Windows 7 Dual Boot Can't Access Inactive Partitions C: Drive

I have a laptop that I have created 2 partitions on with a dual-boot configuration, both are Windows 7 Home Edition. Everything worked as desired until the primary partition's registry became corrupted (OK, I screwed it up). After spending a few days trying to fix it, I decided that there wasn't enough on it I wanted to save, so I just re-installed Windows 7 (as a new installation) on the (primary) partition. Everything seemed to work fine until I booted to the secondary partition and attempted to install an application on the C: drive (the application forces the location, so it wasn't by choice). It was then that I realized I have no access to create anything on that partition's C: drive. I have full rights to the primary partition's C: drive, just not the secondary, no matter which partition I boot to. Additionally, when I boot to the primary partition, I can see both, when I boot to the secondary, I don't see the primary. I have scoured the net for a solution and nothing has worked. I can't get access to take ownership, I can't change Security attributes, it is not set to Read-Only, it just comes back with the irritating "Access Denied" message whenever I try to create anything on that partition's C: drive.

Thanks in advance!

- Jim

Did you correctly boot the installer to install Win7? Otherwise both OS"s should show as C when booted into one. If not I would reinstall the incorrectly installed OS.

We can tell more from the Disk Mgmt screenshot Rich requested. It would be good to have it from both OS's.

I had thought I had correctly booted the installer, but since things don't work as they did beforehand, obviously something is wrong, why not that? :)

This is my first time posting here, hopefully I followed your instructions properly to upload the snipped pngs of each partitions disk manager display.

Thanks again.

- Jim

When booted into the secondary, in Disk Mgmt rightclick on the unlettered first partition to issue a Drive Letter - Add, Change, or Remove in Windows 7 - Windows 7 Forums

OK, now when I am booted to the secondary partition, I can see the primary partition.

Unfortunately that still leaves me in the same situation I was in. When I am booted to the secondary partition, I can't create anything in the C: (root) folder. What next?

Thanks again for helping with this.

- Jim

May I ask why you have two of the same Win7 versions installed in a Dual Boot. This is almost always unnecessary and wastes focus from having one perfect install following the Best Practices layed out in Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 which are the same for retail. Hence you complain in one post of having the original install go corrupt, and now the secondary can't install to the root - what exactly are you trying to install there anyway?

Run SFC -SCANNOW Command to check System files, create another Admin level account to see if that solves it. But first I'd make sure I come close to using only the tools and methods which assure a permanently perfect install.

Yes, I do have a reason for having 2 installs on one laptop which I don't want to layout here, but I appreciate the concern, and yes, they are both retail and legal with their own legally purchased license. I know the configuration can work since it was working perfectly before the reinstall. What I am trying to install on the secondary partition is a program that forces the install folder as C:. Unfortunately I don't have the source or the ability to change the install folder for it.

A sidenote is if you know of a good application that tracks everything that changes (files, registry entries, etc) during an install, a second (not as preferred) option would be to install the program I want on the primary partition, copy it to the seconadry making all the needed associated changes.

I have run SFC - SCANNOW without error.

Is there anything else that I can try?

Thanks again.

- Jim

Jim, what's the problem with installing the program to C? This is the reason for correctly installing from boot, so that Win7 always sees itself as C when booted. You have done this, so just let the programs install to C as intended. They should be on the OS partition anyway since by writing registry keys they integrate themselves into it until uninstalled.

I wish it was as easy as you make it sound. It was this easy prior to the re-install. As I stated in the initial post, I have NO write access to the C: drive when I boot to the secondary partition, which is where I am trying to do the install. So the install bombs as soon as it tries to write to it.

- Jim