Install Win7 to Logical partition?

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  1.    #1

    Install Win7 to Logical partition?


    After clean installing Win7 to second partition dual booting with XP, I notice that the Win7 paritition is marked "logical drive" in Disk Management. XP is marked primary active.

    Are there any reasons why an OS should not be installed to a logical drive?
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  2. Posts : 16,119
    7 X64
       #2

    A logical drive can function perfectly well as a Boot partition.

    However, as it can not be marked Active, it cannot be the System partition.

    If, for any reason , you wish to convert it to a Primary partition - rt click it in Paragon Partition Manager an you can convert it in a matter of seconds without data loss.

    ( You will only be offered the option to convert if doing so adheres to the max no. of partitions allowed under mbr partitioning rules, of course)
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  3. Posts : 50,642
    Thread Starter
       #3

    SIW2 said:
    A logical drive can function perfectly well as a Boot partition.

    However, as it can not be marked Active, it cannot be the System partition.

    If, for any reason , you wish to convert it to a Primary partition - rt click it in Paragon Partition Manager an you can convert it in a matter of seconds without data loss.

    ( You will only be offered the option to convert if doing so adheres to the max no. of partitions allowed under mbr partitioning rules, of course)
    Thanks!

    Is there any reason to do this if I don't need the boot files now to be contained on the Win7 partition?

    Would some programs/utilities not recognize a logical partition as containing an OS?

    It is running fine, booting up correctly from XP/Win 7 menu.
    Last edited by gregrocker; 05 May 2014 at 16:13.
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  4. Posts : 16,119
    7 X64
       #4

    You would probably only need if to you wanted to make 7 the System partition . Otherwise, it should be fine as it is. I am not aware of any programs that would complain.
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  5. Posts : 50,642
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Strange happenings. I converted logical to primary using Paragon Pro bootable. Seemed to affect the responsiveness of the Win7 installed there, so I used an image backup I had made before conversion to reimage my HDD. All good now. Today I look in Disk Management and both partitions are now Primary. WTF?
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  6. Posts : 1,557
    XP, Seven, 2008R2
       #6

    Maybe because there's no point in making a logical partition because there are only 2 partitions on the drive. Logical is only needed when there are more than 4 partitions (the Master Boot Record contains enough space for 4 partition records).
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  7. Posts : 15
    XP Pro 32, Win7 Pro 64, Windows 7 Ultimate 32/64
       #7

    RE
    gregrocker said:
    After clean installing Win7 to second partition dual booting with XP, I notice that the Win7 paritition is marked "logical drive" in Disk Management. XP is marked primary active.

    Are there any reasons why an OS should not be installed to a logical drive?

    RE: With XP on 1st primary, Win7 on a logical OR the 2nd primary..

    (Win7 and XP boot files are on the XP partition- XP partition is "active".)

    Q: With this set-up while in XP.... XP OS is on "C:" .... is the Win7 partition "C" while in Win7?

    Have a thread asking about it here, plus the Pros and Cons of installing to a logical vs a primary...

    Currently have the boot files on a 200mb "System Reserved" partition- which while in XP is seen as "C:" and cannot be hidden causing XP to be seen as "D:".

    Win7, XP Dual boot- Install OS's to logical or primary partition? Pro

    Any info you have on this subject would be appreciated.


    .
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  8. Posts : 50,642
    Thread Starter
       #8

    You can install Win7 to Logical if there is a Primary Active partition for it to write its boot files to.

    If you want to remove XP you'll need to convert Win7's Logical partition To Primary using free Partition Wizard bootable CD, then Modify>Set to Active, boot the Win7 DVD to run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times to write the boot files to Win7 partition.

    Or you can create a Primary boot partition in some of the space where you delete XP using free Partition Wizard CD(resizing Win7 into the rest of the space if desired), mark it Active then run the Repairs which will write the System MBR and boot files to the newly constructed boot partition.

    An added benefit of constructing the boot partition is that the Repairs will also install the Repair Console onto the Advanced Boot Tools menu accessed by tapping F8 at bootup. Normally you need the DVD or Repair CD for this Repair console.
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  9. Posts : 1
    windows 7 pro 32 bit
       #9

    Dear greckrocker!
    I just registered just to thank you! It took me some hours to understand why windows will not fix the bootmanager. Although it accepted the logical partition for windows 7 in partnership with xp it was not able to restore the win7 when it was on its own.

    I copied the system-files bootmanager/autoexec.bat/ from a fresh win7-install. After that the repair-function was able to find my win-install.

    After adding a small primary partition and giving it the boot-flag bootrec /fixboot and /fixmbr (under windows repair console) suceeded. Before that the error message was Element not found OR on german Element nicht gefunden.

    After that my kubuntu update-grub will also find the win7 ... full sucess!

    Thank you so much. I really was desperate after killing a windows of a customer with installing kubuntu (which I did many times)

    Have a nice day/evening -- whereever you live!
    Matthias - Austria
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  10. Posts : 50,642
    Thread Starter
       #10

    Glad it helped, Matthias.

    Greets from the beach in Calif (where I live), Boston (where I'm traveling) bound for London, Berlin, Paris, Madrid and Barcelona in the next few months.

    All the best to you there and I hope to get to Austria again soon.
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