Having a separate Data Partition?

[Dave76]

Greg, could the System flag be missing because the Ubuntu boot manager might not have been removed during the previous Ubuntu un-install/delete?

 

[gregrocker]

Good catch, Dave. If GRUB was on the HD then all bets are off as it can also corrupt Win7 until wiped from the HD.

We need to know that and see a screenshot of the contents of the 1.46gb boot partition.

To view and capture screenshot with Snipping Tool, first unhide System and Hidden files in Control Panel>Folder Options>View:


Next give the 1.46gb partition a letter in Disk Management, which will light up the Explore rightclick menu choice:


Then click Explore, use Snipping Tool in Start Menu to save contents of partition, attach using Paper Clip in Reply Box:

 

[whs]

Greg, this is a very nice guidance. Would be worth a tutorial: "Explore content of hidden partitions".

 

[mjf]

Your simplest solution would be to run a "Clean all" on the disk and perform a clean install. It will fully clean (zero) the MBR (first 512 bytes) to get rid of any Ubuntu remnants. A simple clean or format is not good enough.

When clean installing choose 200MB not 100MB for the system reserved partition. Simply create your new partition and your job's done!

 

[RJ12]

Good catch, Dave. If GRUB was on the HD then all bets are off as it can also corrupt Win7 until wiped from the HD.

We need to know that and see a screenshot of the contents of the 1.46gb boot partition.

To view and capture screenshot with Snipping Tool, first unhide System and Hidden files in Control Panel>Folder Options>View:
View attachment 143496

Next give the 1.46gb partition a letter in Disk Management, which will light up the Explore rightclick menu choice:
View attachment 143494

Then click Explore, use Snipping Tool in Start Menu to save contents of partition, attach using Paper Clip in Reply Box:
View attachment 143493

Uh oh, Disk Management only gives me the options to click Help when I right click the 1 GB partition. Here is a new screenshot of Disk Management

Edit: Ubuntu (and GRUB) was installed (and erased) before I reinstalled Windows 7, I think GRUB is completley gone as Windows 7 takes it off when it reinstalls.

Edit2: Booted PW and explored the files, those are definatley the boot files on that partition

 

[whs]

I guess you can go ahead and create your data partition (see post 27 for details). I think you can live with the "bloated" active boot partition. You have enough disk space. I would not bother to reduce the size because then you have anyhow problems adding the freespace to C (except with PW).

 

[cluberti]

1.5GB looks suspiciously like the size Vista creates it's BCD partition at - did this system run Vista at some point in the past? Win7 would have created a 300MB partition, but Vista would have created a 1.5GB one...

 

[RJ12]

I guess you can go ahead and create your data partition (see post 27 for details). I think you can live with the "bloated" active boot partition. You have enough disk space. I would not bother to reduce the size because then you have anyhow problems adding the freespace to C (except with PW).

Thanks, Ill go ahead and get started on that

1.5GB looks suspiciously like the size Vista creates it's BCD partition at - did this system run Vista at some point in the past? Win7 would have created a 300MB partition, but Vista would have created a 1.5GB one...

Nope, only Windows 7 (and a few versions of Linux)

 

[RJ12]

My laptop powered off in the middle of the operation... Just booted and it is still working fine. Should I be scared? Do I need to format the partition and restore from the backup?

 

[gregrocker]

We need to see the contents of the Recovery folder on your 1.46 gb boot partition. Unfold all subpartitions and capture screenshots to post back.

Is that a Win7 Recovery partition? Have you deleted anything within it, made the REcovery disks off of it or ever tried to run it from boot? What happens now if you try to trigger it to run using the keys given on the Boot Screen or in your manual? Will it cue up to offer Recovery options?

If Recovery will not run then it has no value and can be deleted, then some of the space of that Boot partition recovered back into Win7 using free Partition Wizard bootable CD with the steps we provide. The entire partition could actually be recovered along with System boot files although you would lose the Repair console it places on F8 Advanced Boot Tools which I believe you've confirmed is functioning.

Be aware that if you had GRUB on the HD and haven't wiped it that Win7 could become corrupted by it and become irreparable, something we see regularly here. Having no System flag is already a concern.

 

[Dave76]

My laptop powered off in the middle of the operation... Just booted and it is still working fine. Should I be scared? Do I need to format the partition and restore from the backup?

RJ12, Greg has fixed/repaired hundreds of MBR and is very good at this.

I definitely agree that it is very likely that the Grub is still on your system, this needs to be thoroughly checked and dealt with now.
This could be the reason for the recent shutdown.

You have to fully clean, wipe, the HDD to get rid of the Grub. Formatting will not remove it. Installing win7 over it will not remove it.
Win7 will use any boot files it finds when installing.

 

[mjf]

Your simplest solution would be to run a "Clean all" on the disk and perform a clean install. It will fully clean (zero) the MBR (first 512 bytes) to get rid of any Ubuntu remnants. A simple clean or format is not good enough.

When clean installing choose 200MB not 100MB for the system reserved partition. Simply create your new partition and your job's done!

It is important to do a "Clean all" not just a "Clean" and it will take some time.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

I've posted this to you before but here it is again.


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 link below to do a wipe (secure erase) to the entire Hard Disk Drive / Solid State Drive.

• 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.

Either way, 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 Primary partitions or an Extended partition after the installation completes if you choose.

SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

DISKPART : At PC Startup

Do a Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

 

[rvbfan]

Another way is to buy a separate hard drive for data storage.
I like doing it this way as my Data is completely removed
from my system files. I also use an external drive for system image b/ups.