Moving Windows 7 to another partition

[Bare Foot Kid]

Let's see another snip of your disk management now.

 

[magnetite]

Currently resizing my partition again. Obviously 20 GB wasn't enough for the Windows 7 install plus my user folder. In the folder of my user profile, I only had about 1.5 GB worth of files in there, but there was some files which took up more than the 7 GB of free space I had after the install, so my hard drive didn't have enough space. So I'm running that hard drive resize program you mentioned to make the C: bigger (35 GB versus 20 GB) so I would have enough room.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

I hope you're giving it at least 100GB, I'd make it no less.

 

[magnetite]

Don't think I can cancel it without it messing up my partition.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Don't think I can cancel it without it messing up my partition.

You can't, it will FUBAR everything.

 

[magnetite]

Since this is my secondary system, all I use on there is a media server and that's about it. I don't really have anything else on my system drive (aside from those backup files). So 35 GB should be enough for a few programs plus my Windows install.

Edit:

Okay, Windows is all set up. Just need to find a way to delete the other Windows 7 install without losing the data. Thanks guys.

 

[whs]

35GBs is definitely enough for the system plus a good selection of programs. I never exceeded 20GBs with the data on a seperate partition.
As far as your old system partition goes, make first sure that it is no more marked as an active partition. Then you can delete the system files - or just leave them if you have the room. The data files you can include into the libraries of the new OS partition. Just right click on the folders (from the new OS) and "Include into Library".

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Since this is my secondary system, all I use on there is a media server and that's about it. I don't really have anything else on my system drive (aside from those backup files). So 35 GB should be enough for a few programs plus my Windows install.

Edit:

Okay, Windows is all set up. Just need to find a way to delete the other Windows 7 install without losing the data. Thanks guys.

Hello again.



I never say this "Edit".

Please post one more snip of disk management for a look to see how it is now.

 

[magnetite]

Here's another screenshot of my disk management. Both partitions are marked as active and I can't seem to make the 2 TB drive inactive.

 

[whs]

Try to set it inactive with Partition Wizard ( BEST FREE Partition Manager Software for Windows supports all 32-bit & 64 bit Windows No-server OS. ). It is under the Partition tab > Modify.

 

[magnetite]

Done. Old drive is now marked as inactive.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

One two questions.



Over 1TB of data you don't want to lose is interspersed with a Windows 7 in the "Disk 0 / D:" partition isn't it?

Do you think it could be moved to the "Disk 1 E:" for safe-keeping for a while so you could get ready to remove the OS off of D: using something like the "Move To" option in this tutorial.

Context Menu - Add Copy To Folder and Move To Folder

 

[magnetite]

Around 1.5 TB on the old drive. I have several partitions I could move it to. I also have this other external drive (Lacie 1 TB), but it's on it's death bed, so I didn't want to risk it. It's been making the click of death.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Everything is sorted as to having a Windows 7 functioning (booting) on its own and there is no hurry to decide right this very minute what to do.


Do you (you should) still have a dual boot menu at PC start-up?

 

[magnetite]

Seems I didn't do the dual boot option. Anyways, I might have found a way to safely get the files off. It seems that since these are backup files, I could delete the backups and copy the original files back after I format the partition.

Might take a while, but at least I won't lose anything.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

"Might take a while, but at least I won't lose anything."





Better safe than sorry; don't be concerned about the "dual boot" issue, that's not what you want anyway, I just thought it would make it easier to move some of the data; the "Move To" in the tutorial is a snap to move stuff around in Windows Explorer.

 

[magnetite]

Think I'm going to make it. Must have got lucky because I'll have enough space to delete the Windows install and move all the data back onto the partition.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Sounds good, be sure to keep us informed.

 

[gregrocker]

Unplug the 2tb HD during install so that it doesn't configure a dual boot. When you plug it back in we can help you force-delete the Win7 folders so you can use it solely as a data drive. If you have some reason you need to boot it, use the BIOS one-time Boot Menu key until you delete the old Win7.

You did not want to create a Windows dual boot menu if you want to get rid of the old Win7. Instead boot it temporarily now by tapping at bootup the one-time Boot Menu key (ESC or F8 on most Asus mobo) given on first boot screen to choose the 1tb HD to boot.

Can you browse, copy or move D files now from your new C:Win7 installation?

If so when ready to remove the old WIn7 please post back a screenshot of the contents of D partition so we can help you delete the OS folders while extracting any needed User files from them.

We will also need to help you find a way to mark D inactive or else swap its DISK slot with the C drive because otherwise during repairs the System MBR will be recovered into D as the first active partition. If DISKPART is not working, try using Partition Wizard bootable CD as Wolfgang suggests.

 

[magnetite]

Everything is almost off the 2 TB hard drive now. All I need to do is format the partition when all these files are copied over.