Is there a way to load and run Win7 from D:

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  1. Posts : 46
    win7 32bit
    Thread Starter
       #11

    TwoCables said:
    So when you are sitting in Windows 7, the drive listed as C: is the one that has XP on it and so your C: drive while in Windows 7 is your storage drive?
    Not quite sure what you asking there, but I think I made it clear... I must have missed all the MS media programming... lol... But my drives don't move around and reconfigure themselves 1st part stays as C, and the 2nd part stays as D, and the third part stays as E. All the way to L: (several dedicated storage partitions) It was originally partitioned in XP so it was only one primary. During my testing I eventually switched it over to 3 primaries just to see what it would be like (no biggie) but of course it will follow different rules when assigning drives if I introduce another OS no doubt...

    My other system, I eventually just rebuilt Win7 on C and shifted XP to D: once I could predict it's behaviour... It did work out by chance that I could still use my XP because, low and behold, even though I shifted it to D: it would boot up and start as C, assign D to the reserved partition and keep my crucial E (OS specific data drive) stationary.... all the other partitions are arbitrary, but not E... so that was a just a fluke of luck that XP insists on assigning the reserved partition as D: wonky, inelegant, and something I had no control over, but got the job done,
      My Computer

  2.    #12

    Always keep no drive letter on System Reserved from all OS's Disk Mgmt, for many important reasons: Drive Letter - Add, Change, or Remove in Windows 7 - Windows 7 Forums

    We will be able to know much better what you've got if we can see a screenshot of
    Disk Management - Post a Screen Capture Image - Windows 7 Help Forums
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 1,476
       #13

    sigma6 said:
    TwoCables said:
    So when you are sitting in Windows 7, the drive listed as C: is the one that has XP on it and so your C: drive while in Windows 7 is your storage drive?
    Not quite sure what you asking there, but I think I made it clear... I must have missed all the MS media programming... lol... But my drives don't move around and reconfigure themselves 1st part stays as C, and the 2nd part stays as D, and the third part stays as E. All the way to L: (several dedicated storage partitions) It was originally partitioned in XP so it was only one primary. During my testing I eventually switched it over to 3 primaries just to see what it would be like (no biggie) but of course it will follow different rules when assigning drives if I introduce another OS no doubt...

    My other system, I eventually just rebuilt Win7 on C and shifted XP to D: once I could predict it's behaviour... It did work out by chance that I could still use my XP because, low and behold, even though I shifted it to D: it would boot up and start as C, assign D to the reserved partition and keep my crucial E (OS specific data drive) stationary.... all the other partitions are arbitrary, but not E... so that was a just a fluke of luck that XP insists on assigning the reserved partition as D: wonky, inelegant, and something I had no control over, but got the job done,
    When you are booted to Windows XP, is your C: drive for Windows XP? Is your D: drive while you are in Windows XP for Windows 7?

    When you are booted to Windows 7, is your C: drive in Windows 7 for Windows 7? Is your D: drive while you are in Windows 7 for Windows XP? Or, is it the other way around?

    To make this easier, take a screenshot of My Computer while you're in Windows XP and take another screenshot of My Computer while you're in Windows 7 and post both of these screenshots.

    Regarding my question about the storage drive: while you are in Windows XP, the drive that has Windows 7 on it is being treated by Windows XP as your storage drive because you're in Windows XP. While you're in Windows 7, the drive that has XP on it is being treated by Windows 7 as your storage drive. Therefore, it doesn't matter to the installation of Windows that you're booted to what's on your other drive.


    sigma6 said:
    My other system, I eventually just rebuilt Win7 on C and shifted XP to D: once I could predict it's behaviour... It did work out by chance that I could still use my XP because, low and behold, even though I shifted it to D: it would boot up and start as C, assign D to the reserved partition and keep my crucial E (OS specific data drive) stationary.... all the other partitions are arbitrary, but not E... so that was a just a fluke of luck that XP insists on assigning the reserved partition as D: wonky, inelegant, and something I had no control over, but got the job done,
    This is partly what I was asking! You see, you just said it yourself: when you go into Windows XP, the drive that XP is on is the C: drive. As I said, regardless of which OS you're in, the OS drive is always going to be the C: drive. Yes, you moved XP to the D: drive while you were in Windows 7, but that does not mean that your XP drive will be the D: drive while you're in XP.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 46
    win7 32bit
    Thread Starter
       #14

    AddRAM said:
    In your universe, you can call the partition any letter you want. But if it`s not C, then it`s just wrong.

    As Greg states, whatever OS you`re in should be C. And that`s where it ends, There is no reason to install an OS to another partition while you`re in windows. Unless you`re using a Virtual Machine. :)
    says who?... why deny the reality? or the existing option?... when I have an idea in my head and an external observation that goes beyond it, I have two choices, crawl back into my preconceived notion or expand awareness of a new concept... don't mistake thoughts in your head in favour of external reality... mistaking the roadmap for the road... then again everyone is free to conform their thinking according to the whim of another, if that is their comfort zone ...I would rather seek the possibilities and potentials of my environment... (enough philosophy for one day...)

    to repeat there is some logic in it, but it isn't the be all and end all... and obviously isn't the only way to skin this cat, but I can see a lot of resistance to what I thought was a simple enough idea... I haven't taken any MCSE's in a looong time... makes me wonder what they are putting in those books these days...
      My Computer

  5.    #15

    We are not company guys, Sigma. We're Windows 7 guys, only interested in what works best with Win7. MS doesn't seem to even want the OS any more.

    Along the way since beta we've become the top tech forums on the web for Win7 surpassing all others put together.

    We're always interested in alternative ideas, but also are going to emphasize Best Practices because most of them for Win7 were developed here.

    If you'd like Win7 on D then I'd reinstall or run a test install from XP on C to see if it still will block the letter to force Win7 onto the next available letter. For several years we had complaints that it did this, but I haven't seen many lately.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 46
    win7 32bit
    Thread Starter
       #16

    gregrocker said:
    Always keep no drive letter on System Reserved from all OS's Disk Mgmt, for many important reasons: Drive Letter - Add, Change, or Remove in Windows 7 - Windows 7 Forums

    We will be able to know much better what you've got if we can see a screenshot of
    Disk Management - Post a Screen Capture Image - Windows 7 Help Forums
    OK, I will show you my "miracle set up" (lol) but just to respond... that's just it, when XP booted up (note: to avoid confusion, we are talking about the system where I have re-installed Win7 on C: and shifted XP to D: ...)

    But when I boot into D: it does assign itself as C: and when I saw it had assigned the system reserved as D: I was not happy, I don't really like the system doing it's own thing like that... anyhow, I couldn't change it once it booted because it's a system partition... and it did keep my E aligned so I just accepted it... and called it a day...
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 1,476
       #17

    Ultimately, I just want to see two screenshots:

    1. One of My Computer while you are booted to Windows XP
    2. One of My Computer while you are booted to Windows 7
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 1,476
       #18

    sigma6 said:
    gregrocker said:
    Always keep no drive letter on System Reserved from all OS's Disk Mgmt, for many important reasons: Drive Letter - Add, Change, or Remove in Windows 7 - Windows 7 Forums

    We will be able to know much better what you've got if we can see a screenshot of
    Disk Management - Post a Screen Capture Image - Windows 7 Help Forums
    OK, I will show you my "miracle set up" (lol) but just to respond... that's just it, when XP booted up (note: to avoid confusion, we are talking about the system where I have re-installed Win7 on C: and shifted XP to D: ...)

    But when I boot into D: it does assign itself as C: and when I saw it had assigned the system reserved as D: I was not happy, I don't really like the system doing it's own thing like that... anyhow, I couldn't change it once it booted because it's a system partition... and it did keep my E aligned so I just accepted it... and called it a day...
    It will always be C. Always. You could create a Z drive, move it to the Z drive and it will still have the exact same thing as you're seeing now: System Reserved on D and that E drive. This is because Windows XP is doing its thing independently of Windows 7, and Windows 7 is doing its thing independently of Windows XP. Windows XP did not (and does not) know that you moved it to the D: drive while you were in Windows 7.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 46
    win7 32bit
    Thread Starter
       #19

    gregrocker said:
    We are not company guys, Sigma. We're Windows 7 guys, only interested in what works best with Win7. MS doesn't seem to even want the OS any more.

    Along the way since beta we've become the top tech forums on the web for Win7 surpassing all others put together.

    We're always interested in alternative ideas, but also are going to emphasize Best Practices because most of them for Win7 were developed here.

    If you'd like Win7 on D then I'd reinstall or run a test install from XP on C to see if it will any longer block the letter to force Win7 onto the next available letter. For several years we had complaints that it did this, but I haven't heard many lately and recently installed from Win7 on C and had the new install take C too when it restarted.
    Not knocking you guys (in that sense) I didn't know that about MS and Windows 7, that is very interesting (would like to hear more of the story on that one...) and I do like Windows 7, (now that I have figured this cloning issue) I am just old and jaded, and haven't taken an MCSE for over 10 years... (lol) So I do appreciate this forum because it gave me what I needed to get up to "operating speed" again... kudos (been sitting on my techy laurels too long...lol) so I am learning it and appreciating it more and more as I go along.... It was just a rude awakening when doing something as simple as cloning an OS partition from one HDD to another HDD turned into what it did... not very sporting of them imo...

    and I would pity the guy who is starting cold, trying to learn this OS's technical peculiarities... and I do like Win7, the more I play with it, I like how it seems they went back and brought together a lot of the good stuff from previous systems and integrated it into an overall OS, like giving us more accessible command prompt tools... And if you read my prior post, I clearly haven't denied the possibility that this is a "best practice"... (especially unless you are a masochist there isn't really any other option!)

    I fell into this thought process, because of a real and technical existing NEED. And we all know the mantra, if it can happen once... well, it's on the board, it counts for analysis... so maybe in the long term this will be good for my MS Windows karma, I just wasn't planning on taking a MS Win7 "immersion course summer camp" like I have for the last few weeks (lol)

    But also if you are following carefully what I am saying it has merit... I too have followed MS for years since it's inception, since reading the article about Bill Gates in Time magazine when he was still a wunderkind (and spoilt rich kid, from a third generation family of lawyers, whose Doctor actually advised his mother that she should let him do whatever he wants!! (oh yeah!...) but that is another story...) to the ruthless competitor stories (he was dirty as they come) and his eventual ensnarement to the government during his DOJ antitrust laws. It's no coincidence that Vista was shoved down our throats as the "result" of that deal... another story... (I wonder if anyone knows where I mean by that one...?) It has ALWAYS been about control... since day one...

    Anyhow, yes I think this forum is a treasure trove of Win7 "know how" (knock on wood) an oasis. but man, if you have been following my posts. You know that what I am saying here has validity... I DO think it makes sense to install it on C (after what I just went through) but MS is one of the most manipulative and controlling entities on this planet, not including the government itself... I never, ever underestimate them or their politics... they have built an empire on the same principles as the Romans did (all roads lead to Rome... haha)

    It is good for the younglings to know the true history too... Sometimes that is a better explanation than all the technical mumbo jumbo, why certain things are the way they are... politics and economic warfare played huge on this company that once sold the most mediocre OS on the most mediocre hardware platform of the bunch, that was originated from Q-DOS (remember that story?) Lets not forget MS's 'humble' beginnings and Bill Gate's war on open source software (that still rages today) and that's just the tip of the iceberg... Philanthropist (my arse...) he's now the biggest shareholder of Blackwater (renamed for obvious reasons) and promoting sterilizing the third world with vaccines... that's the Bill Gates I know...
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 16,129
    7 X64
       #20

    I have been doing it for years.

    1) Either run the installer from your existing installation - then it will assign itself the next available letter .

    2) Or - if you are geeky, you can fix the osletter immediately after applying the image - that involves fiddling with the registry, so best use option 1.

    I have often used X as the os letter.
      My Computers


 
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