Need Help: BCD Configured on Different Drive?

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  1. Posts : 8
    Windows 7
       #1

    Need Help: BCD Configured on Different Drive?


    One one of my computers has Windows 7 64 installed on my C drive and working fine. My problem is when using Norton Ghost to backup the C drive I get a message in Ghost stating:
    In the previous panel, you selected a drive with applications that are configured to use one or more of the drives below. To help with a successful recovery you should add all related drives.

    It shows that my F drive has the Boot Configuration Database on it or using it in some way and Ghost needs to include that drive so if I need to restore C I'll have everything I need. The problem is the F drive is where I archive my backups and it is very large so I don't want to include with the C backup. How can I fix it to where the BCD is either on the C drive or a smaller partition used only for the BCD?

    My C drive has 3 partitions - C has the system, boot, page file, active, crash dump, primary partition; D primary partition; E Primary partition. F is a different physical drive set active, primary partition.

    Any suggestions that will help me change where the BCD is at would be greatly appreciated. FYI, I installed Win7 on a different PC, at 32 bit, but it doesn't have the BCD on a different drive than the boot drive, or at least Ghost doesn't warn me about including related drives like it does on the PC I have issues with.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 3,427
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #2

    do you have the 100MB system reserved partition? If yes, then give it a letter through Disk Management (right click Computer in the start Menu and click Manage) that should allow ghost to see where the BCD really is, if not, then download EasyBCD and see where it says your BCD is stored, if it is actually on F (and its quite possible its not) then i will walk you through changing it
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 8
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thanks for your help severedsolo. I'm not very familiar with the BCD or the BCD program but if I'm reading this correctly it looks to me that the BCD is on my C drive.

    There is one entry in the Windows Vista bootloader.
    Default: Windows 7
    Timeout: 30 seconds.
    Boot Drive: C:\
    Entry #1
    Name: Windows 7
    BCD ID: {current}
    Drive: C:\
    Bootloader Path: \Windows\system32\winload.exe

    I don't have the 100 MB system reserved partiion you mentioned either but thats why I made the D partition after installing Windows 7 though I guess it's much too large at almost 15 GB. I just don't know what to do with it.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 3,427
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #4

    yes you are bang on there... your BCD is on C:\ so there is no reason why ghost should need f:\ ill be honest, i dont have alot of experience with ghost, but it might be worth looking into Windows' own Backup and Restore module, I was under the impression that ghost didn't like Vista, and by extension Windows 7
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 31
    Windows 7
       #5

    MJ Slaughter said:
    Thanks for your help severedsolo. I'm not very familiar with the BCD or the BCD program but if I'm reading this correctly it looks to me that the BCD is on my C drive.

    There is one entry in the Windows Vista bootloader.
    Default: Windows 7
    Timeout: 30 seconds.
    Boot Drive: C:\
    Entry #1
    Name: Windows 7
    BCD ID: {current}
    Drive: C:\
    Bootloader Path: \Windows\system32\winload.exe

    Actually, that information does NOT necessarily prove your boot files (the BCD) are on C: and that Windows boots directly through the C: drive.

    There is a surer way to check:
    Look instead in disk management (Run: diskmgmt.msc) and see how it describes each of your partitions. If C: is marked as "Active" and "System", then yes, you are fine, the boot sequence only needs drive C:

    However if drive F: is marked as Active and System, then Ghost was right, your system uses files on F: to boot.

    Also you can look in Windows Explorer, to see if the root of F:\ contains a file called "bootmgr" (no extension) and a folder called "boot".
    (However that in itself is no proof, as they might not actually be the boot files which are actually in use, if those files are also present on C:\)

    Note that Microsoft uses a really stupid naming system. In disk management, the drive which contains the main operating system (your Windows Directory and Program Files etc) is labelled "Boot" and the drive which contains the boot files is labelled "System".
    Naturally that causes a lot of confusion.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 31
    Windows 7
       #6

    severedsolo said:
    i dont have alot of experience with ghost, but it might be worth looking into Windows' own Backup and Restore module, I was under the impression that ghost didn't like Vista, and by extension Windows 7
    The current version of Ghost works well with Vista and Windows 7. The reason why people buy it (or Acronis True Image) instead of using Windows' own Backup and Restore is because it has a better feature set.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 8
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #7

    I double checked and the C drive is the only one marked System, Boot. F drive is only Active, Primary Partition and there is not a boot folder or bootmgr file present. I guess either Ghost is confused or I set something up incorrectly. I suspect that latter so I may try reinstalling the program. At least I can run my backup without using the F drive like Ghost recommends.

    Thanks for the help.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 3,427
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #8

    OldBloke said:
    severedsolo said:
    i dont have alot of experience with ghost, but it might be worth looking into Windows' own Backup and Restore module, I was under the impression that ghost didn't like Vista, and by extension Windows 7
    The current version of Ghost works well with Vista and Windows 7. The reason why people buy it (or Acronis True Image) instead of using Windows' own Backup and Restore is because it has a better feature set.
    fair enough... as i said, i haven't used it, obviously i was misinformed, thanks for clearing that up for me
      My Computer

  9.    #9

    The C System Drive should be marked Active, which is likely what is confusing Ghost.

    You can either leave it the way it is (which is wrong) or mark C active, but be prepared with the Win7 DVD or Repair CD as you might need to run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times (from the booted Repair Console>Recovery Tools list) with reboots if System MBR needs repair or rewriting to C.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 8
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #10

    gregrocker said:
    The C System Drive should be marked Active, which is likely what is confusing Ghost.

    You can either leave it the way it is (which is wrong) or mark C active, but be prepared with the Win7 DVD or Repair CD as you might need to run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times (from the booted Repair Console>Recovery Tools list) with reboots if System MBR needs repair or rewriting to C.
    My C drive is already marked as active. Are you suggesting that I should run the Startup Repair anyway?
      My Computer


 
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