How do I move the BCD?

[Pilotwings64]

I just installed Windows 7 and the Boot Configuration Database is on my F drive. I want it on my C drive, or at least not on my F drive. Does anyone know how I can accomplish this?

Thanks,
Justin

 

[derekimo]

Welcome to the forum Justin,
See if this tutorial helps you out,
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2676-bcdedit-how-use.html?ltr=B

 

[Pilotwings64]

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

 

[Dwarf]

Do you have a multi-boot system?

 

[Pilotwings64]

Dwarf
I don't have multi boot system yet, but I might. If I find out that some of my critical programs don't work with Windows 7, I will have to include XP in the mix for a while.

derekimo
I tried your suggestion. The first picture is the important part of what I saw. It seems to be saying that everything is on the C drive. Is that true? Still, when I use Norton Ghost to back up the C drive, I get the message displayed in the second picture.

Note: the F drive is now the P drive.

Thanks again,
Justin

 

[Bill2]

Pilotwing,

Provided you have your Win7 install disc, there’s an easy solution.

Boot into windows and enter Computer Management, then click Storage, then Disk Management.

Right click your C: drive and select “Mark Partition as Active.” This tells Windows you’ll be booting from this drive.

Restart your computer and enter your BIOS. Set your boot order so that the Optical Drive is at the top.

Save and exit.

Boot into your Win7 install disc, and go to the recovery options. Run Startup Repair and you are done. Afterwards, you can set your C: drive back to top of the boot order.

 

[Pilotwings64]

This picture is what I see in the Computer Management window. C is already active. What concerns me is that P is also active. I also already set my dvd drive as the first in my bios boot order.

I'm basically concerned about two things.

1. I'll decide I need a dual boot system and the ghost images I've already created will be useless because the BCD isn't included in them. BTW it took about 4 hours for win7 to install on my media pc, so I don't want to have to do that again.
2. Since drive P is "active" windows will do other things to it that I don't want done. It's a drive for file storage, nothing else.

Are either one of these concerns reasonable?

 

[SIW2]

D/l this , View attachment sisparV6.zip

( as always, rt click it select properties>unblock>apply>ok )

Rt click it and select Extract.

Rt click on sisparV6.cmd and RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR.

Select C as the new system partition.

Enter N to adding existing boot menu items.

Select Y to making a partition Inactive.

Select P as the partition to make Inactive.

That's it.

 

[Bill2]

Pilotwings,

Am somewhat confused now so just clarify a few things.

1) You have 2 separate hard drives with the os on one and boot files on the other?

2) You dont want the 2nd hdd to be bootable?

 

[Pilotwings64]

Bill2

I have many hard drives in this computer. I installed windows 7 on the c drive, but for some reason it made the P drive the system drive. That seems to be the problem. Since the P drive is just for file storage, I don't want it to be bootable.

SIW2

I will try that right now. Thanks.

 

[Bill2]

Ok, ya try SIW2's suggestion. Just FYI, it can be done from within windows as well via diskpart.

Open an elevated cmd prompt
Run diskpart
In diskpart run> list volume
In diskpart run>select partition (x)
In your case, X is P:
Then in diskpart run> inactive

Refresh your disk management screento ensure the correct partition was changed.

 

[Pilotwings64]

SIW2
That seemed to work except for one thing. The P drive is still the system drive. Do you have anything for that?

Thanks again

 

[Pilotwings64]

Bill2

Can I use an elevated command prompt to make the c drive the system drive?

 

[Pilotwings64]

BTW did my thread get moved into "Hardware & Devices" or did I accidentally start this thread in here?

 

[Bill2]

Pilotwings,

In Windows OS, system partition is the one where the boot files are located. In your case that is P: as of now so its normal. And as for making C: drive, the system drive, that is about shifting the mbr to C: drive. I have already described the methodology in my previous posts.

 

[Pilotwings64]

Okay. It looks like all I had to do after all that was restart. Now everything looks fine.

Thanks to everyone who helped me.

 

[Pilotwings64]

How do I mark this thread as resolved?

 

[Dwarf]

How do I mark this thread as resolved?

Click on the red triangle at the top right of the first post, and request that the thread/post be marked as Solved and a Staff member will do so. I've already marked this thread for you.

 

[Pilotwings64]

Thanks

 

[Dwarf]

You're welcome.