Windows 10: Need to move/fix location of System Reserved partition

I am trying to make space on an empty partition as a temp backup before I install a fresh copy of 8.1 to upgrade to 10.

I'm using Mini Tools Partition Wizard 9 Free Edition. What I have looking at the partitions are, a C partition (700 gigs capacity), then a System Reserved partition (350 mb's) then a F drive with 100 gigs of unallocated space. Here is an illustration.

Disk 1 - { [700 gig C] [System Reserved] [100 gig F] }

I want to shrink my C drive by 100 gigs and then resize my 100 gig F partition so I will have 200 gigs of usable space for the backup - But I can't because somehow my System Reserved Partition is on the right side of the C partition between the C and the F. Normally this system reserved partition is on the left of the C partition.

I do not know how this partition got moved. I did have another partition set up after the C drive that I used to install the Win 10 preview on but I since have deleted that partition and edited the boot menu to reflect this in MsConfig. Perhaps Win 10 moved my System Reserved partition over?

Anyway.. is there a way I can fix this in place, as I don't have external storage to back up my 200 gigs of files and start from scratch. Thanks. ( I do have the Partition Wizard bootable ISO so I can run it at Boot as well as the Windows version installed.)

:)

 

How to move System Reserved Partition to another drive?

Hi,

As of now, there's no safer way to move the System Reserved Partition to SSD or another drive. Also, moving it to a new location can also cause boot process problems and possible software corruption if done incorrectly.

We recommend posting your issue on TechNet for better assistance and guidance.

Feel free to post back if you have other concerns.

 

cannot locate system reserved partition on Disk Management

This Windows 10 upgrade error is usually caused by insufficient space on the System Reserved partition. When you install Windows to a partitioned MBR disk, Windows will create an additional partition without drive letter labeled as System Reserved, which
stores important boot files and normally locates before the system partition (often known as C: drive). On Windows 7, it often takes 100MB disk space, 350MB on Windows 8, and 500MB on Windows 10. Since upgrading to Windows 10 needs more space on the System
Reserved partition, Windows 10 will not upgrade unless it detects that the System Reserved partition has enough space. If you fresh install Windows 10 to a specific partition, you won't receive this error. By the way, the System Reserved partition first appearance
was on Windows 7, so you won't have this error on previous versions of Windows.

To solve this problem of being unable to update System Reserved partition, you can increase the size of System Reserved partition using third party free partition software like AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard, which can manage your disks and partitions
without data loss.

For detailed solution, see this article: Fix "We Couldn’t Update the System Reserved Partition" Error

 

I don't follow your explanation.

You say "F drive with 100 gigs of unallocated space".

Partitions don't have unallocated space, although hard drives can.

Do you mean unused space? I'm guessing you do.

If so, Partition Wizard can shrink C and add that amount to F. Windows Disk Management can't, as you've discovered, because C and F are separated by System Reserved, rather than right next to each other.

I'd guess PW can also move System Reserved to the left, but I don't know that that would make any difference at all, so I'm not sure I'd worry about it.

 

Yes, Unused not unallocated. It's an NTFS partition. . Sorry bout that.

How do I move space from C to F with the System Reserved in the middle? PW perhaps can do it, but I've tried from the bootable ISO and I cannot figure out how.

I do know how to resize partitions to enlarge them into unallocated space or shrink the C partition so I will have a block of unallocated space next to the C partition which I would normally then use to enlarge my F partition to 200 gigs.

I can shrink C to make a block 100 gigs unallocated but the system reserved partition will still be in-between. It would look like this: Disk 1 - { [600 gig C] [100 gig unallocated] [System Reserved] [100 gig F] }

 

Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD - Windows 7 Help Forums

See if the above tutorial helps you out.

I have not used PW in a couple of years and so don't recall how to do it, but I can assure you it can do the job. I'd assume it's just a matter of investigating the menus and/or dragging stuff around with the mouse in the interface.

You could also use EasyBCD to copy your boot files to C and then just get rid of System Reserved. I don't use it at all.

 

I've used EasyBCD before though I've never used that function, so that might be the best option. I wonder if it's possible that system reserved partition was a left over from the Win 10 Preview install ( because it would have installed after C drive I dual booted... it's the only reason I can think of why I'd have a system reserved partition on the right side of C drive) If that System Reserved was originally part of my Win 8/8.1 install, I have no idea how it got moved to the right side of C.

I'll try to move the boot files to C with EasyBCD.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll report back after trying it.

 

I am trying to upgrade to Windows 10 from windows 7. It won't let me do it because the System Reserved is too small. Right now the total space in System Reserved is 100 MB, how can I make it 450 MB? My C: is a 1TB SSD. I have no idea how to do this can you help me?

 

KimR,

It depends on how your disk is partitioned and the location of those partitions. First, you'll need to install MiniTool Partition Wizard Free,
Best Free Partition Manager for Windows | MiniTool Partition Free

If the 100mb System Reserved Partition is located next to a large partition such as C: drive, then you shrink the large partition by 250mb (NOT GB!), and you put the resulting 250mb free space between the system reserved partition and the large C: drive partition. Then you expand the 100mb system reserved into the free space making it 350mb total in size.

 

Lothar,

You will do multiple steps with Partition Wizard Free:

1. Shrink C: drive partition by 100 gb with the 100gb free at the end of it.
2. "Resize/move" system reserved partition by removing all the free space in front of it (which should be 100gb after step 1), add the same free space to the end of it.
3. Expand the F: drive partition into the 100gb free space which should now be at the front of it after step 2.