Change location of "system reserved" space?

[ascendant]

Ok, so I just got a new hard drive and installed Windows 7 on it. I still had Windows 7 on the old one, just to make it easier to transfer files, set the new OS up the same way, etc. After deleting the old OS and formatting that hard drive, I ran into an issue. Apparently, the new OS used the same "system reserved" partition on the old hard drive. My problem with that is that I wanted the old HD and new HD to have individual functionality, so that if one fails, I can still use the other. This current dilemma obviously impedes that.

Can someone tell me the easiest way to change this "system reserved" partition to the new HD?

 

[Smoove910]

That System Reserved partition is created automatically with Win 7. Are you sure it's the 'same' system reserved partition? As far as I know, the new/old would be the same since this partition contains the boot manager and boot config files.

 

[Billb2]

Do you mean that if one drive fails you'll just boot off of the other one? That won't be happening. You can only have one boot drive without going through all kinds of weird machinations to get more than one.

 

[Bubbaleone]

Ok, so I just got a new hard drive and installed Windows 7 on it. I still had Windows 7 on the old one, just to make it easier to transfer files, set the new OS up the same way, etc. After deleting the old OS and formatting that hard drive, I ran into an issue. Apparently, the new OS used the same "system reserved" partition on the old hard drive. My problem with that is that I wanted the old HD and new HD to have individual functionality, so that if one fails, I can still use the other. This current dilemma obviously impedes that.

Can someone tell me the easiest way to change this "system reserved" partition to the new HD?

This problem occurs (since Windows Vista to the present day) when the same version of Windows is installed on either a seperate partition on the same HDD, or to a different HDD, without first "hiding" the original Windows partition or disconnecting the HDD containing the original Windows installation. If one fails to do this prior to the second installation then the Windows Boot Manager re-writes the Boot Configuration Data, thus making only one of the operating systems bootable since both installations are identical as far as the boot manager is concerned.

NeoSmart Technologies has an excellent freeware utility called EasyBCD that'll help you get squared away. To save you some time, here's a couple of pages from their website that should get you pointed in the right direction:Changing the default boot entry and Editing a BCD on a different disk.

Note: This is the exact scenario that can also occur during disk cloning/imaging operations and the reason that, following completion of the operation, one must always shut down the computer then either take one or the other disks offline via BIOS/UEFI setting, or physically disconnect the HDD/SSD power cable, prior to attempting to boot into Windows.

.

 

[Billb2]

This problem occurs (since Windows Vista to the present day) when the same version of Windows is installed on either a seperate partition on the same HDD, or to a different HDD, without first "hiding" the original Windows partition or disconnecting the HDD containing the original Windows installation. If one fails to do this prior to the second installation then the Windows Boot Manager re-writes the Boot Configuration Data,

You just can't install to an unpartitioned drive or to the same partition. The Windows Install program will see the previous installation and rewrite the boot loader so that it gives you a boot screen where you can choose which OS to boot. If you disconnect a drive and install to the other one that won't happen. You'll end up with two drives each with a boot sector pointing to different boot loaders. and you'll have to use you BIOS to change OSs.

And, yes EasyBCD puts a nice user interface on BCDEdit. Make it a lot easier to fix problems (or create them!)

 

[ascendant]

Great, thanks for the information. I'll be sure to check out EasyBCD.

 

[corkyg]

Do you mean that if one drive fails you'll just boot off of the other one? That won't be happening. You can only have one boot drive without going through all kinds of weird machinations to get more than one.

That is not true if your two drives are separate. I do it every week - I rotate my drives in both Win 7 and 8.1. This easily done with a mobile rack where separate drives can be booted. Of course, only one of them. I'll try and illustrate.

The XP Drive no longer exists - now it is Win 7B. Win 7 is Win7A.