Windows 10: How to increase the System Reserved Partition size

I am having Dual Boot PC XP and Windows 10 on different hard disk. Windows 10 have been upgraded from Windows 7 but the System Reserved Partition on Windows 10 remained 100 MB ( 30 MB is free space ), wherein if we clean install the Windows 10 then System Reserved Partition is 350 MB. Now the problem, if I create a backup then the minimum 50 MB free space is required in System Reserved Partition otherwise backup fails. I tried command fsutil usn deletejournal which was advised by someone but it increase the free size from 20 MB to 30 MB only. I am hesitant to use partition manager software because once I have used this on another PC on a simple partition and though it has increased the size of the partition but data of my other partition was deleted. Please advise.

:)

 

Upgrade to Windows 10 Home, version 1511, 10586 - Error 0x8024a206

Were we going to try to increase the size of my system reserved partition?


I am not convinced the size of the partition is the problem.

 

Windows 10 Pro Update to Load 10586 Fail (System Partition Error)

How large is the system reservation partition and how much free disk space within the partition? You could make this small partition a bit larger using
Easeus Partition Master (freeware) to resize your partitions.

Free partition manager software to resize partitions - EaseUS Partition Master Free

To increase the size of the system reservation partition
you first need to reduce the size of partition after the system reservation partition. This enables you to increase the size of
the system reservation partition by taking up the space the next partition has vacated. When you resize partitions it is all about before and after. Thus in the simple operation of D giving up space to C when resizing or reducing
the size of D the free space needs to be created before D. This enables you to resize C by expanding into the free space you now have after C. When you have done the above apply the changes.



This page from the Easeus web site explains visually.

Resize operations - EaseUS Partition Master

 

This is an easy answer, even thou you are nervous about using partition manager's Lots of us on here use MiniTool Partition manager.
This is a Free app, you would need to download their ISO version 9.1 then burn it to your dvd. Also, like I always tell everyone, DO a Complete Image backup BEFORE making any changes to your partitions!!! Try not to use Windows backup either. Use a program called Macrium Reflect Also a free app and does a great job of making your backup image on another drive. Windows backup I would NEVER trust. MiniTool I have used many times, with no problems. Macrium Reflect is also one of the better free image backup apps around.

 

or just download the installable version and install it in Windows. I find that to be a whole lot easier.

 

Yeah, I know that method too, have it installed on desktop, DVD, and now on a USB flash drive too. *Smile Still prefer not to run any changes to my C-drive from the desktop.

 

Different strokes for different folks

 

I remember that earlier I used this same Mini Tool Partition Manager which wiped data from my other partitions. Moreover my System Reserved Partition is having a drive letter assigned (not sure whether in win 7, drive letter was assigned or not). Wherein people say windows does not assign a drive letter to this. Secondly you said to take complete back up before increasing the size of System Reserve Partition. My Windows 10 drive is 500 GB (230 GB full) so how much space I needed for complete Back up and as My PC is Dual Boot, whether I need to Backup partitions of Windows XP hard disk also.

 

Anyone can use a wrong option using MiniTool, if you do, then could wipe out something, so if your not sure about using MiniTool, and can't make an image backup, maybe you should leave things along. Not a good idea to make any image backup on your primary drive. I would ask why in the world are you still running XP ... but I won't. So I'm not going to tell you what to do, all I did was offer a suggestion, that's all. The programs I recommended I use myself personally, with no problems. I have no idea how much hard drive space you would need for a complete image backup. If you feel you don't have enough space on another drive, that is not your primary drive, then don't mess with your partitions. Hard drives are pretty cheap these days.....

 

The only time I make an image onto my primary hard drive is for temporary use of an extra partition. I might make an image of my Windows 10 Insider build, for example, to install a new build on my partition set aside for testing. My laptop only has one hard drive and it's faster than making the backup to an external drive.

 

You made me smile regarding XP (Many people wonder). I did not intend to backup on primary drive. I have external drive. The reason for asking space was that whether my external drive will have space for complete backup otherwise I could delete data(which is not very important to me) from my external drive before making backup.*Smile

 

Since the systems were installed on two different hard disks, you only need to backup the hard drive where Win 10 is on. The disk image will usually be about 10% smaller than the source disk after compression, but this depends on the file types that you have on the hard disk. As to partition manager software, you can try free easeus partition tool if partition wizard didn't work for you.

 

FYI. Windows 10 MBR style clean install will create 500MB Reseved Partition. Not 350MB

I know each of us doing things differently but your Windows 10 is 230GB full ??? This is way, way too big to handle. May I suggest that you move all your personal data to another drive/partition and leave Windows 10 by itself so it is much easier to manage and back up and not counting if your Windows 10 crashed/unbootable/infected then you would have a very hard time to recover your personal data.

All that said. Suggested above to install Macrium Reflect Free is also highly recommended. I am not sure what software you are now using to back up your Windows but with Macrium, you should not have any problem backing up.

However. If you still want to resize the reserved partition to whatever you want without using third party partition manager such as Minitool, EASUS etc... Believe it or not ? you can do it with Macrium and here's how:
NOTE: This procedure assumes that you've already created a Macrium backup image to backup Windows 10 using the option from the left pane as shown



and also you've already created a Macrium Rescue disk.

This procedure is done using my current Windows 10 with the reserved partition of 500MB and C: Drive and I want to increase the size to 1000MB so yours will be different. However, it will be the same for any Windows 10 partition scheme whether it's MBR or UEFI.

Just follow the screen shot:
























After all the steps above. Click Next and finish to restore then reboot. The Reserved Partition should be the size that you changed.

Hope this helps.

P.S. If you want to check and see the contents of the Reserved Partition then you can use Mini Tool without assigning a letter for it.
Open Mini Tool. Right click on the Reserved Partition -> Explore
For Example:
NOTE: This screen shot was taken from my UEFI Windows 10 so it is not related to the steps above.

 

Thanks for clearing the doubt.

 

Thanks for detailed information. I may be wrong about 350 MB System Reserved Partition. I only wanted to increase the System Reserved Partition size because Windows backup was failing and as you all are suggesting to use Macrium for backup then why to go for increasing the System Reserve Partition (but I will give a try as taught by you). Please make one more thing clear that while replying to a post, Do I need to Quote the full message of the member. Secondly why my System Reserved Partition is assigned a Drive letter by default.