Solved Dying system SSD replaced -Thx to Brink; partition question

[tomg]

System drive (120GB SSD), started giving S.M.A.R.T. error occasionally at boot. Info I found online indicated it was time for replacement of the 120GB SSD which I did today (thanks to Brink's excellent instructions which I located here in an old thread), with a 256 GB SSD using windows system image. Apparently because the "system partition" on the 120GB SSD was 107GB, the "system partition" on the 256GB SSD is also 107 GB with 131GB of "unallocated space" adjacent (to the right) of the new 107GB partition on the 256GB SSD. Reading Brink's post on "How to Extend a Partition or Volume in Windows 7", it seems I should be able to extend the 107GB partition on the 256GB SSD to include the 131GB of "unallocated" space on the 256GB SSD. Is this correct or is there some restriction on resizing the partition where the "system" resides? Also, must I format the 131GB of unallocated space before extending the 107GB partition to include the 131GB of disk space? Thank you.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Reading Brink's post on "How to Extend a Partition or Volume in Windows 7", it seems I should be able to extend the 107GB partition on the 256GB SSD to include the 131GB of "unallocated" space on the 256GB SSD. Is this correct or is there some restriction on resizing the partition where the "system" resides? Also, must I format the 131GB of unallocated space before extending the 107GB partition to include the 131GB of disk space? Thank you.

That is correct.

No, you don't format the 131 GB first. If you did that, you'd have another partition--which you don't want.

You just extend the 107 GB partition to include the unallocated 131 GB.

You should be able to do that in Windows Disk Management UNLESS there is something between the 107 GB partition and the unallocated space, when viewed in Windows Disk Management. In other words, the 131 unallocated MUST be IMMEDIATELY adjacent and to the right of the 107 GB partition.

If there is something else immediately adjacent and to the right, you can still add the unallocated space, but you'd need to use another tool---Partition Wizard.

 

[whs]

Before you do anything with the system partition, copy the bootmgr to C. Then you can delete it and use the unallocated space.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/209885-bootmgr-move-c-easybcd.html

 

[tomg]

ignatzatsonic - Got it, thanks.
whs - I read the thread you referenced but am unsure of the purpose in "copying the bootmgr to c". Below is a screenshot from disk management as the drives are presently. If I copy the bootmgr to C with EasyBCD, then will the "system" and "active" attributes that are now applied to the "System Reserved" partition on Disk 0 will be transferred to the "C" partition on Disk 0? If yes, what is the purpose of this transfer? Just to allow the recovery of the 100mb of disk space being occupied by the "system" partition on Disk 0? Upon rebooting after the disk image was copied to the new SSD, I got a dialog asking me which device that Windows was to use for booting. I selected the new SSD and Windows loaded. I then restarted the computer, went into the bios, marked the new SSD as a boot device, put it first in the order of boot devices, and saved the changes. The system now boots directly into W7 without any prompts to select a boot device. I am learning so please forgive me if my questions seem very fundamental. Thank you.

 

[whs]

The way it looks on the screenshot, it's OK. I was afraid you were to delete the system partition. Then you would have lost your bootmgr. I always copy the bootmgr to C. There it is safe and I don't need the system partition.

 

[tomg]

Understood. Thank you.