Move Windows 7 from G:\ to C:\

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  1. Posts : 53
    Windows 7 Home Premium
       #11

    gregrocker said:
    I haven't found any that can copy the MBR like a cloning program can.

    But restoring MBR only requires running Startup Repair from the Win7 DVD, so might as well use the best partitioning software for Win7 which IMO is free Partition Wizard bootable CD, to do the copying, resizing, converting, etc.

    Will try Clonezilla Live CD and Paragon 10 free editions. Thanks!
    The Partition Wizard bootable CD is a great tool, but as far as I know, it will not create an image of an OS.
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  2.    #12

    oldtraveler said:
    The Partition Wizard bootable CD is a great tool, but as far as I know, it will not create an image of an OS.
    Right, PW will only copy a partition from one place to another.

    However, we have used it succesfully to help with many dual-boot extractions here, to copy Win7 into deleted XP/Vista space when blocked by a data partition.

    It only requires rewriting the MBR to Win7 using the booted DVD Startup Repair for at least 3 passes with reboot.

    After that there is no reported performance hit at all.
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  3. Posts : 23
    Windows 7 Ultimate
    Thread Starter
       #13

    Have attached screenshot showing my partitions. Drive 'H' is an external eSata i use for backing up. I previously ran Vista on the G partition before doing a clean install of Windows 7. hope this info helps.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Move Windows 7 from G:\ to C:\-disk-management.png  
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  4. Posts : 23
    Windows 7 Ultimate
    Thread Starter
       #14

    The above screenshot was taken from XP and as XP does not recognise G:\ as Windows 7 due to the registry fix (on C:\)that protects system restore points on Windows 7 from being deleted.
    I will try to do another screenshot from Windows 7 as this migh be more helpful, sorry for any confusion.
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  5. Posts : 23
    Windows 7 Ultimate
    Thread Starter
       #15

    Screenshot from windows 7.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Move Windows 7 from G:\ to C:\-disk-management.png  
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  6.    #16

    Make a Win7 backup image of your HD stored externally so you start over as Copy operations can fail.

    Boot free Partition Wizard bootable CD , select 1 for screen res, then right click on C:XP to delete, OK.

    Now right click G:Win7 to Modify>Set Active, then Copy to the space where C: was.

    Next delete old Win7 partition. Apply all steps.

    Now boot into Win7 DVD Repair console, click through to Recovery Tools list and run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times with reboots to write the MBR to the newly copied Win7 partition.
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  7. Posts : 30
    Windows 7
       #17

    I went through this same exercise recently but with a dual boot of Vista and W7. Both were on my C drive; Vista on the C partition and W7 on the D partition ON THE SAME DRIVE.
    I just did a regular Acronis 2010 backup image of W7 AND Vista. Then I used my Acronis 2010 rescue disk to place the W7 on the Vista partition. At this point Windows 7 would not boot and expressed tremendous anxiety of there being TWO Windows 7's on my computer. I deleted the OLD Windows 7 (possibly by using Gparted - don't remember), then W7 still did not boot but I inserted my W7 disk at bootup and did a repair like on this page Windows 7 Startup Repair - How to Perform a Startup Repair in Windows 7 and then all was well. Some instructions say to do the boot repair from the disk THREE TIMES in a row...I only did it twice and it seemed to work.
    I did not have to clone anything at all and I converted my Acronis Vista backup to a vhd file using Acronis 2010 and can play games directly from it (or most everything else) by "attaching" the vhd in Windows 7.
    HTH
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  8. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
       #18

    I did not have to clone anything at all
    That worksthe way you did it. But if you want to transfer the MBR too, then you have to clone. Not everybody likes to play around with the MBR.
    Last edited by whs; 19 Jan 2010 at 17:48.
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  9.    #19

    The MBR is almost always recoverable by running Startup Repair up to 3 separate times with reboots. It attempts to fix and then rewrites the MBR.

    This is providing you have marked Win7 partition active and there are not other complications, e.g. data drives accidentally marked active which have derailed the MBR. But even then the MBR will be recovered to them until you mark them inactive, mark 7 active and run Startup Repair.

    You have to really work at messing up your Win7 to make it irreparable by Startup Repair, or bail out of the repair too soon.
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  10. Posts : 16,132
    7 X64
       #20

    The automated startup repair was introduced with Vista and improved on 7.

    To my surprise, SP2 startup repair appears to have been updated, and is just as good - ( tho. can only be used for Vista , of course )

    There is no need to clone - restoring an image to another HD will work just fine.
      My Computers


 
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