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Preventing System Reserved Partition during Win7 install

Considering it's only 100mb, I couldn't care less. Really though, it can be useful if you frack something up. Aside from whatever bit-locker uses it for, it'll allow you to fix boot issues, access a command prompt outside the OS, restore from image, etc... It's essentially the trouble shooting portion of the install disc, without the hassle of needing one handy.
 
Well, since my boot drive is but 64GB, and I keep a current image of it handy, I figured I can turn to it should something go badly wrong, and recover that 100 MB. I'd rather have that space on hand for my purposes than the OS's.
 
I prefer keeping the entire install in a single partition. That way I only need to backup and restore a single partition. I don't spend much time troubleshooting. If the OS is haywire, I simply revert back to an image that isn't. It takes less than 20 minutes, and I know the OS will function exactly the way it did when the image was created.

The guide you linked to is overly complicated.

Start with only the disk you want to install Windows to, connected to the computer.

Start the W7 install, and after 20 - 30 seconds stop the install and boot to a Live CD with a partition tool installed- like Hiren's Boot CD, or PartedMagic.

You will see that Windows created (at least) 2 partitions. Delete all but the first, and then extend that partition to include the entire disk. This method will ensure that the Windows partition is properly aligned. Using another tool to create the partition will likely result in a misaligned partition. If only the end of the partition is moved, and never the beginning, alignment will be maintained.

Now boot back to the Windows install DVD, select Custom Install, go to the disk selection dialog, and install W7 to the partition you have already prepared.

Wen the install is complete, boot to the Live CD again, and shrink the OS partition to the size you want it to be. But don't create new partitions with the CD, as they likely won't be aligned. Instead, boot back to Windows, go to disk management, and partition the remaining disk space how you like.

It's that simple.
 
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There is an even easier solution that does not require any external tools.
1. Boot off Windows install media
2. When the first window pops up hit "shift+f10" to get a command prompt
3. Type diskpart
4. Type "select disk 0", hit enter
5. Type "clean" hit enter
6. Type "create partition primary" hit enter

You will now have all of the space as an unformatted partition that Windows will let you use during the install.
 
FishAk said:
The guide you linked to is overly complicated.
Click to expand...

I like your method, yinan. On second look, your method is in the linked guide, but not as simple as you put it.

I hate fumbling around the command line, and go out of my way to avoid it. I have enough to remember without learning how to write to a computer. I'd rather learn Romanian- those girls are hot!

But your condensed version is short enough that even I could do it.
 
yinan, would your method work if the 100MB partition already exists? It does on my boot drive now, and I'd like to get rid of it when I reinstall.

BTW, I totally agree with your sig.
 
If you have only 1 disk connected, it will be disk 0.

The "clean" command will delete all partitions from the target disk, and the "create partition primary"will create a new partition that uses all the space on the target disk.
 
FishAk said:
If you have only 1 disk connected, it will be disk 0.

The "clean" command will delete all partitions from the target disk, and the "create partition primary"will create a new partition that uses all the space on the target disk.
Click to expand...


Excellent, thanks.
 
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