Windows 10: THREE Recovery partitions?

Yes, I can shrink the C drive to give unallocated space, but the recovery partition is still on the far right, beyond the unallocated space. So when I try to use Macrium Reflect to restore to a different disk I have to have one larger than the original, one large enough to handle the extra space that is unallocated, or else I get an error message that it cannot restore. I believe it tries to put the restore partition in the same position on disk that it was originally, even though there is spare space that is unallocated. I think there are ways around that, but I thought I could avoid it altogether by "simply" moving the recovery partition to the left. Obviously not so simple after all.

 

Sorry for lack of clarity on replacing the C: partition, spacecon. First, have a look at this tutorial of Brink's with particular focus on Steps 10 & 12: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1...n-install.html

The concept is to do a truly clean install solely for the purpose of getting a fresh slate on the way Windows installs partitions.

The next step is to simply restore ONLY the C: partition from the Macrium image (NOT the entire disk) and to restore it to (and completely overwrite) the C: partition that was created by Windows (delete this new C: partition from clean install from within the Macrium WinPE rescue environment). In this case, assuming you will indeed do Legacy BIOS booted install to an MBR type disk, you should only end up with a 500 MB recovery partition on the left and the rest as the C: partition.

I think this method will give you a very seamless "proper" partition layout and the ability to expand and shrink C: partition at will.

Although clean installed, you will not lose anything as long as you're restoring ONLY your original C: partition from Macrium and everything should work as usual - difference here being no more screwiness and interference among partitions.

Note that, as I recall, your originally backed up C: partition is smaller than the one you'll end up with after clean install. You can either a) resize the C: partition you're restoring to fill up the clean install C: partition - on the fly within Macrium's WinPE rescue environment - while setting up the restore, or b) just restore the partition as originally sized in the slot you open within Macrium rescue, and then expand this partition later with Disk Management.

Depending on how proficient you are with Macrium, we (me or another member) can give you a little more concise and illustrated recipe for the Macrium restore steps - just let us know.

 

Wordman, thank you for the detailed explanation that makes sense. I will review the tutorial to make sure I understand what is going on. Then I will compare that to what I currently have (which as of now is the restored image of what it was before I started messing with moving the recovery to the left of C). After reviewing, I am sure I will have questions and need some guidance.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

 

No problem, spacecon. Thanks for sticking with it and also your patience.

 

Hi Wordman, I have read the tutorial for the clean install. I have a question about this note: It mentions a 450MB system reserved and twice also mentions a 350MB system reserved. I am thinking that maybe it is typos and the 350MB instances should really say 450MB? Are are there two different system reserves?

 

Hi, spacecon.

I think the 350 MB may be a typo (either mistyped or not updated as things changed) BUT, I would suggest you can ask @Brink about this and get his own clarification or correction - either by PMing him or by posting in the thread that trails the tutorial.

NOTE: The "450 MB System Reserved" partition Brink describes is what you would get if you have UEFI booting in BIOS, i.e., Windows will (after you delete all partitions) install to and format your disk with a GPT partition scheme. Since you currently seem to have an MBR disk scheme, and assuming your BIOS is only capable of "Legacy" booting (i.e., non-UEFI), Windows will install to and format your disk with an MBR partition scheme - in this case, you will have a 500 MB "System Reserved" partition to the left of your C: partition, as topgundcp pointed out earlier.

 

Yep, it's supposed to be 450 MB. Corrected now. *Redface

 

Sorry but it is still incorrect. For MBR partition scheme, It should be 500MB System Reserved partition, not 450MB. Look at my post #39
@Word Man

With GPT installation, there's no System Reserved partition. the 450MB is the Recovery partition.
@spacecon
You actually don't have to do a fresh install if you can get somebody to give you the 500MB System Reserved partition. Here's what I did for my friend's PC.

• Made a backup of the 500MB System Reserved from my PC using Macrium & Restore it to my friend's PC.
• Copy his orginal C drive to be the 2nd partition
• Boot up with Macrium Rescue disk and select Fix the Boot problem
• Reboot.

 

How's that now? *Smile

 

Thanks for all the info about the extra partitions. I am definitely confused by them. Between my wife and my computers, I have seen 100MB System Reserved (which I thought was from Windows 7 and I am not sure if it is still needed, but I am leaving it), also 450MB Healthy recovery partition, also 496MB Healthy Recovery partition, and now my wifes' healthy recovery partition has grown to over 800MB (and I have not messed with hers at all). I can't help but think that these things must change size over time.

Anyway, I restored mine back to what it was before I moved partitions around. Everything seems to be working. I think I should just leave it as is, right? Here is what shows in Disk Manager now. I realize I can extend C to take up the unallocated space. Thank you all and sorry to make such a mess of things.

 

I am putting in a final comment to correct my erroneous previous comments as shown above, so that hopefully I don't send anyone else down the wrong path I was taking:

As stated above, I thought that I needed to move partitions around, so that I could shrink the used space on my disk in order to restore an image made by Macrium Reflect to a smaller disk drive than the one I made the image from. This was based on my ignorance of how to use Macrium Reflect. I found out that if I used the default restore, it would tell me there is not enough space on the new drive even though much of the image being restored was unused space. I assumed this was because I had a system partition on the "far right" in the image I was restoring. But I later found out that you can drop and drag the partitions from the image to the new disk in Reflect and restore that way, so that you don't get the error. It is no wonder people were not understanding why I was trying to move the partitions - I did not realize it was not necessary. Sorry for the confusion, and thanks to everyone for their patience and help.