Windows 7

[win764]

I have two hard drives in this PC. One of them just did something crazy.

This is what I did and this is what happened.

1) Erased whole hard drive from first sector to last. Complete format (Even the bootmgr)

2) Put in the windows 7 64 bit installation DVD. The installation showed two hard drives. HD1 and HD2. All space was unallocated on both of them, so I clicked "New" and created 1 new partition on HD1. I left HD2 alone and did not allocate any space or partition anything. I then installed Windows.

3) Booted into windows and opened up an encryption program that only works if Windows is booting from the drive it's installed in. I received an error saying that Windows IS NOT booting from the same drive it was installed on.

4) I restarted and clicked escape to view the boot menu. I tried booting from the hard drive that windows is installed on AND IT GAVE ME A DISK FAILURE ERROR. I then rebooted and tried to boot from the hard drive that windows IS NOT installed on AND IT BOOTED!!!!!!!!!!! WTF! I JUST WIPED THAT DRIVE!


There is only C:\ on my PC. Windows is installed on HD1 BUT IT'S BOOTING FROM HD2! I didn't even partition anything on HD2 and I JUST WIPED OUT THE WHOLE DRIVE.

I guess what I'm really needing to know is how to find out exactly where windows 7 is booting from so I can figure out why it's booting from HD2 and installed on HD1...and how in the heck did Windows 7 manage to put it's boot loader on a completely different hard drive when I didn't even partition andjust now erased.

 

[theog]

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[win764]

Here is the screen shot. As you can see there is a system reserve that windows 7 created on Disk 0, but windows is installed on Disk 1.

As long as it's doing that then I can't do what I'm trying to do which is to use an encryption program that requires windows boots from the same disk it's installed on.

Is there anyway to make Windows stop putting the boot files on Disk 0? I need windows to boot from the same disk it's installed on.

 

[theog]

What you call HD1 is Disk0
What you call HD2 is Disk1

You have install to windows to Disk 1.
Looks like your wiped Partition 2 on Disk 0.

 

[win764]

Windows is installed on Disk 1 (298Gb). Are you saying if I install Windows on Disk 0 then it will put all the files on Disk 0? What if I install Windows on Disk 0 and it puts the files on Disk 1?

 

[theog]

As you did not format Partition 2 of Disk 0, Windows installed to Disk 1.

 

[win764]

No I purposely wanted to install to Disk 1 because it's larger. I formatted both hard drives before installing.

But I didn't want anything on Disk 0. Windows is booting from Disk 0 but it is installed on Disk 1.

I know it is because it won't let me boot from Disk 1, it will only let me boot from Disk 0. I tried both.

I want windows installed on Disk 1...is there anyway to get it to install all files to disk 1 so that it stops booting from disk 0 ?

 

[profdlp]

Maybe I'm missing something, but why not temporarily disconnect the drive you don't want Windows on and proceed with the installation from there?

 

[theog]

Windows will always boot from Disk 0.
If you want windows to boot from your 298gb HD, you need to make it Disk 0 by changing the cable round.

 

[PhreePhly]

In order to do what you are trying to do, you need to disconnect HD0 and re-install Win7. Are both of these disks SATA or IDE? Is one SATA and one IDE? After you complete in the install, you will probably need to go into your BIOS and make sure the boot order is set to start with Disk HD1. The install will always place the system reserved partition on the disk that is processed first, even if that disk doesn't contain the OS files.

 

[gregrocker]

This is why all other HD's should be unplugged during install. You apparently didn't notice that it had set up 100mb Sys Reserved partition on first HD and selected second one for install.

Do you actually need the 100mb System Reserved partition? It places the Repair console on F8 Advanced Boot Tools menu and is used for Bitlocker encryption. It is also useful if you plan to have a Dual Boot.

If you need the 100mb then reinstall with only one HD plugged in and format using installer.

If not, then unplug DISK0, swap its cable to DISK1 or set DISK1 as first HD to boot (after DVD drive) then mark WIn7 active using Diskpart from installer Command Line, next select Repair to click through to Recovery Tools list to run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times with reboots to write the System MBR to Win7.

You can then plug the other HD back in to delete 100mb and reformat.

 

[Harry19]

Right on profdlp

Always install Windows with only one drive connected. It will always turn out to
be primary and C:. And, never have those nasty USB multiple slots connected
when you are installing. Once installed, reconnect all the other stuff.