Cloning win7 partition to another disk

I want to clone my existing windows 7 partition (System reserved and C: partition) from 32G SSD to 500G Harddisk.

On SSD: the partition looks like this:

|System Reserved 100M | Win 7 C: Partition|

I can clone the image successfully if i clone it to the first partition of my HDD., i.e

|System Reserved 100M | Win 7 C: Partition| extended partition|, the first two partitions are cloned of SSD.


But now, i want to use a third party boot loader (XOSL) on my HDD to boot windows 7 on HDD and SSD. So I want my HDD partitions look like below:

|400 M XOSL boot loader| Win7 System reserved 100M | C: Win7 main partition|

My XOSL boot loader failed to boot up win 7. There is no issue on XOSL as it can boot the SSD above by pointing it to the System reserved 100M partition. It just unable to boot the cloned Win7 image from SSD to the HDD partitions as outlined above although it is also pointing to the same System Reserved 100M partition on the HDD.

I believe there is something i am missing here. When the win7 is cloned to a partition other than the first partition, how does a boot loader boot load it? What i need to do?

Welcome to the forum. Can you post a screenshot of your disks from disk manager your saying one is extended not primary which could be the problem

mce16

For your info.
Just to shared with you all what i had encountered as may be similar to you.

Bought a 2nd Sony Vaio on HDD 160GB, and got a SSD 128GB.
Clone using DVD of Mini Tools Partition Wizard, from HDD to SSD. Clone successful.
Swap HDD out and insert the SSD.
The whole system crashed and went to checking sfc.

Then i remember i had missed the Main Item.
Sony do have 100MB for Boot and Active, system.
When i clone, i did missed on this setup.
The Clone had removed the Boot and System Active on the 100MB.
Hence the whole laptop cannot be used.

The reason is i failed to check on the setting of each partition.
But i do not have such issue for TOSHIBA L630 (on this laptop), and the 1st partition is 1.4GB; and Primary Active partition is the Windows OS on 2nd partition.

In conclusion.
Each OEM brand do have different on the Boot, System, Active in either on 1st partition or on the 2nd partition Windows OS.
I had to send back to the seller shop, and told me that the these issue do somewhat damaged the laptop.
Now have to wait for the seller to fix and at the same time put in new SSD.

samuria said:

Welcome to the forum. Can you post a screenshot of your disks from disk manager your saying one is extended not primary which could be the problem

Hi Thanks for reply.

Even i deleted all the partitions on my hdd where i want my image cloned to, i still failed in getting the windows to boot after cloning. So my HDD now looks like this:

XOSL Boot partition FAT16 400M | Clone Win 7 System Reserved Partition 100M| Cloned Win 7 C Partition 30GB| Unallocated abt 400GB|

And, my source clone disk partition look like below:

Win 7 System Reserved 100M| 30 GB Win7 C: Partition|

I can use XOSL (which is on my cloned disk) to point to the System reserved partition and boot the source disk above, but it can't boot into the clone windows 7 disk.

I think there is some info inside the System Reserved partition which make it unable to boot in the clone disk if the image is cloned to a partition that is not starting from the first disk sector.

Any help?

Eric3742 said:

mce16


In conclusion.
Each OEM brand do have different on the Boot, System, Active in either on 1st partition or on the 2nd partition Windows OS.
I had to send back to the seller shop, and told me that the these issue do somewhat damaged the laptop.
Now have to wait for the seller to fix and at the same time put in new SSD.

Hi, about your point above;

But i think Win7 according to what i have read, it can be installed in any partition that you want it to and it will work.

So the question is that why is it when i cloned from a windows that was installed in the first partition to another partition on another disk, it failed to be boot by another boot loader. I know the boot loader always reside in first disk sector which is the Mbr, but this Mbr is now not the Windows Mbr., it is my own boot loader, which supposed to load windows 7 from the system reserved area; just the same as it is doing when it loads win 7 from the original clone source; but my boot loader now is not able to boot load this clone image. why?

Hi mce16

I usually go to Sim Lim Square to do my computer related items.
Since Funan had being closed, i missed it as i usually go the Challenger @Funan


As what was mentioned in post #2 by samuria could you do post.

Sony Vaio is the very 1st time using and start with issue.
Refer to post #3.
I did make an error by not taking note on how Sony Vaio work.
As mentioned, the "active & boot" is on the very 1st partition 100MB.
When cloning, it deleted the "boot & active" on the 1st partition.
When i turn on the Sony laptop, it went to error screen.
This is due to my Toshiba laptop use the primary (2nd partition) to boot and active.

Sent the Sony Vaio to the shop (SLS), since Sunday, and still waiting for it to be done.
The repair staff told me that he had to re-install the Windows OS.
And i ask him to get another SSD, as original HDD is 160GB, may have issue, due to my oversight.
It seem that the shop do retail OEM, as it notice in the product key in MS website.

Unless you post the screenshot, i can check with him on your issue.
When my Sony turn on and show the error, he said that it is somethings i did wrongly.

The boot loader needs to be set active for it to boot is the disk MBR or gpt

mce16 said:

Even i deleted all the partitions on my hdd where i want my image cloned to, i still failed in getting the windows to boot after cloning. So my HDD now looks like this:

XOSL Boot partition FAT16 400M | Clone Win 7 System Reserved Partition 100M| Cloned Win 7 C Partition 30GB| Unallocated abt 400GB|

And, my source clone disk partition look like below:

Win 7 System Reserved 100M| 30 GB Win7 C: Partition|

I can use XOSL (which is on my cloned disk) to point to the System reserved partition and boot the source disk above, but it can't boot into the clone windows 7 disk.

I think there is some info inside the System Reserved partition which make it unable to boot in the clone disk if the image is cloned to a partition that is not starting from the first disk sector.

Any help?

Try to extend the Window 7 C: partition, since you are using HDD with a lot of unallocated space.
It is best to give at least, say, 100GB as it have to include pagefile size and the system restore point size.
Both may take up at least 10GB.

Also HDD required additional space in moving &or creating additional work space, as it may not strain on the RAM, thus go to pagefile for temporary storage if RAM is unable to do use.

samuria said:

The boot loader needs to be set active for it to boot is the disk MBR or gpt

Yes i do agreed with you.

Maybe this "XOSL Boot partition" should not be the 1st partition, as it normall using some Windows files to boot.

When i use the O&O partition, it run the Windows files before going to O&O application.

I am not sure of this.

samuria
What do you think

As requested, here are how my disk layout looks like. The 400MB (show as other) is where my xosl boot loader is. This is where the system will boot into, and it boots this partition without issue. But this boot loader is supposed to load windows from the partition System Reserved next to it. A Windows Boot manager error come out when it points to the System Reserved partition to boot windows.

However, if the xosl point to the System Reserved partition in another disk which is 30GB SSD, it will load windows successfully.

Ignore about the drive name by the way, because at the moment windows is running from 30G ssd.