Want to make Win 7 System Partition DualBoot

It doesn't look like you have one.

The 7 installer will create one under certain conditions - don't worry, you don't need it.

It still won't let me make an image of Win 7alone, I'll need to add roughly 33 gb to image both it says.

Clicking on the paper clip does not work. It has been over five minutes I'd say, and I was stuck in that window, so came back here, uploaded to Photobucket a bcdedit image so you can figure out what the ****!

As I explained in my first post, Win7 backup imaging wants to include Vista in the image because it holds the boot-critical files. The best way to overcome this is to abandon a Windows-managed Dual Boot to boot instead via the BIOS. This way the HD's become independent for imaging, and can come and go as you please.

Under a BIOS managed Dual boot, you would set the preferred HD to boot first in BIOS setup, then if you want to boot the other HD you tap the key given on first boot screen for one-time Boot Menu, which is normally ESC on HP's.

To set it up this way, you need to recover the MBR into Win7 so it boots independently. To do this, mark Win7 Active in Vista Disk Management, power down to unplug Vista, then either plug its cable into Win7 HD or set Win7 HD first to boot in BIOS, after DVD.

Now boot the Win7 DVD Repair console or Repair CD, click through to Recovery Tools list to run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times with reboots until Win7 Starts up. Now you can plug Vista HD back in and boot it via one-time Boot Menu ESC key.

The attempt to create a System Reserved partition to hold your boot files is not an option - that must be done during Win7 install or reinstall to a blank HD while Vista HD is unplugged.

Well, I admit I didn't go to Vista to check that Win 7 was marked as active.
I took the hard drive for Vista out of my laptop and ran setup repair more than 3 times but still no go, so I did a repair install.

Now, when it boots it presents a choice of Vista or Windows 7, with Windows 7 (listed second) highlighted and the one that starts if I don't press enter. If I want Vista I have to arrow up to selected it and hit enter, o it seemed they were separate to me, especially since the repair install was done and it would start up without the Vista hard drive in and would have Vista independent.

I posted the bcdedit screen because I wondered if it was possible to fix it that way, with instruct. I also have Easybcd.

Sorry I skipped the going to Vista to mark Win 7 Active, saw that it was while in Win 7, didn't realize there would be a difference. My apologies. Please bear with me, I am a 67 year old lady with a brain lesion, frequent migraines and fibromyalgia, so I'm in several kinds of pain and very tired most of the time.

You can change the boot order in EasyBCD.

You are doing fine, better than many half your age and with no disability. We are always happy to help you.

So can you image your Win7 HD separately now? If I remember correctly that's what we were trying to help you with.

Thank you so much for those kind words Greg. HP's techs keep saying that and the repair manager. Now that is scary, when you know as much as they do. I STILL have not figured out why "allow this device to wake the computer" is greyed out on all the USB ports, on both HDX18s, and so I can't wake the computer with my mouse, or at least I think that is the reason there is no power management tab at all. I can wake it from the touchpad. They all agree that I ought to be able to. I'm down to going into the registry, where there is a d word I can find little about on Google. Well, that's off topic, but you guys are smarter than I, so I'm giving you something to think about while I try what I'm describing below.

I have kind words for you, too, but they wouldn't let me until I gave them to some one else. Night Hawk is due, I've just been too tired to give rep.

Everything looks exactly alike in both the System-Advanced and EasyBCD pictures except that in EasyBCD type is empty, which my inclination is to leave alone, AND C IS NOT DIM. It clearly says C. Win 7 is on F for me. So I think I should change that and it might help. Now in details I see that it says there are two entries for the Vista bootloader and it gives Vista in C and Windows 7 in F. So that bootloader knows it is F. That may be confusing it.

Right now I cannot image Win 7 only, yes, Greg, that is the current problem.

Alright, my backup computer is working, so I will try changing it to F and rebooting and trying to image and report back.