Solved PC shows 2 "system" partitions/drives to install Windows 7. Help

[Bewitcher]

PC shows 2 "system" partitions/drives to install Windows 7. Help

Dear all,

When installing the windows 7 yeasterday I came across an interesting thing, i'll try to be brief:

At a step where you choose the drive to install the Windows to, and format it when needed, I saw 2 "system", as they were called there, partitions/drives:

One is my SSD, which is where I would install win7,
The second one is just a regular HDD, which by no means could appear as "system" drive.

Well I thought Ok, nvm, let me install just like I wanted - on my SSD and forget about this thing. So i did after formatting the SSD.

Everything went totally fine with the system install, drivers etc., EXCEPT:

It doesn't boot from SSD, ALTHOUGH I did go to BIOS and changed the priority.
And even after that he kind a misses ssd.

I really can feel the difference in the speed of system loading.

And in Disk utility it shows 2 primary disks. One of them as said above is my HDD.

I didnt do anything to the HDD...

What is wrong?? I really would appreciate the help!!!

 

[ignatzatsonic]

What is wrong is that you had 2 hard drives connected when you installed Windows.

Bad idea.

Windows put your boot files on the HDD, not on the SSD.

How do you solve it?

Disconnect the HDD and do it over.

There are other ways to correct the problem, but that's what I'd do unless I had already spent a lot of time configuring and installing applications.

 

[Pauly]

a screen shot of your disk management window may be helpful, if windows was originally installed on your HDD then you probably have an partition marked as active there which shouldn't be

 

[Bewitcher]

What is wrong is that you had 2 hard drives connected when you installed Windows.

Bad idea.

Windows put your boot files on the HDD, not on the SSD.

How do you solve it?

Disconnect the HDD and do it over.

There are other ways to correct the problem, but that's what I'd do unless I had already spent a lot of time configuring and installing applications.

Firstly thank you for a reply, since I was planning to get this problem solved today asap.

Secondly, thank you for convincing that's not a big deal

Thirdly, "noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo really? install all again?( all those drivers???"
Might startup repair 3 times-thing work?)

 

[Bewitcher]

a screen shot of your disk management window may be helpful, if windows was originally installed on your HDD then you probably have an partition marked as active there which shouldn't be

Ill get the screenshot asap i get home( im sorry to post my issue here unprepaired)

 

[Pauly]

If you have already spent time setting up your system then a full reinstall is not mandatory

It is advisable to have your boot drive connected to the lowest numbered sata port on the motherboard as this is where the machine will start looking for drives also if your hdd was previously running windows it will have an active partition on it so the windows installer will have seen an active partition on port Sata_0 (or Sata_1) and installed boot files there.
You do have the option to use startup repair (or other methods) to move your boot files to your SSD
Option 1 - Unplug all drives except SSD then run startup repair upto three times to recreate boot files on SSD
Option 2 - http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/209885-bootmgr-move-c-easybcd.html?filter

Be aware that if you unplug your HDD your system will be unbootable until boot files are repaired/reinstated or the HDD is plugged back in

After you have sorted your boot files problems be sure to check if you have an active partition on your HDD and if necessary mark as inactive

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/274797-disk-management-post-screen-capture-image.html

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Yeah, go ahead and post that screen shot.

If it confirms my suspicions, you may be able to use "EasyBCD" to copy your boot files from wherever they are to C--which would make your SSD bootable.

Drivers?? Aren't you using the drivers supplied by the Windows 7 installation disc?

Or are you talking about having gone through Windows Update? I can understand why you wouldn't want to spend those hours again.

 

[Bewitcher]

Yeah, go ahead and post that screen shot.

If it confirms my suspicions, you may be able to use "EasyBCD" to copy your boot files from wherever they are to C--which would make your SSD bootable.

Drivers?? Aren't you using the drivers supplied by the Windows 7 installation disc?

Or are you talking about having gone through Windows Update? I can understand why you wouldn't want to spend those hours again.

Well, i was talking about specific drivers for my intel, nvidia, printer, office, windows update, small progs like skype, google chrome, java, finereader, other adobe stuff, - it's all fine, just requiring reboots, downloading, and again and again.

I prefer using original driver updates from websites - And indeed I have those separate updates, other things i need on a flash usb, some are portable, but the time to tweak + windows update = annoying)

 

[Bewitcher]

If you have already spent time setting up your system then a full reinstall is not mandatory

It is advisable to have your boot drive connected to the lowest numbered sata port on the motherboard as this is where the machine will start looking for drives also if your hdd was previously running windows it will have an active partition on it so the windows installer will have seen an active partition on port Sata_0 (or Sata_1) and installed boot files there.
You do have the option to use startup repair (or other methods) to move your boot files to your SSD
Option 1 - Unplug all drives except SSD then run startup repair upto three times to recreate boot files on SSD
Option 2 - http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/209885-bootmgr-move-c-easybcd.html?filter

Be aware that if you unplug your HDD your system will be unbootable until boot files are repaired/reinstated or the HDD is plugged back in

After you have sorted your boot files problems be sure to check if you have an active partition on your HDD and if necessary mark as inactive

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/274797-disk-management-post-screen-capture-image.html

Thank you indeed. I know what to do now with your help. Ill be home in apprx 6-7 hours and shall go thru these steps) have a nice day!)

 

[gregrocker]

To use Option One above you'd first Mark SSD Win7 Partition Active,
then unplug all other drives to run Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times.

Option Two will mark Active for you, move the boot files without having to run the repairs. Just make sure you keep the SSD set first to boot in BIOS when you reconnect the hard drive and if necessary mark the HD Inactive so it is not bootable: Partition - Mark as Inactive - Windows 7 Forums

There may be other unknowns so please do post the screenshot of Disk Management - Post a Screen Capture Image

 

[Bewitcher]

Dear All,

thanks for answers!


As i promised, here is the screenshot:

So there I see (im a noob) my SSD (60GB) with "boot" word, and A disk (just a simple hdd) with "System" word

AND

both active - )

here is another thingy:

 

[Bewitcher]

So there I see (im a noob) my SSD (60GB) with "boot" word, and A disk (just a simple hdd) with "System" word

AND

both active - )

 

[Bewitcher]

delete

 

[Bewitcher]

delete

 

[gregrocker]

Mark Disk1 System Reserved Partition Active, power down to unplug all other hard drives, swap Disk0 cable to Win7 drive so it is in safest first position.

Boot into Win7 disk to run Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times until Win7 starts and System Reserved is marked System Active partition.

When you plug back in other drives make sure new WIn7 drive remains set first to boot in BIOS setup.

Then either move the data off to wipe former A drive with Diskpart Clean Command
to get it cleanest, then repartition in Disk Mgmt with a higher drive letter, or mark it Inactive so it can't interfere even though boot code will remain on it until it is wiped: Partition - Mark as Inactive - Windows 7 Forums

 

[Bewitcher]

Mark Disk1 System Reserved Partition Active, power down to unplug all other hard drives, swap Disk0 cable to Win7 drive so it is in safest first position.

Boot into Win7 disk to run Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times until Win7 starts and System Reserved is marked System Active partition.

When you plug back in other drives make sure new WIn7 drive remains set first to boot in BIOS setup.

Then either move the data off to wipe former A drive with Diskpart Clean Command
to get it cleanest, then repartition in Disk Mgmt with a higher drive letter, or mark it Inactive so it can't interfere even though boot code will remain on it until it is wiped: Partition - Mark as Inactive - Windows 7 Forums

swap Disk0 cable to Win7 drive so it is in safest first position. - sorry for a stupid question - what exactly do u mean - get SSD higher, so to say, so that the pc catches him first?

 

[gregrocker]

OS is best in first disk position so future repairs or reinstalls dont derail boot files to first Primary partition.

If a faster port is available for SSD then ignore that but be sure to unplug all other disks before future reinstalls.

Is the yellow striped Dynamic Disk more than one hard drives spanned together?

 

[Bewitcher]

OS is best in first disk position so future repairs or reinstalls dont derail boot files to first Primary partition.

If a faster port is available for SSD then ignore that but be sure to unplug all other disks before future reinstalls.

Is the yellow striped Dynamic Disk more than one hard drives spanned together?

Hi!)

took me a while to do everything cuz I thought it would be wise to clean my pc)))

Please , could you have a quick look at what my disk manager shows now?

 

[AddRAM]

You still don`t have your ssd on sata port #1

Your System Reserved Partition should not have a letter. (Actually it can now be deleted)

Disk 0, why is it still Dynamic ?

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/26829-convert-dynamic-disk-basic-disk.html

Ask any questions you have

 

[gregrocker]

You must have not marked the new System Reserved partition Active because otherwise the System flag would be on that partition and not C. But having it on C is OK. I'd delete System Reserved in Disk Mgmt.

The OS drive obviously is not in Disk0 position, so if possible I'd swap cables with the old PC hard drive to see if that will move the new OS drive to Disk0. Make sure it remains set as first drive to boot in BIOS setup.

Also if you have room to move the data off the old OS hard drive, I would wipe it with Diskpart Clean Command and then repartition it in Disk Mgmt to get it cleanest, then move the data back on. Otherwise you should delete its old System Reserved partition, and convert the drive from Dynamic to Basic following only Option One (non-destructive conversion) in Convert a Dynamic Disk to a Basic Disk.

I'd also look over the steps, tools and methods in Clean Reinstall Windows 7 which compiles everything that works best in tens of thousands of installs we've directly helped with here, and which has been followed by 1.5 million consumers without a single complaint. If you do this you will learn a lot about your PC and Win7, and have the best install possible in the world today.