200 Meg hidden System partition

skan said:

Hello.

How can I manually create that hidden system partition?

I've got to install Windows 8 on an external disk. It cannot be done automatically. Thus I created a primary partition manually, leaving 100MB of unallocated space.
And then I installed Windows there with the deploying tool imagex.

And it works right but the installation hasn't automatically created the 100MB System reserved partition.
Everything has been installed on to the C: partition instead.

How could I force Windows to install the boot files to that sytsem partition?
I couldn't find (in any partition application) the option to tag that area of the disk as system/boot/reserved partition.

thanks

Windows 8 will make a 350mb partition when installing to a unpartitioned HDD.

For Legacy BIOS.
Clean Install - Windows 8
or
For UEFI/BIOS firmware.
UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - Install Windows 8 with

theog said:

Windows 8 will make a 350mb partition when installing to a unpartitioned HDD.

No if fou try to install it on an external USB drive, because it refuses to install it there.
That's why we have to use deployment tools such as imagex.exe, but previously the partition has to be created, and later we have to use BCDboot.
I did all that, but I would also like to have the hidden system partition.
I left unallocated space to let Windows to use it, but it didn't take any automatically.
That's why I'm wondering how can I do it manually.

regards

Why do you want the System Reserved partition which is only needed for Bitlocker?

The normal method is to resize the front of C by 100mb using Partition Wizard CD Resize Partition - Video Help,

Then Mark Partition as Active and run Startup Repair - Run up to 3 Separate Times

However as Win7 is not meant to be installed upon an external HD this may not work without first installing it internally with all other HD's unplugged during operations.

gregrocker said:

Why do you want the System Reserved partition which is only needed for Bitlocker?

The normal method is to resize the front of C by 100mb using Partition Wizard CD Resize Partition - Video Help,

Startup Repair - Run up to 3 Separate Times

However as Win7 is not meant to be installed upon an external HD this may not work without first installing it internally with all other HD's unplugged during operations.

Hello

I already have the partition resized. (and left 300MB unallocated at the beginning)
But the Startup repair won't work there because, as you said, it's an external USB disk.
Anyway I got to install windows on the primary partition with alternative methods (imagex.exe and bcdboot).
What I cannot get it's that it gets installed to the hidden system/boot partition.

I don't know if it has to be unallocated or if has to create a primary or logical partition and later transform or tag it as system partition. ANyway I need to know the name of the command line or program that Windows installation uses to manage that things.


regards

I asked you why you need Win7 on an external HD which throttles it via the USB controller.

You can give a Primary NTFS Active SysReserved partition you created a letter and copy the System boot files onto it.

Then install EasyBCD (click Download - no Name or Email required).

In EasyBCD click "Useful Utilities" then Power Console ( the black box like command window), type:

bootsect /nt60 <whatever the System Reserved drive letter is>

Reboot and see if Sys Reserved will boot Win7. Make sure a Dual Boot has not been configured with your onboard OS, that its own SysRserved or C is still marked System Active. You will want to boot the external HD Win7 using the BIOS Boot Menu key so it is independent and portable.

gregrocker said:

I asked you why you need Win7 on an external HD which throttles it via the USB controller.

You can give a Primary NTFS Active SysReserved partition you created a letter. Then install EasyBCD (click Download - no Name or Email required).

In EasyBCD click "Useful Utilities" then Power Console ( the black box like command window), type:

bootsect /nt60 <whatever the System Reserved drive letter is>

Hello gregrocker.
The question is that I know how to create a primary partition but I don't know how to create a "SysReserved
partition".
At the moment I have a "normal" primary partition and an unallocated space.
What should I do next?
Mybe I don't need to create anything and bootsect is enough?
I have the Easeus program and I can also use diskpart.exe

PS:I used EasyBCD before to deploy the boot menu to the external disk.

regards

Try the steps I gave you.

Those steps normally make the System Reserved bootable once the boot files are copied there, but there are many other parameters that need checking and additional steps which Startup Repair takes when run 3 separate times.

For example, even if it writes the System files and flag to your home-made SysReserved and it boots Win7 on its own, you'll not have WinRe on the F8 menu for that HD since it is only written using Startup Repair. There is however a way to hotlink it. F8 System Recovery options restore commands

OK, I'll try.
But do I have to create any kind of partition on the unallocated space before using reagentc or visualbcd editor?

As stated you need an NTFS Primary partition marked Active, with the Win7 boot files copied into it.

Leave the other steps to hotlink F8 menu until you see if you can get SysReserved functioning on an external with the bootsect command.

Are you doing a clean install on your PC, or making a Windows to Go?


Windows 8 To Go - Setup on a USB Flash Drive or USB Disk

skan said:

Hi

I got it, though I also needed to use Easybcd to be able to boot from the external disk.

But I have a question:
The way you explain we install Windows to a primary partition.
But we don't get the 100MB boot/recovery partition (that is automatically created when you install windows on a internal blank disk, and it's usually hidden).
How can I get that "recovery" partition created?
I cannot find the option with easeus, diskpart, nor other applications I've tried.
Nor can I get it created whit imagex, bcdboot or after rebooting.



regards