Did EasyBCD create its own dedicated 100MB partition on install

AndrewNZ

Member
I have an old install of BootIT NG that I'm trying to phase out. I really just need something simple that will allow me to manage a couple of versions of Windows, and possibly a little partition image maintenance (will look into later).

Recently I imaged my primary Vista OS from HD0 to HD2 and started running it from there. I then installed Win7 onto the second half of HD2 and installed EasyBCD.

HD0 was not visible to the Vista or Win7 installs and I'm worried that EasyBCD has created a 100MB at the start of HD0.
HD0 did have about 50GB of unallocated space, with any luck EasyBCD has actually used some of that rather than corrupting the Vista install I had sitting there.

I can't seem to get BootIT NG to run anymore and don't want to try too hard in case I end up with no multi-boot options at all.

Can anyone tell me if EasyBCD does in fact create it's own 100MB partition during install?

Also, anyone have any idea what I could use with EasyBCD to achieve partition image and backup operations? I like to leave unallocated space on my drives for backups. I also like to try new things on these backups rather than my primary OS.
 
Windows 7 setup does that, not EasyBCD.

If you don't want that partition, you need to pre-partition the drive prior to installing Windows 7.
 
Unfortunately, your habit of leaving empty space is to blame.
W7 creates a dedicated unlettered boot partition if it finds any space where it can do so.
The only way to force it to place the boot files with the rest of the OS, is to have all space allocated and formatted and to make sure that the partition where you want W7 is marked active before the install begins.
If there's no empty space, but another partition (Vista XP e.g.) is marked active, it will put the boot files with that OS.

You can still leave space for future experimental systems, just format it as a partition so W7 doesn't grab a chunk and leave it unused till you need it, then reformat the space into the required piece(s) when the time comes.
 
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Thanks guys. I appreciate the info.

That was a little cheeky of me to be pointing the finger at EasyBCD so quickly.

When I was actively using BootIT I did everything with it, that is, prep partitions mark them active then boot from the install CD.

Assuming Win7 has left the original Hd0 Vista partition intact (and it's just remained hidden from my current HD2 Win7 and Vista clone) is there anyway I can bring it back to life so I can add it to EasyBCD as a third boot option?

I'm reluctant to mix and match Boot Managers which is why I want to abandon BootIT and find a partition manager of some sort that will work hand-in-hand with EasyBCD. Any suggestions on the front?
 
Unhide the partition and add a Vista entry to your W7 BCD, specifying the same letter that W7 uses to identify that partition.
 
I just came back to pull the pin on this. I really have been both stupid and lazy.

Googled up what looks like a very capable and free partition manager (MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Ed 7). It has confirmed that I did indeed go ahead and delete the partition on HD0 hosting the original VistaOS, and sure enough (and fair enough too) Win 7 has written over top of it.

Win7 is throwing all sorts of "Disk about to fail" warnings for HD2, which planted this idea that I had kept hold of the HD0 Vista, just wishful thinking.

I'll use Partition Wizard to copy Win7 and Vista back over to HD0, then format and scan HD2 and see if the warnings disappear.

I'm very very impressed with EasyBCD (and now the Partition Wizard combo), plus the very friendly and informed forum users, thanks for your input.
 
A general tip to avoid such mishaps is to make good use of the label field when you format partitions to identify what you want to go where.
If all your partitions are called e.g. "Vista OS", "XP apps", "User Data", "Empty Spare" "Future W8".
The disk label is the only persistent means of unambiguous identification. It's written in the HDD partition table and will appear to any booted OS including Linux and an installation disc.
I've lost count of the times where people here have not realized that disk letters are ephemeral artefacts, just entries in the booted OS's registry, and have inadvertently overwritten the wrong partition in consequence. (" I definitely didn't overwrite the C partition but my OS is gone !")
 
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