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Windows system partition and windows


bookie32

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Hi again...

Asking lots of questions at the moment.

When creating backing up your Windows 7 installation it has its own "system" partition as well as the "C" .I am working with PE Boot and can compress. copy and reinstate the wims created.....

When you "apply" your wims it leaves the copy on the partition. How does one remove it from the system partion or will it be OK to leave the copy there?

Looking at all command and can't see how to delete the file......sure I am missing the obvious here, but can someone help me out.

bookie32

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Hi Tripredacus :hello:

OK! I have done this several times on my own computers reinstating images without the 100MB System Partition....OK ...daft question....why does windows create it in the first place if we don't really need it?

bookie32

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why does windows create it in the first place if we don't really need it?

Hi bookie32 and Tripredacus!

In fact the 100 Mb first primary partition is a Microsoft's grub version. It is really important if you have more than a working unit, as a tool to switch at boot.

It only exists on preinstalled Windows 7 or if you install it into a not assigned space, to be used as bootmanager.

If you instead install Windows 7 into an existing primary partition everything will be placed into it.

Greetings

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You do not need to backup the System Reserved partition.

See here:

Really? :w00t:

And what happens if the "hidden" partition gets corrupted? :whistle:

Will restoring the "other" partition make the system bootable again? :angel

Check which one (in these new Windows 7 setups) is the boot partition and which one is the system partition (MS has it the other way round :ph34r: ):

http://www.multibooters.co.uk/system.html

http://www.multibooters.co.uk/articles/windows_seven.html#install7

;)

jaclaz

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Well, yes I stated on the presumption that you aren't using it for anything.

But even if it becomes corrupted can you restore it again? Originally I had tried to image the System Reserved partition but re-deployment never seemed to work properly.

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Well, yes I stated on the presumption that you aren't using it for anything.

But even if it becomes corrupted can you restore it again? Originally I had tried to image the System Reserved partition but re-deployment never seemed to work properly.

I am not sure to understand what you mean. :unsure:

If you do an image properly of something you can always restore it (that's actually the idea of an image) ;).

But if you delete the "hidden" partition (or however have it corrupted) and you restore the "second" "C:" partition ONLY, the system won't boot, as in the "hidden+C:" setup the actual active partition is the "hidden" one.

jaclaz

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Well, assuming you're not using it for WinRE or storing information for bitlocker, you are correct - you don't need to back it up as part of an image, and if it becomes corrupt on an existing install you can technically recreate it and run repair from WinRE or the setup disc to fix it.

You can even remove it and Windows will still boot once bcd is updated with the new information, and WinRE or the setup disc is used to repair startup info. I wouldn't recommend it, of course, and I've never done it myself, but from what is documented it would appear that it can be done ;).

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Well, assuming you're not using it for WinRE or storing information for bitlocker, you are correct - you don't need to back it up as part of an image, and if it becomes corrupt on an existing install you can technically recreate it and run repair from WinRE or the setup disc to fix it.

You can even remove it and Windows will still boot once bcd is updated with the new information, and WinRE or the setup disc is used to repair startup info. I wouldn't recommend it, of course, and I've never done it myself, but from what is documented it would appear that it can be done ;).

Sure :), you can even reinstall :ph34r:, the WHOLE point of making an image of something is that after having restored the image ONLY you will have the system EXACTLY as it was before (at the time you took the image) and NOTHING ELSE is needed, not even setting the actual active partition and/or edit the BCD:

But if you delete the "hidden" partition (or however have it corrupted) and you restore the "second" "C:" partition ONLY, the system won't boot, as in the "hidden+C:" setup the actual active partition is the "hidden" one.

jaclaz

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Yes of course it won't boot. But since you would be restoring an image into a different configuration, you would need to update the BCD as necessary. Same thing would happen if you took an XP image from a dual-boot system and redeployed it to a single partition without updating the boot.ini.

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Same thing would happen if you took an XP image from a dual-boot system and redeployed it to a single partition without updating the boot.ini.

Of course, Tripredacus.

If you are using a Windows 7 installation done into a previously created partition the boot files are into the same drive.

If you have a preinstalled Windows 7 or it was first installed into a unassigned space boot files are into the 100 MB first primary partition instead.

Even when it may be done other way, IMHO it is always convenient to have into the image boot files together with Windows 7 and redeploy both simultaneously whenever needed.

Edited by cannie
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Hi folks :hello:

Does anyone mind if I add a comment.....LOL OK greate info guys, but all of you have missed a point and this isn't a diig at you :no:

I was wondering about removing the wim file from the system partition after imaging as well...

Easiest solution seems to leave a letter assigned to the "system" partition and go in windows and just remove the wim file and then the letter assigned...unless someone thinks I am losing the plot...

I do thank you all for your helpful info and will be looking at that....

MSFN is clearly the best place to be by far!!

bookie32

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I was wondering about removing the wim file from the system partition after imaging as well...

If you are able to do it the way you say you won't have any problem at all when you reboot, because the wim file is not a part of the Windows OS.

BTW the built-in image saving utility of Windows 7 is great and IMO the best for this purpose now (nothing left at all into any partition but system files).

Greetings.

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