Windows 10: Too many Partitions on hard drive

Hello,
I have a Dell XPS 18, Upgraded from from Win 8 to Win 10.
I have a Seagate ST500LT012-9WS14S.
It is NOT a SSD.
The system works just fine.
My hard drive is a mess!!
I have cloned the hard drive but I need to make space on my C: drive.
When I look at the drive in Windows, (Disk Management) there are 10 partitions.



When I look at the drive I EaseUS Partition Master, there are 14 partitions.



This is crazy.
What are all those extra partitions?
Do I need them?
I do not want to go back to Win 8.
There is a 57 GB partition with what I presume is the Dell backup.
.I am not sure if this is a Win 8 reset or a win 10 reset
I want to get rid of the 57 GB partition, resize the other partitions and then clone that. (Backup)
I also want to get rid of any unneeded partitions.
My plan is to use Macrium to clone the drive.
I want to just clone those partitions that are needed and adjust the partition sizes.

Suggestions?

Joe

:)

 

Please tell me the software free to split the hard drive?

is I want find out about way split the hard drive equal software and I want to for video files into a separate partition

Thank you for letting me know one computer should not use too many partitions such is not good

 

C: \Drive full

What model computer? How many hard drives--not partitions--separate drives? There were computers from a few years ago that separated the operating system and data on one hard drive by putting the OS on a tiny C partition and all the data on the D partition.
If you have one of those it will show in Drive Management. The only way around this is to delete the D partition in Disk Management (this will delete all your files along with it) and then extend the small C partition to include all the unallocated space left
from the former D partition. The D partition must be adjacent to the C partition--on the right side of C. Get a techie friend to help if this sounds too complicated.

 

Hi, unfortunately your screenshots are virtually unreadable. Please could you repost. Given e.g. 1 jpg screenshot, use the icon above your post to the left of the video icon. When posted, the screenshot will then expand when clicked on.

Also please could you use Minitool Partition Wizard (free) as this gives a bit more information and shows a partition Disk Management won't. Expand columns as necessary to make sure all text is shown. Thanks!

E.g.




(but please show the whole picture- more than that).

You could also comment on each partition you do recognise - Minitool Partition Wizard lets you explore the content of partitions.

 

If you have made a backup of your files, I would be tempted to clean format install and delete all the partitions and let the installer set it up for you.

 

For disk management posting:
Please widen 2 columns: status and volume
Make sure that the contents within each row are in full view and that nothing is cutoff.
Disk Management - How to Post a Screenshot of General Tips Tutorials

Download and install Minitool partition wizard:
MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition - Free download and software reviews - CNET Download.com

The Minitool partition wizard has a right click > explore feature.

Please use this feature to display the contents of the partitions.

For the disk management and the main mini tool partition posts please post directly into the thread.
Take Screenshot in Windows 10 General Tips Tutorials
For the other minitool partition posts please use one drive or drop box share links.

Run this log collector. When it completes it should post a folder on the desktop. Zip it and post it into this thread:
log collector v2-beta08.zip

 

Have you been playing with Linux?

Think I'd do this.....

I prefer MiniTool PW too...

KB

 

Takes a while to gather everything.
I have used a Live Linux on a thumb drive to boot and have a try-out.
I will attach more images of the partitions that will allow me to explore.
I have the Log Collector logs but I'm working on how to send it.


1st Partition: 1.00 MB Unallocated. Not used by me.
2nd Partition: 300.00 MB NTFS. Not used by me.
3rd Partition: 100.00 MB FAT32. Not used by me.
5th Partition: 150.70 GB NTFS. System C: Used by me.
6th Partition: 755.00 KB Unallocated. Not used by me.
7th Partition: 875.00 MB NTFS. Not used by me.
8th Partition: 450.00 MB NTFS. Drive I. Not used by me.
9th Partition: 8.00 GB NTFS Drive F: Used by me. Page file.
10th Partition: 1.16 MB Unallocated. Not used by me.
11th Partition: 81.50 GB NTFS Drive D: Used by me. My Documents
12th Partition: 165.49 GB NTFS Drive E: Used by me. Data,Downloads, Mail
13th Partition: 57.81 GB NTFS PBR Image Dell?
14th Partition: 450 MB MB NTFS. Not used by me.

 

1 is nothing.
2 is old (too small) WinRE partition. Delete it.
3. is ESP you need it. Leave it.
4. you don't mention but is probably 128MB MSR. Leave it.
5. is C. Leave it.

I would move page file back to C (it is worse to have it on slower part of same disk - just put it on C).

Delete 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Extend C.

11 (D) and 12 (E) have your data so leave them if you like having this data separation.

13. you can delete if you want (it is no use any more). You could either extend E to use this space or move D and E to the right using Partition Wizard.
14. is your (properly sized) recovery - as partition 2 was too small it made another. Leave it.

If you wanted to could use partition wizard to move ESP, MSR and C partitions to the left to reclaim unallocated space and then extend C some more.

In the end you want something like this (actually the order doesn't really matter but this is recommended - see UEFI/GPT-based hard drive partitions | Microsoft Docs ):

1. ESP 100MB FAT32 partition.
2. MSR 128MB (or 16MB would do). Unformatted.
3. C - NTFS
4. D - Data 1, NTFS
5. E - Data 2, NTFS
6. Recovery (at least 450MB). NTFS.

You'll have to re-register WinRE after changing the partition number using reagentc - see Deploy Windows RE | Microsoft Docs

 

Thanks Everyone,
I was hoping to do something like what lx07 has suggested.
lx07, you say that "13. you can delete if you want (it is no use any more)".
I'm not sure exactly what it is and how might it be of no use any more?

The Swap Temp partition is to reduce fragmentation of the Page file on partition C:.
I really wanted to get rid of the PBR partition and reorganize the other partitions to make use of the space.
Once I know removing it will not cause Windows to go into convulsions, I'm fine with that.
If I have problems, I'll simply install a clone.
I have File History on G: drive.
I also have DBR_BOOT on Partition K: whatever that is. G: and K: are on an external drive.
Z: drive will take some of the load from the main drive or perhaps I might put a clone there.

NOW. Deploy Windows RE
reagentc
This might be getting too much for me.

Register your custom Windows RE tools image:

C:\Windows\System32\Reagentc /setreimage /path T:\Recovery\WindowsRE /target W:\Windows

My last partition does not have a drive letter.
How does this work?

If I remove the PBR Image partition, Windows will lose track of where the WindowsRE is located?

 

1. is not nothing ....see my image.....it is the 1mb (1024KB) Alignment done by Windows Install and is needed , leave it alone , or have Minitool P.W. redo the Alignment if already removed.... Easeus probably has the same feature?

I have never seen anyone in Windows using a Swap Temp Partition , which is Why I thought you had been trying out Linux , let Windows handle it , these days it does a very good job. I seem to see these screwed up Partitions a lot when someone is Dualboot Linux as well.....

the PBR Image partition is the Dell Recsue Environment , you don't need it if you don't want all their Software but
do you have the Serial no#s etc of any software you do want? ( not referring to Win10 it is activated online)

The PBR and WINRETOOLS drives are provided by Dell.
PBR Image drive and WINRETOOLS drive are the recovery partitions and contain the recovery image (PBR Image) and Windows Recovery Environment tools (WINRETOOLS).They are important for recovering the system in case of a software issue and should not be deleted.


DBR Boot I am unsure of but it looks like a Fat32 Bootdisk ( rescue) partition which can be selected during a UEFI Boot usually from the F8 Menu (sometime F12) , try it? Perhaps it's DELL-ware too?

I would suggest making a Macrium Free Boot Rescue disk , it has a add on called Fix Windows Boot , and is very good at fixing the BCD File and tell the system where all the needed boot files are.....It has saved me a few times and avoids all that horrible Editing of the BCD by hand.

KB

 

If I remove the PBR Image partition, Windows will lose track of where the WindowsRE is located?