Change drive-letter of Windows Systempartition

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Arny006

Active Member
Dear Mates,

I pre-format my RAID-10 with:
1GB ntfs, label=System, flag=boot, letter=S
232 GB ntfs, label=Vista64U, letter=W
The remain 232 GB will formatted and contain (later) Win 7 U 64

After Vista is installed, the 1 GB System-partition show the drive-letter D: and not S: anymore.

How to change D: back to S: and continuing boot from that partition?

Thanks in advance and best regards
 
Try removing the disk letter in Disk Management, then add one back again later.
In theory it's not possible to change the disk letter of anything with "system" "boot" or "page" flags, but since W7 creates a small boot partition without a letter and it is possible to add one temporarily then remove it again, it might work.
I can't try it because my system does not have a dedicated boot partition any more (why would you deliberately create one unless using a third party boot manager, or intending to encrypt your OS ?).
If that doesn't work, use EasyBCD
Changing the Boot Partition - EasyBCD - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki
to copy the boot files back onto Vista.
Boot it and check that Vista is now "system" "boot" and "active"
You can now do what you want with the disk letter on D (S).
Afterwards set S "active" in Disk Management and reboot. S will now be "system" "active" and Vista will be "boot"
Then you can delete bootmgr and the \boot folder from C since you are back to using the original ones on S.

Disk Management flags have the following meanings


"boot" = "this is the system you're running"
"system" = "this is where I found the boot files for the currently running system"
"active" (on the first HDD in the BIOS boot sequence) = "this is where I started the search for the boot files"
"active" (on subsequent HDDs in the BIOS boot sequence) ="this is where I will look if I don't find something in the MBR on the first HDD"
 
Tries to remove and/or delete the letter of D: don't work (already before), still some question are open for me.

One (with EasyBCD) copied the Boot-files on Vista own partition (W7 nor yet installed)
1) shoul I reboot or can I replace directly D: with S:?
2) if 1. don't work should I reboot Vista, than boot with Gparted to delete D: partition and make a simple NTFS and modify it later with diskpart e.g. drive-letter, new ID, active and finally recopy the files with EasyBCD?

Thanks again
 
That's right /what I done
Move boot-files from D: to C:, restart, change drive-letter grom D: to S:, move Boot-files from C: to S:, restart.

That's output of bcdedit command:
C:\Windows\system32>bcdedit


Windows-Start-Manager
---------------------
Bezeichner {bootmgr}
device boot
description Windows Boot Manager
locale de-DE
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
displayorder {current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30
resume No

Windows-Startladeprogramm
-------------------------
Bezeichner {current}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Microsoft Windows Vista
locale de-DE
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {59be93ad-f713-11e2-9d5a-89d355f9fbad}
nx OptIn

C:\Windows\system32>
Here is not S: mentioned!

C: is now: "start"
S: is now: "system", "active"

Should/can I delete the Boot-file from C: now?
Which? boot-folder and bootmgr-file? Can't delete Boot-folder! How to?

EDIT: used "Unlocker 1.9.2", let tray reboot last time.

Thanks a lot for your help, the new feature of EasyBCD to copy boot and start files is simple and simply great

Thanks again.

EDIT 2: rebooted and all is perfect, now the system is like I want, bcdedit command give the same results as above.
I think "device boot" is the Boot-folder on S:
Now can I install W7. thanks again

P.s.: Thread solved
 
Last edited:
You didn't need to copy the boot files from C to S. They were all still there untouched.
Only the entry for that drive in the registry on C had altered from D to S. Nothing on the partition itself had altered in any way.
EasyBCD copies (not moves) the boot files.
Still, glad you've got everything the way you want it now.
 
Now is all right/perfect for me.
In the EasyBCD is also mentioned S: as containing bootmanager although "bcdedit" confirm it

Windows-Start-Manager
---------------------
Bezeichner {bootmgr}
device partition=S:
description Windows Boot Manager
locale de-DE
inherit {globalsettings}
default {default}
resumeobject {81cdc031-f966-11e2-b1b0-973b616dcfbb}
displayorder {current}
{default}
{81cdc039-f966-11e2-b1b0-973b616dcfbb}
{81cdc03a-f966-11e2-b1b0-973b616dcfbb}
{81cdc03b-f966-11e2-b1b0-973b616dcfbb}
{81cdc03c-f966-11e2-b1b0-973b616dcfbb}
{81cdc03e-f966-11e2-b1b0-973b616dcfbb}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 4294967295
resume No
displaybootmenu Yes

Concluding,: S: contain the bootmanager, C: is Vista U 64 Bit and D: is Win 7 U 64 Bit.
Note 1: Wen I start Vista the OS consider own Partition C:, wen W7 is booted consider own partition as C: and Vista as D:
Note 2: Under Vista Explorer appear the Drive S: and the contained files can be seen/manipulated, under W7 not.
I think, developers want that and it's work as wanted.

Now have I other problems but I think is better to open an new thread. This is successful closed.

Thanks again and best regards.
 
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