Create boot partition windows 7

[oopnoob]

Hello,

I want to have a boot partition, system partition and have a separate storage partition for all of my files. I am a bit confused about the boot partition/system partition relationship and still haven't found any clear or concise info to tell me how I would go about creating this. I have already partitioned the HDD into three sections and have already installed Win7. The active partition is also the boot AND system partition. How do I fix this? Thanks for any help.

 

[dodger46]

The only advantage of having ANY partitions is separating your Operating System from
Personal Data should you want to re-install Windows at a future date. Data should always be backed up to a separate drive anyway, as HDD failure results in all data lost.
ps Was it Boot 'Sector' you were trying to create? Perhaps this explains...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boot_sector

 

[MidnightDistort]

There's nothing wrong with wanting to partition the OS from the data, long as you do have a backup. With larger disk capacities i would prefer having a set disk size on the OS portion of the drive so the OS isn't so cluttered up.

Go to Start > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Click on the Disk Management tab on the left side panel. You should see your disk on there with different partitions. If you can print screen, paste it in paint then save it then put it on a site supporting pictures (like photobucket or facebook). This will be easier to determine what you did with your partitions.

 

[oopnoob]

@MidnightDistort...Below is a link to the pic of my HDD.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150219520004794.338151.702974793&type=3&l=8cb5017c2b

@dodger46 you recommend having one HDD to run the OS and a separate one for storage + a third HDD to back up data?
thanks for the link...does this mean that my "boot sector" is contained within the 1st partition on my HDD?

thanks for the help...i really appreciate it.

 

[dodger46]

Explains all!
http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/does-active-partition-mean-t1489512.html

You've been a bit mean with your 'C' drive, but I see you have 97.66 Gb unallocated. Suggest you expand 'C' to take up this space. I would recommend EaseUs Partition Master for manipulating partitions, it's easy to use and reliable
http://download.cnet.com/EaseUS-Partition-Master-Home-Edition/3000-2248_4-10863346.html

Suggest you use 'D' for data and nominate 'E' for your Windows Backup. ('E' probably too generous, but you can always expand C or D in the future if necessary at E's expense!) In this case 'backup' means a system image for restoring Windows should it fail. Your really sensitive data like photos/music/docs should be backed up by an external storage device, peferably two, and alternate them in case one fails. And if you want to be ultra cautious, occasionally burn the most precious stuff to a DVD...

 

[MidnightDistort]

Well i don't know why there is no reserved space. Did you initialize the disk as MBR or GPT? You have some unallocated space that dodger recommended to use on your OS. I would at have at least 100GB. I allocated 93.1GB (which is 100GB/bytes) to my newest system from a 500GB drive. However in case of hard drive failure i'd put the backup on an entirely different hard drive. Otherwise i don't see anything terribly wrong, does your computer boot & run fine? If so i wouldn't worry too much about the reserved space. It's only like 100MB and for me anyway it's irrelevant if it's there or not.

 

[dodger46]

Well i don't know why there is no reserved space. Did you initialize the disk as MBR or GPT? You have some unallocated space that dodger recommended to use on your OS. I would at have at least 100GB. I allocated 93.1GB (which is 100GB/bytes) to my newest system from a 500GB drive. However in case of hard drive failure i'd put the backup on an entirely different hard drive. Otherwise i don't see anything terribly wrong, does your computer boot & run fine? If so i wouldn't worry too much about the reserved space. It's only like 100MB and for me anyway it's irrelevant if it's there or not.

+1...failed to notice lack of 'System Reserved'...seemingly if you create partitions on an unformatted disk THEN install Windows, no 'System Reserved' partition is created
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/gg441289.aspx

 

[oopnoob]

thanks guys for the help and advice! the links and suggestions clear up everything!

 

[dodger46]

You're welcome. Hope you're nicely settled with everything in it's place...