Reinstalling Windows On Partitioned System
Nov 29, 2009
Kinda surprised me that I wasn't offered a choice on original Windows 7 install regarding volume size (maybe I missed it) or advised about that little 100MB hidden partition thing. But anyway I have my son's system partitioned in a manner that's comfy but have been having some annoying system issues. See link below:
Windows Explorer gets Tired & Can't logout
If these can't be resolved, wanted to reinstall Windows 7-64 fresh....Not really relevant but here's the partition scheme:
** - System reserved (100MB)
C: Boot Drive (64 GB)
D: Swap & Temp Files (16 GB)
E: Games (480 GB)
F: Programs (64 GB)
G: Data (256 GB)
H: Backups (remainder)
So I imagine that things haven't changed too much ... The install DvD will identify where Windows is and ask me what I wanna do but how does the presence of this 100 MB hidden partition fall into the mix ? Will it, like previous versions just write over what it needs and leave D thru H alone, or are special instructions necessary ?
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Dec 20, 2010
I have one hard disk 150GB on my computer. I want to install Windows 7 and divide the drive into two partitions. When I did it using the instructions that I had during setup, Windows 7 load only with the system drive! Where did all the other memory gone? Can I return the lost memory without installing again Windows 7?
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Oct 16, 2011
I installed win 7 for a friend and everything was fine. He said the systems began running sluggish (probably spyware) and decided to reformat the hard drive and reinstall win 7. The problem going on is a system error when trying to install
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Jul 4, 2012
My current hard drive is dying, so claims Windows and Hitachi Drive Fitness Test. I bought a replacement drive 3TB drive which requires GPT partitioning. I have 64 bit windows and a UEFI motherboard, so I know I can use the drive as a boot drive for a brand new installation.
My question is how do I move the entire contents of my old drive to this new drive and keep it bootable?
I asked on other another site and they suggested I first let the Windows installation disk partition the drive GPT correctly for Windows, then copy the contents of the old drive to the new one. However, another person on that site said that that would break all the symlinks (didn't know symlinks played such a crucial role in the OS) and that I should use a cloning utility that knows how to copy NTFS. Was this person off base, or is it impossible to create a bootable copy of a Windows installation by just copying all the files (this would be from live linux of some type, not Windows itself)? If it is impossible, is there a utility that can copy the contents of a partition correctly, without needing to clone the entire partition table? Also, I have no room to make an image of my old drive anywhere.
Finally, does anyone know if clonezilla can copy an mbr partition to a gpt partition automatically, essentially doing exactly what I need, or will it always copy the partition scheme as well?
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Aug 26, 2011
I just partitioned my C drive and now have an I: drive that I use for data, music and movies and such. My question is this: if I have to do a system recovery. Will I lose that partition? Or will Windows 7 re-install on the C: drive without touching that partition?
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Jan 15, 2011
I have a custom built HTPC running Windows7 Home Premium 64 bit that I bought from a tin-pot PC building firm last year. It has 4 physical drives in it. The first is configured as a "basic disk" with a single C: drive partition on which windows 7 is installed. The other three are configured as a RAID1 "dynamic disk" that present themselves in Windows as a single logical drive (E:) and that's where all my data lives.Windows Media Centre has now stopped working properly and I've tried everything to fix it, in case I can avoid a reinstall! mcupdate.exe always crashes(with System.IO.FileNotFoundException): I can't update TV signal set-up or guide data ) so now I need to reinstall windows. I'm an IT professional and I've installed many prior versions of windows in the past, but never Windows 7:
1) If I reinstall Windows 7 on my C:/ drive, will the E: drive be left unaffected and the fresh install of windows will still be able to see the E: drive and access all the data on it without any permissions issues?
2) The company that I bought the HTPC from neglected to give me a DVD with the Windows 7 installer (and prod key) on and they went out of business a few months ago, so I'm feeling a bit stuck. I've used a free tool to extract my Windows 7 product key from the registry, and borrowed a Windows 7 DVD from a friend. Will reinstalling from this DVD with the product key I've extracted work, or is the product key tied to the physical DVD (or does it just need to pass a checksum algorithm?) If I use my product key to reinstall, will I also be able to re"activate" Windows 7 or will it now think it's a dodgy copy? My current install says it's an OEM version (when I tried to get support from MS.com), but my friend's DVD is a full retail one - is that a problem too? What options do I have here? Can I, for example, create a copy of my friend's DVD and amend the prod-key in the poduct.ini file to be mine in the "HomePremium=" entry?
3) Before I attempt anything, I'm keen to do a full system backup. I've done this with the Windows 7 system image tool and have a 154 GB file that I've copied to an external USB hard drive, and I'm going to create a restore boot "disk" on a CD. However, If I need to do a restore, can the restore app read from a USB HD or not? I assume it can't read from the dynamic disk E: drive? Or can I just keep it on the C: drive, or will this get wiped completely when I reinstall windows, thus losing the image file?
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Jan 29, 2013
I am attempting to reinstall windows with files burned from an .iso onto a blank disc but when I press f12 then go into CD-ROM it goes to the next screen and says: 'Loading Operating System... Boot from CD/DVD..' Then it will boot normally.
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Jan 29, 2012
Is there any way to move my Windows 7 installation from HDD to an SSD without reinstalling windows or the software?
I would also like to know how to get rid of dual boot screen that I created when I had a Windows 7/Ubuntu dual boot. Then I've formatted the Ubuntu partition and reinstalled windows, but the dual boot sreen is still present.
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Feb 10, 2012
My computer had a bit of a melt down and now I think it best just to start from scratch. I am going to re-install the O/S on my Toshiba Satellite L500-19x.I use Dropbox quite a bit. Do you know the 'proper' way I should handle the process in regards to Dropbox? Will others lose access to my 'shared' folders when I do this?
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Apr 15, 2011
I need to reload my w7 os onto my pc.Question i have is my hdd is partitioned and if i format and reload the os onto the C: partition will i be able to access the other partition after the reinstall? It`s not a recovery partition, don`t have that but i do have some info on it that i want. I know it should probably be backed up just in case but there is about a 100GB`s of "stuff" on it and i don`t have that available free space on any other drive that i have. Am i risking losing access to this info if i go ahead and reload the os?
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Aug 19, 2012
I got this new laptop last week and after partitioning the HDD and installing the Windows 64Bit and installing all the required programs I noticed that there is a vertical line on the display (faulty LCD panel) and now I have to return this laptop and get another new laptop as replacement. I had created 4 partitions of the its HDD and installed the windows 7 on the C drive and Additional programs on D drive. E and F drives are for work related files and storage. I have created a System-Image and a Windows Repair Dsk using windows Backup and Restore utility, so that I donot have to through the tedious process of installing OS, Drivers and all those programs again manually. It created an image from C and D drive (as D drive contains program files as well). Now my question is when I get the new replacement laptop with a fresh un-partitioned HDD, should I partition the HDD before restoring the system image using Windows7 Repair Disk? Or would it created the partitions automatically?
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Apr 12, 2011
I have Acer Extensa 5230E, with Celeron 900. the CPU can't handle most of the flash so I am thinking about replacing Win 7 with Win XP. (Q1. Is it better to use XP than 7 in this lappy?)I tried to make recovery DVD but don't have much success. So I am thinking about partitioning the hard-drive then save a recovery copy in the partitioned drive. Is there an option that I can do so? How do I install the win 7 from partitioned drive?
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Aug 20, 2012
I have a Windows 7 32 Bit mini pc (SPO-Book Turo) It has 4Gigabytes of installed memory but windows will only use 3.The mini pc hasn't got a CD drive.I have put my windows installation files on my second partition of my 1000 gigabyte drive. My BIOS will not identify that the windows set up is on it what so ever.I am trying to install Windows 7 ultimate 64 bit.
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Nov 22, 2009
i currently have a hdd with vista and Windows 7 on it
vista was on it originally and i shrunk this partition to allow me to put 7 on
my question is, when i come to delete vista, will the computer boot straight into Windows 7?
does Windows 7 have its own bootloader or do i need to do some sort of transfer?
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Aug 30, 2009
So I installed Windows 7 RC from the file directory from XP onto my other drive previously. I ran into problems the other day with XP and Windows 7 no longer shows up in the boot menu to select.
What are my options here? I am presently downloading the Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK).
BTW, I can't find the original file for Windows 7 RC. Does anyone remember the name of it?
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Oct 21, 2009
My hard drive is partitioned C: and F:. Will a clean install of 7 over XP currently installed on C: mess with my F: drive?? In other words can I save all my stuff to F:??
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Mar 9, 2009
I'm trying windows 7.
After having installed it I've seen something strange.
I usually have the disk drive partitioned as following:
C partition, the root one (with programs and OS)
D partition, with all the stuff (projects, downloads, etc.)
Now, after the first boot in my computer I've seen only the partition C.
So, I've opened the computer management / Disk management. Here I've found the partition D.
So, I've assigned a letter to the partition D and now win7 seems to see that partition correctly.
But if I try to do a scandisk (via TOOLS / Error-Checking), a message appears asking to dismount the partition: 'Windows can't check the disk while it's in use. Do you want to dismount this volume first? Note: All opened handles to this volume will become invalid.'
That's sounds really weird to me. Now my doubt is how win7 is managing this partition.
Any hint?
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Jul 22, 2012
I am trying to use Seagate discwizard, to clone my hard drive to another. When I went through the process, the new HDD received only the C partition and not the D.
I really don't want to format the hdd and reinstall!
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Jan 9, 2012
I had Windows XP operating system with users and saved my files on a partition. Just installed Windows 7 and now I can't access the partitioned files due to permissions. If I try to open a file, I get the message "You Don't Currently Have Permission To Access This Folder: Click continue to permanently get access to this folder". If I click continue, it tells me to go to the security tab. Once there, it tells me it's unable to display the current owner. I can still gain access to the specific folder (as an administrator) but not the sub-folders. There are thousands of folders and I would have to do them individually. Is there a way to blanket share all the files on my partitioned drive?
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Oct 4, 2012
I just cloned my ssd to my external hdd for work. On my external is an 80 gb partition that holds the clone of the ssd, the remainder of the space is a partition called G: When I boot from my ssd I can't access either partition on the external drive, although windows sees both partitions in the disk manager and says that it is in conflict with the data on my ssd. When I boot from the external I am unable to see let alone access the G: partition. I am aiming to be able to access the G: partition both from my ssd and from the ssd clone partition. Just a side note, when I plug the external into my netbook, everything is fine and I can both see and access both partitions.
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Nov 22, 2011
I have recently completed a fresh install of Windows 7 64bit on my laptop (Dell Studio 15) using the supplied Dell CD. The install went fine.
The Problem:
My drive is partitioned into various logical drives - i've installed the Operating System onto one (c), all my programs onto one, and games onto another etc.
Now, after the fresh install I no longer have any installed programs in Programs and Features or the Start Menu (however the programs are still installed on the logical drives). If i go to the programs' folder and open the shortcut they are not loading correctly, and i get various error messages or problems depending on the program.
How can i:
1) Get my programs to work correctly without manually finding all the uninstall folders and then re-installing them. 2) Add the programs back to the start menu and Programs and Features.
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Aug 21, 2012
I just bought a new computer with a 256 disk partitioned into 2 drives: C (called OS) and D (Data). The computer writes everything to the smaller C drive, leaving D completely empty.I only have about 25G left on C and would like to find a way to change the way files are saved or some other workaround that will let me take advantage of the entire disk.I am not a very tech person - a mid-level user, so I need a solution, which will not create problems of programs not recognizing their paths afterwards.
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Nov 28, 2012
I recently bought a new PC that came pre-installed with Windows 8. I subsequently upgraded to Windows 8 Pro so that my work's software would be compatable. Our database software is not compatible with Windows 8 so I dual partitioned my hard drive with the hopes of installing Windows 7 Pro. I bought Windows 7 Pro OEM because it was cheaper (And I was unaware of the difference at the time). Do I need to use an OPK to install Win 7 Pro OEM, or is it even possible to install with Windows 8 Pro because it's an OEM.
Is there any way I can install my copy of Windows 7 Pro OEM or do I have to buy the Standard Win 7 Pro software?
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Nov 11, 2012
I recently bought a dell inspiron 14r laptop. It came with windows 7 Home premium which was pre-installed. The problem with it is, the whole 640GB was allotted to a single drive C. I want to repartition the hard disk into 6 drives. But they didnot gave me the windows 7 installation disk or its serial. What should i do now? I had created the recovery discs using the manufacturer's recovery media.
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Jul 19, 2012
Not exactly sure how to explain or even exactly what im looking for but basically I had an older laptop running windows 7 home premium that allowed me from the boot menu to re install windows & home premium w/o key or anything. It was placed on a partition of my hard drive. I would like to do this again but im not sure what exactly im looking for or how to search for it in shorter terms. It was an MSI Intel duel core laptop. I would like to put it on my toshiba quad core. Im familiar with partitioning software and image restoration but not sure what exactly i should be looking for to do this. Just a clean Reinstallation of my OS without needing keys i dont care to back up any information except my os which is a clean install. Update Toshiba has this HDD recovery but i am not sure if this is what i need/want. MSI had a MSI recovery which did what i want. Is this the same/similar?
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Nov 25, 2011
I bought a brand new Samsung QX411 two months ago. It's a great computer. Problem is, it got hit with a nasty virus that was pretty much completely debilitating, so I took it in to Best Buy (mistake), and they told me the best thing would be just reinstall Windows 7, and everything would be great. Well, I did, and now I am stuck. I reinstalled, but I did not realize that literally nothing would be in place. I am not completely naive: I did save all of my important files, folders, music, etc. So it's not that I have lost my data and am now crying "woe is me." Instead, I have basically a blank Windows 7 and nothing is there. I can't connect to the internet, because it is telling me that I don't have the necessary hardware (I know I do, but still). A basic summary would be this: I have no idea what to do after properly installing Windows 7. I want to get it as close back to normal as I can, but I don't know how to start.
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Jul 13, 2012
I recently built a new computer system that contains my old HDD, which I transferred from my previous PC. The old copy of Windows 7 that was already installed didn't work in the new PC, as expected. Instead, I have a new copy of Windows 7 available that I need to get on the HDD. But I also need to deal with the old Windows copy. I've already transferred all of my personal files from the old copy onto a portable HDD for safe keeping. What I plan on doing is reinstalling the new copy of Windows 7 onto the PC's HDD to be used in the new computer. I was able to acquire the new Windows 7 version for a really cheap price from my college.
So now I either have to format my HDD so that the new Windows 7 can work properly while keeping the old/useless version out of the way, or wipe the old Windows 7 from the HDD completely. Should I keep the old Windows 7 on the HDD and just never use it, or would that conflict too much with the partition used by the new version? If they do conflict, how should I go about removing the old Windows 7 partition? dealing with the HDD and OS seems to be one of the most annoying parts of a PC.
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May 7, 2011
I have bought a Lenovo Ideapad about 6 month ago with Windows 7 Home Premium.I now want to Re-Install Windows and delete my whole data. In Short, I want it to be Completely Clean.I Dont have My Windows CD to do That, But I have a Key Below My laptop and its Genuine.
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Dec 7, 2010
I mistakenly purchased a 32 bit version of windows 7 pro which was on OEM. Now I am going to purchase the 64 bit version OEM software again and format my hard drive and reinstall the 64 bit OS on my PC.
My question is now that I will be using the 64 Bit version, can I re-use my 32 bit OEM on a completely different PC as it will no longer be installed on my PC?
If so do I have to uninstall it first or will a simple wipe off the hard drive deactivate the 32 bit key? Also is there a cheaper option to purchasing the OEM software again, such as upgrading from 32bit to 64bit?
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Dec 11, 2010
I've recently purchased an SSD and would like to utilize it as a boot drive. I am happy with my configuration and would like just to install Windows 7 on the SSD and use it to boot -- with all other hardware and drives remaining without change.
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Jan 5, 2013
So I've been using my new laptop recently and discovered its hybrid hard drive contains an SSD. And boots up windows in seconds. This has caused me to want to buy an SSD for my desktop (my real gaming machine). The trouble lies within reinstalling windows and backing up.My desktop currently has two hard drives. Both 1tb each, one is full. And the other is barely used up. If I were to buy an SSD for my desktop. Would it be possible to reinstall windows (OEM) onto my new SSD? How would I do this? Also I've never backed up before (terrible I know and I want to start now!). However my family does own a 1tb external HDD. How much of my 1.2tb of data could I backup, and how would I do it? I've got loads of games and whatnot installed I don't want to lose.
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