"...winston" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message ...
I recently bought a new Acer Aspire V3 laptop that came with the Win7
64-bit
setup partition. I ran it, installed Win7, cleaned all the crap off I
didn't
want/need, and installed some of the programs I wanted on it (still more
to
go- that's an ongoing thing, IYKWIM). After I got things the way I wanted,
I
booted from my ATI CD to create an image of the whole drive, including the
hidden "PQService" recovery partition, the 100MB "System Reserved" one,
and
of course, my C: partition.
The question I have is, if I just created an image of the C: partition
without the other two partitions, and restored the C: to a new drive, is
that new drive going to boot on its own, or do you think I'll have to run
Startup Repair to do it? In Disk Management, the System Reserved partition
just says "Healthy (System, Active, Primary Partition)", whereas my C:
says
"Healthy (Boot, Page File, Crash Dump, Primary Partition)". That leads me
to
believe that C: will boot on its own, but just thought I'd ask the opinion
of others here.
I haven't tried deleting the 100MB partition as per the instructions he
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=409
since 100MB one way or the other is not really taking a bite out of my
500GB
drive. If I get to the point where I need that 100MB, I think it'll be
time
for a new, larger drive :-)
A. If you restore only the C:\ to a new drive the system won't boot since
it does not contain the bootloader files (see explanation below)
Windows 7, by design during an installation creates the 100MB System
Reserved partition (no drive letter - System Volume) and the Windows
operating system partition (Boot Volume). Both are created on the same
disk (hard drive).
1. When the pc is turned on the BIOS uses its configuration (on an Acer
usually called 'Boot Priority Order') to start the boot process. Normal
those options would be in order of DVD or CD, Hard Disk, USB Fixed Disk
Drive, Network, USB Hard Disk. (DVD being first so one can as you've done
boot from your ATI CD...if DVD/CD is not present/inserted in the DVD/CD
drie slot it moves on to the second prioritized item - Hard Disk)
2. The BIOS passes control to the hard disk containing the System Volume
(System Reserved partition which contains the Windows boot loader files
and the MBR) to start the boot process and determine where the installed
Windows o/s is located. If single boot, only one exists, if dual booting
more than one may exist.
3. The System Volume (System Reserved partition) then passes control to
the Boot Volume (the partition containing the operating system) to load
Windows and finally end up at the Windows logon screen or desktop.
Note:
- The System Volume (System Reserved) not only contains the bootloader
files it also includes the Windows repair utilities..thus if you restore
only the C:\ partition to a new drive, you'll need a Windows DVD (usually
retail) to run the repair option to rebuild the MBR and bootloader files.
- Repairing a drive lacking a System Reserved partition may still create
the System Reserved partition (100 MB) from available space on the
existing C:\partition.
The terabyteunlimited method is one route to avoid/remove the small 100 MB
System Reserved partition. Other options are available if you've access to
a full Windows 7 installation DVD
e.g.
http://www.mydigitallife.info/hack-t...ing-windows-7/
or
http://www.sevenforums.com/installat...new-drive.html
If using another full version Windows 7 installation DVD (iirc Paul
provided links to obtain the iso file from Digital River[Msft designated
hosting source for Win7] in an earlier thread) ensure you use the same
Windows version as your Acer provided Win7 version (Home, Pro, etc.) and
enter the OEM provided Windows 7 Product Key (should be on the label on
your system) when prompted.
Finally, the Acer Recovery tools won't be available on the new
drive....though that should not be a problem since you're retaining the
original Acer provided drive (Recovery, System, Windows partitions intact)
if needed.
Fyi...Windows 8 creates a 350 MB (System Reserved) partition.
Thanks for your reply! Interesting reading there. I think I'll just continue
with the full drive images, thus avoiding the possibility/probability of
REALLY screwing something up :-) I was just curious about the 100MB
partition since I've never seen it before. Most of the Win7 installations
that I've performed were upgrades from Vista, although my desktop was a
clean install and it wasn't created on it.
I already downloaded the ISO for Win7 HP 64-bit w/SP1 (same as on the
laptop) and created the DVD for emergency purposes (I've had the Digital
River links for years now). Plus I now have the first image of the entire
drive, AND a recovery CD and second internal HDD with the Acer recovery
files safely on the shelf. If something bad happened right now, I could go
back to this morning, or if for some odd reason that image got destroyed, I
have the option of going back to day one. After working IT for so long, I
still get nervous if I don't have something to fall back on. Too many years
of "backup. . . backup. . . backup" to ignore it now :-)
--
SC Tom