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#11
Hello again.
Too bad, perhaps the partition manager you used FUBAR'd the partition for you, just use Partition Wizard from now on mate.
You're still liable to have issues with Windows creating the "System Reserved" partition to Disk 0 as long as it's still connected though you can't disconnect it because it's a lappy.
There may be a way around it though by doing a wipe to the Disk 1 (if you reinstall) and using the outline in Step Two #3 of the tutorial at the link below to create a SysResv partition and marking that Active after the clean all and before the install.
Have a good look through the information below.
Information
After you have copied out or made back-ups of the data you need to save to external media, use Step One of this tutorial at the first link below to do a wipe (secure erase) to the entire Hard Disk Drive / Solid State Drive.
With either method, running the "clean all" then creating and formatting the partition(s) using diskpart will get you the best possible space to do a clean install of Windows 7 to; you can always extend the Windows partition to include the remaining unallocated space on the HDD / SSD or create additional partitions after the installation completes if you choose.
- Then if you do not want to create the new Windows 7 "System Reserved" partition use the outline in Step Two #2 to create, format and mark Active a single 100GB partition to do the installation to.
- If you do want to create the "System Reserved" partition use the outline in Step Two #3 to create, format and mark Active the System Reserved partition and then create and format the 100GB partition to do the installation to.
SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation
DISKPART : At PC Startup
I too hope you can find a solution, just keep us updated here in this same thread, we'll do all we can to help.
What were the results for each step given here:
All bootrec and bootsect commands are automated in Startup Repair, however if it cannot find an installation to repair you may have to run bootrec.exe /fixboot and bootrec.exe /fixmbr from the Repair Recovery Options Command Line to jump start the repair utility. Then complete attempting each step given and report back.
When you clone or image copy a disk with both disks connected you do need to deal with the disk signature clash. Windows 7 does not allow 2 connected disks to have the same disk signature. This is totally consistent with system repair retaining disk 0 (with it's original signature) as the location for the system reserved partition. Windows will have changed the disk signature of disk 1.
(The disk signature is in the MBR at the front of the disk.)
If you don't want to physically disconnect disk 0, then you could do a "Clean all" on this disk. This will wipe the MBR and the disk signature.
Then try the system repair again then the manual bootrec (inc. bootrec /rebuild bcd) if this doesn't work.
Also did you keep an image of the original disk 0. If so this can also be tried again after the clean.
This is why I suggested he recreate the SysReserved partitiion he copied if he wants to keep it on Disk1. Be sure to mark it Active before running the Repair, or if you want to delete it mark Win7 partition Active instead.
I'm referring to the disk signature (4 bytes) which lives on the physical MBR (first 512 bytes). This is what Windows 7 (and Vista?) uses to avoid disk collisions and is recorded also in the registry.
A clean all (even partly run) is one of the few things to completely wipe the MBR and the old disk signature on disk 0.
Unplugging the disk 0 would have avoided this but that's history. If disk 0 is looking suspect then you'll need to do it sooner or later.