue something at the 'Top Right'.

It's good to know where to find them all -- Really good stuff in there!