Solved What is the system reserve partition in Win 7

[trinaz]

I know you are supposed to backup the system reserve partition along with the main C: (installation) partition.

Some questions:

1) What exactly is the reserve partition and is it necessary to keep it ?

2) When you restore the main C: drive to a previous image...Is it necessary to restore the system partition also ?

3) My main PC (Win 7 pro 64bit) does not have a system partition...I'm assuming it's because I built this system from scratch.

4) If there is nothing on my other Win 7 Pro 32 bit system partition (Pretty much rebuilt when we added win 7 pro 32 bit a year or so ago) that's used from the manufacturer (HP Pavilion older media center)...is it necessary too maintain the reserve partition ?

Thanks....TRinAZ

 

[whs]

1. This partition contains the bootmgr. If you delete it, you system will not boot any more.

2. No. I would image it only once and keep that image in a safe place for the case that your HDD dies and you have to transport it to a new HDD. But since it never changes (unless you decide to add an additional OS on this HDD), there is no need to reimage it all the time.

3. That can happen if you install Win7 to a predefined partition. Then the bootmgr is on C.

4. Just keep it as is and leave it alone.

 

[marsmimar]

My usual disclaimer: I'm not an expert at anything.

1. The reserve partition is usually 100MB. It contains the bootmgr which is what helps your computer to boot. It's called an active partition because without it your computer is just an expensive door stop.

2. The answer to this really depends on which imaging tool you're going to use. For example, if you use the built in Windows 7 imaging tool it will automatically image everything on your hard drive. When it comes time to use that image it will automatically replace everything on your hard drive. But if you use another imaging tool like Macrium free, you can select which partition(s) to image. A lot of people just image the C: drive because that's what changes over time. The reserve partition shouldn't change. But it wouldn't hurt to image the reserve partition "just in case".

3. As above, it should be OK to just image the C: drive. I'm not sure what you mean when you say you don't have a system partition. Did you mean the system reserve partition? If so, as long as your computer is working properly, no worries.

4. There should be no need to maintain the reserve partition other than perhaps making an image and storing it safely some place (like an external hard drive.) In fact, I've heard stories that changing the reserve partition by increasing or decreasing partiton size, etc can cause major problems.

If I've made any errors in what I've said I'm sure other more knowledgeable forum members will correct me.

EDIT: whs beat me to it. He taught me everything I know and he's faster on the keyboard than me!

 

[seavixen32]

As already stated, the system reserved partition houses the boot record and deleting it will render your computer unbootable. It will also be the active partition that Windows looks for when you boot up your computer.

In addition, having it gives you the facility to boot into the Windows recovery environment by tapping the F8 key at startup.

It is possible during a Windows install to extend the system reserved partition and install Windows to it so that the Windows partition becomes the active partition that contains both the master boot record and the operating system, but you do lose the F8 function.

In line with marsimar, if I've given you wrong information, the cavalry will soon put us right.

 

[whs]

EDIT: whs beat me to it. He taught me everything I know and he's faster on the keyboard than me!

marsmimar, that was very nice of you to say that. I am glad that I can contribute and that you are learning from my posts. But my typing skills are dismal.

It is possible during a Windows install to extend the system reserved partition and install Windows to it so that the Windows partition becomes the active partition that contains both the master boot record and the operating system, but you do lose the F8 function.

seavixen, I would not so that. Just leave it alone. There are many circumstances where the little partition is useful.

 

[Bill2]

Ok, here comes the cavalry. The only thing the sysres is required for is bitlocker, if you use that feature. Its not required for F8-Repair your computer to function (this is about the nth time I'm saying it and soon I'll start sounding like a parrot). So, IF you wish you can manage things without sysres quite nicely. But if you're lazy like me and already have it, let it be, its harmless and only takes a corner of your massive hard disk.

 

[seavixen32]

"this is about the nth time I'm saying it and soon I'll start sounding like a parrot"

As long as you don't start looking like one!!

Thanks for putting me right, I'll try and remember it for future posts of a similar nature.

 

[kado897]

You might as well image it along with the rest of your OS. It's only 100-200 MB and takes seconds to image. At least that way if you need to restore then you know where to find it.

 

[maxseven]

It seems ironic that this 100MB partition, which MS implemented no doubt to head-off boot problems from corrupted C drives, is itself causing confusion and problems amongst users...

 

[mjf]

Ok, here comes the cavalry. The only thing the sysres is required for is bitlocker, if you use that feature. Its not required for F8-Repair your computer to function (this is about the nth time I'm saying it and soon I'll start sounding like a parrot). So, IF you wish you can manage things without sysres quite nicely. But if you're lazy like me and already have it, let it be, its harmless and only takes a corner of your massive hard disk.

Can you go over this for the n+1 time.
This is all related to another key element in the system reserved partition which hasn't been mentioned. In system reserved, within a folder called [Boot] is the important BCD store. This points the boot manager were to go to load the operating system (one OS or multi boot options).
My understanding is it facilitates the F8 function. If the system reserved partition is done away with and [Boot]/BCD is located in the OS partition, F8 is lost.
You then have to use Reagentc to assign another Fn to the Repair function, eg. F9.

And this is how you do it
http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/126522-100-mb-partition-3.html#post1094097

Is this incorrect?

 

[seavixen32]

Well, it was certainly my understanding, but I tried to give way gracefully as I didn't want to get involved in an unseemly argument.

From my point of view, I'd rather keep the system reserved partition, because the F8 shortcut can be very useful at times.

 

[mjf]

I'm not trying to be ungraceful or enter into an unseemly argument. Bill2's response was quite definite and I'm more than happy to learn. I was hoping that pointing to the F8 fix provided by another member may help readers.

 

[seavixen32]

My sentiments exactly and I do apologise for any misunderstanding.

 

[Bill2]

Ok, here comes the cavalry. The only thing the sysres is required for is bitlocker, if you use that feature. Its not required for F8-Repair your computer to function (this is about the nth time I'm saying it and soon I'll start sounding like a parrot). So, IF you wish you can manage things without sysres quite nicely. But if you're lazy like me and already have it, let it be, its harmless and only takes a corner of your massive hard disk.

Can you go over this for the n+1 time.
This is all related to another key element in the system reserved partition which hasn't been mentioned. In system reserved, within a folder called [Boot] is the important BCD store. This points the boot manager were to go to load the operating system (one OS or multi boot options).
My understanding is it facilitates the F8 function. If the system reserved partition is done away with and [Boot]/BCD is located in the OS partition, F8 is lost.
You then have to use Reagentc to assign another Fn to the Repair function, eg. F9.

And this is how you do it
http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/126522-100-mb-partition-3.html#post1094097

Is this incorrect?

The F8-repair your computer link depends on 2 components- the recovery environment (RE) files and some bcd entries. The RE files are placed on the hard disk by default during the win7 installation. Now, they are not placed in sysres (sysres is usually too small to hold them), they are placed on the C: drive. The location is either the hidden folder C:\recovery or the hidden folder C:\recovery\<GUID>. Although I've seen some OEM machines with 1.5 gig sysres partitions with the RE files inside that partition, probably the way the OEM designed it.

When one installs without sysres, the boot files are placed on the windows partition. So bcd will be in C:\Boot folder. No harm comes to bcd by being placed there. It can still contain the boot menu entries bootmgr needs to look up including those required for the F8 thing.

I've experimented with clean installing on several machines without sysres- what I find is that some automatically install the F8 function while on others I can enable it through reagentc. More research is required into this. As for SIW2's post, its correct but 2 more things. One the RE files already exist on the C: drive so if F8 is missing, one can just run reagentc commands pointing to those files. Second, the /bootkey switch is not necessary- in my experiments I ran reagentc without that switch and set re path to the files in C:\recovery and F8 got enabled. BTW, reagentc just creates some bcd entries, the same entries can be created manually with bcdedit.

Anyway, the point of the earlier post was simply that sysres is not indispensable for F8 function to work.

 

[mjf]

Yes I know the Winre files live here

and not in the system reserved partition which contains ~30MB of data.
The issue is
When the BCD is rebuilt in the OS partition is the F8 scan code intercepted and Winre.wim mounted. It is my understanding that the answer is no so effectively the F8 function disappears unless you perform the Reagentc commands. Even then I'm not sure that you can use the F8 scan code and need to use something like F9.

 

[Bill2]

I have 8 machines running win7 clean installed without sysres partition- every one of them has a functioning F8 entry.

 

[mjf]

So then F8 function works on a clean install with no system reserved to begin with.

I wonder if the rebuilding of the BCD using the repair function on the system repair disk or with "bootrec" is where you might loose the F8 function? This is for situations where the original install included the system reserved partition.

 

[Bill2]

I just ran bootrec /rebuildbcd on one of my machines with no sysres and the F8 option is undisturbed. See ya later, work beckons.

 

[theog]

I just ran bootrec /rebuildbcd on one of my machines with no sysres and the F8 option is undisturbed. See ya later, work beckons.

 

[maxseven]

Y'all are speaking a language with which I am unfamiliar! For the benefit of the OP, I just yesterday had a problem with my Acer Netbook whereby an uninstall did not uninstall properly, and a driver was (apparently) left behind, such that it BSODed on reboot. Ouch. Try it again--I get a window says "Repair this installation? (Recommended) or Boot to Windows?" so I try to boot Windows again. Nope, another BSOD. So I do F8 and get that screen we're familiar with and try to Safe Boot. No dice, another BSOD. Finally I boot again, get again the "Repair? or Windows?" screen and do Repair, and it cranks away and eventually says "You want to use a recent Restore Point" and "This may/may not work and you may have to try Repair again until it works" but sure enough, the Restore worked and I recovered to a point before the uninstall for that nasty program that had failed.

I'd never seen this "Repair your Windows installation?" before, apparently an Acer thing, but it was a godsend, because the Acer has no CD/DVD drive from which to attempt a conventional repair. Its hard drive comes with 3 partitions: A "RESERVED" 12Gb and a 100MB (Boot I assume) and finally a C:\ partition which consumed the remainder of the drive, a 250Gb one. I assume that the RESERVED partition (not of course normally in view of Windows i.e. no drive letter assigned like the 100MB) had all the Windows repair files on it.

My long-winded way of saying to anyone reading this, "Beware of what you backup-or-don't-backup-or-retain from your factory-built PC. It may have goodies you will want someday."

If someone here understands this Acer I've described, I WOULD be interested to know how *I* might build a PC with this special Repair partition and "Repair or try Windows again?" dialog. It was pretty cool...