Cannot boot from SSD after windows partition cloning

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  1. Posts : 59
    Windows 7 Professional 342it
       #1

    Cannot boot from SSD after windows partition cloning


    Using EaseUS Todo Backup Free 8.2, I cloned my WIN7 partition (Disk 0 in the image) to a new ssd (Disk 1 in the image).



    When I boot from Disk 1, the boot menu options remain the same as before (WINXP, WIN7, WIN7_2) and do not include the new windows in the new ssd (WIN7_NEW).
    I booted from a "Repair disc Windows 7 32-bit". In the "System Recovery Options" there was no operating system listed. I clicked Next and did a Startup Repair. I then booted from Disk 1 and opened Disk Management, but there was no Primary Partition on Disk 1. I did that 3 times, but to no avail.
    How can I make windows boot from my new ssd, while keeping my old windows as an option in the boot menu?
    Thanks
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 13,576
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #2

    It`s because Windows 7 was installed in a Logical Partition on Disk 0 and the boot files are on the XP partition.

    It`s still in a Logical Partition and you can`t boot from a Logical partition.

    Use Partition Wizard and try to turn it into a Primary Partition and mark it active, then you can try to run startup repair on it, with all other drives disconnected.

    I recommend making and using a Partition Wizard Boot CD to attempt it.

    Bootable Partition Manger | MiniTool Partition Wizard Bootable Edition
      My Computer

  3.    #3

    As Brian says, you can't boot from a Logical partition, so download free Partition Wizard, burn to CD with Windows Image Burner, boot disk, right click Win7 partition to set partition as Primary with Partition Wizard,
    click OK.

    Next right click C again to Set Active partition, click OK. Apply both steps.

    Then power down to unplug all other hard drives, swap old Win7 drive cable to SSD so it is now DISK0 and remains set first to boot in BIOS, boot Win7 CD to run Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times until Win7 starts and has the System Active flags on it.

    An alternative is that you can install PW to the old Win7 drive if it will boot, convert SSD WIn7 to Primary and Set Partition Active, then move Bootmgr - Move to C:\ with EasyBCD - Windows 7 Forums. Power down to swap cables between old Win7 drive and SSD so it becomes first hard drive to boot in BIOS, boot Win7 on SSD.

    Your partitioning is a disorganized mess so if you know what you want to do with each drive tell us so we can give you the steps like we have done for thousands of others successfully without a single failure.

    In particular you should extend the new C to the rest of the hard drive if you want, or create a new data partition there rather than just ignore the wasted space. And what about the other Win7 and XP partitions.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 59
    Windows 7 Professional 342it
    Thread Starter
       #4

    Thanks for your answers.
    Gregrocker, I think the alternative you proposed is easier.
    1)Will I have to run Startup Repair, if I follow the alternative solution?
    2)Why do I have to swap cables between old Win7 drive and SSD? Can't I just change the boot order in bios?
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 13,576
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #5

    Yes you can just change the boot order in the bios.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 59
    Windows 7 Professional 342it
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Using Partition Wizard from WIN7 I converted WIN7_NEW (SSD) partition to Primary and Active.
    In EasyBCD, in the following screen, I must select partition L (WIN7_NEW), right?

      My Computer


  7. Posts : 59
    Windows 7 Professional 342it
    Thread Starter
       #7

    I selected L in the above screen and saw this:
    EasyBCD has successfully made drive L: the new boot partition, and has loaded the new BCD store for modification, should you wish to make any further changes. If this partition is on your first boot disk, you don't need to take any further action. If it's not, you should now turn off your PC and change the boot drive from the BIOS for the changes to take effect.

    I changed the bios to boot from the new SSD, but the boot menu options were the same as before (WINXP, WIN7, WIN7_2) and did not include the new windows in the new ssd (WIN7_NEW).
    What can I do?
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 59
    Windows 7 Professional 342it
    Thread Starter
       #8

    My partitions now are like this:



    How do I boot from L?
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 59
    Windows 7 Professional 342it
    Thread Starter
       #9

    I booted from a "Repair disc Windows 7 32-bit" and the result was this:



    Then, I booted from the ssd. The boot menu was like this:
    Earlier Version of Windows
    Windows 7
    Windows 7 Professional
    Windows 7 Professional (recovered)

    The last entry was new, so I selected that.
    My partitions now are like this:



    So, it seems I finally managed to boot from the ssd.
    Now, I must change the partition letter from G to C, right?
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 2,752
    Windows 7 Pro x64 (1), Win7 Pro X64 (2)
       #10

    George300 said:
    Now, I must change the partition letter from G to C, right?
    You cannot change the drive letter of the booted Windows from C. The screenshot shows that you must actually still be booted to Windows on the old drive since it's showing as C, not the copied Windows on the SSD.

    When you boot to Windows, it makes itself C... no matter where it is. All other partitions get lettered after that, as D, E, etc., although you can change the letters of the other partitions. You just can't change C.

    Now, originally you had a 2-Windows multiboot setup, starting from an original WinXP. That partition was marked as "active", and was where Boot Manager (from WinXP, originally) lived. When you installed Win7 as a second bootable Windows in a 100GB partition on that drive, the Win7 installer recognized that you already had an existing bootable WinXP partition. So it replaced Boot Manager from WinXP with Boot Manager from Win7, and created a boot menu... showing the two bootable Windows choices, with Win7 being designated at the default and WinXP dropped to optional second.

    Then you copied Win7 from the spinner, to your new SSD. You likely intended to eliminate the Win7 partition from the spinner and instead use the copy now residing on the SSD. But the spinner was still set in the BIOS to be the boot drive, and the original WinXP "active" partition was still where Boot Manager lived. Assuming you still wanted to retain bootability to WinXP in your new configuration, what you actually now should have done is simply run EasyBCD to (a) delete the old Win7 spinner partition entry in the boot menu, and (b) add a new entry for the copied Win7 partition that now lives on the SSD. The fact that both your old Win7 and your copied Win7 are "logical" partitions is of zero consequence, as long as your old WinXP partition is still retained as the "active" partition where Boot Manager lives. The WinXP partition is "primary" and that satisfies the requirement for bootability. After that, Windows can reside on either "logical" or "primary" partitions without concern.

    So, you DO NOT WANT TO BOOT FROM YOUR SSD. Your Win7 partition on the spinner didn't have Boot Manager in it, because it was your WinXP partition that was actually the primary "active" boot partition where Boot Manager lived. And assuming you still want to have WinXP in your environment, you still want the spinner to be the first boot drive in the BIOS, and you still want the WinXP partition to be "active" since that's where Boot Manager lives.

    You just want to use EasyBCD to delete the old spinner Win7 entry and add the new SSD Win7 entry to the boot menu. You can leave the SSD Win7 partition as logical, since that's fine. Again, it's the WinXP partition which is the "active" partition for Boot Manager, which will then move on to start Windows from the SSD (in its logical partition is fine).

    Now honestly, this is all how it SHOULD have been done.

    But from other people's suggestions, you've now converted that "logical" Win7 copy on the SSD to "primary", and you've run Windows Repair to create Boot Manager in that SSD Win7 partition. However I don't see that the SSD Win7 partition is marked "active" and without that you will not be able to boot to it. Use Partition Wizard to set that partition as "active" on the SSD.

    Then get into the BIOS and set the SSD as the first drive in the boot sequence. This will eliminate WinXP entirely, if that's what you really want to do now. You will now only have the SSD Win7 in your bootable environment, unless you use EasyBCD to add back the WinXP partition on the spinner to the new boot menu which I believe is now present on your SSD Win7 "primary" partition (since you ran Windows Repair).

    Once you get to boot successfully to SSD Win7, it will automatically letter itself as C at boot time. Any other partitions still seen (on spinner or SSD) will get D, E, etc.


    Bottom line: there's nothing wrong with a Windows partition living in a "logical"partition, as long as it's not the "active" partition where Boot Manager lives. The requirement of "primary" is only for the "active" partition where the BIOS goes to kick off Boot Manager, and to present the boot menu with 2 or more bootable Windows systems (on the same or different drive as the "active" partition).

    You don't have to boot to the SSD, to get to use Win7 on the SSD. You only have to have have an entry in the boot menu in the WinXP "active" partition on the spinner, which points to Win7 on the SSD. And that could have been done with EasyBCD after you copied the Win7 partition from spinner to SSD. At that point you could have also deleted the now obsolete boot menu entry for the old Win7 partition on the spinner, along with physically deleting it and reusing its space for a "data" partition.

    Any Windows partition, no matter from "logical" or "primary", once booted to by Boot Manager (which can be in any "active" partition on any drive, but it must be a "primary" partition) will automatically letter itself as C.

    So... do you want to retain WinXP or not? Your final cleanup steps depend on that decision, now that you've done everything others have suggested. Sorry I didn't see this thread earlier, as I believe I could have saved you some exasperation.
      My Computer


 
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