Move System partition after OS install on new disk

[RRinTetons]

My C drive was behaving badly awhile ago, so I installed a new hard disk as drive D and installed XP Pro on it. Both disks are bootable, but I've not been using the C system files for over a year; the D drive has been working fine and contains everything I use now, including Program Files. Now I want to reformat C and try to get it working cleanly again. D is the boot volume, but C is still listed as having the System partition.

I now understand that the System partition contains critical files and that it's not as simple as just selecting C in Disk Management and proceeding. As a matter of fact, I'm finding information that suggests that this could be a really shaky thing to be trying to do.

Is there a way to make D the only drive required? I've found info that Windows kind of likes having a C drive and might not even run well if it's gone. Do I have to turn C into some other drive letter, then D into C? What then? The new partition will still have the critical System files on it. but now they're not on C! Maybe that's worse?!?!

Is there a way out of this short of backing everything up, reformatting both disks and rebuilding from scratch?

-
Richard Ray
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

 

[linney]

Windows is happy living and working on drive D:, it does have to be installed on C: Drive. Your problem, as I see it, is that the Hidden boot files (for the D: Drive installation) are stored on C: Drive. Scrubbing C: without first installing the booting files on to D: will have obvious consequences.

The files concerned are Boot.ini, NTldr, and NTdetect.com. These can just be copied to the D: Drive (root). If you remove C: (by deleting the partition and do not create a new partition), then the path of your boot.ini would have to reflect this change. Also, the old entry for the C; Drive install may need to be removed from the boot.ini file.

HOW TO: Edit the Boot.ini File in Windows XP (Q289022)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q289/0/22.asp

A Discussion About the Bootcfg Command and Its Uses (Q291980)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q291/9/80.asp

Error Message: Windows Could Not Start Because of a Computer Disk Hardware Configuration Problem

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314477#kb1

HOW TO: Create a Boot Disk for an NTFS or FAT Partition in Windows XP(Q305595)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q305/5/95.asp

How to Use System Files to Create a Boot Disk to Guard Against Being Unable to Start Windows XP (Q314079)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q314/0/79.asp

To see the files mentioned, you will have to show BOTH Hidden and System files via Folder Options/ View.

 

[RRinTetons]

I'm guessing that

"Windows is happy living and working on drive D:, it does have to be installed on C: Drive."

should have read

"Windows is happy living and working on drive D:, it does not have to be installed on C: Drive."

If so, then your reply gives me exactly what I need to know. thanks!

-
Richard Ray
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

 

[linney]

A typo, sorry, pretty critical too, but you've worked it out correctly.

 

[pdupreez]

This is interesting, but there are times when having your XP on the "wrong drive", i.e. not Drive C could cause problems. Some software does not use the correct method to address the system disk path, and have it hardcoded. It will therefore look for c:\program files\etc when the actual install path is perhaps d:\Program .....

How can you in cases like that move the boot files (as above in your post) and then change the drive letter to C: without causing mayhem?

 

[linney]

Not easily is the first thought for an answer. Clean installs is an alternative solution but not a really satisfactory one.

"Warning Do not use the procedure that is described in this article to change a drive on a computer where the drive letter has not changed."

How to ***RESTORE*** the system/boot drive letter in Windows

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223188

Change "system volume" drive letter
thread779-763819

Changing the "system" partition

http://www.dcr.net/~w-clayton/Changing the system partition.htm

How can I change the System partition drive letter in Windows XP?

http://www.petri.co.il/change_system_drive_letter_in_windows_xp.htm

How to Move Shell Folders (and contents)

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_shell_folders.htm

moving the "program files" folder+xp

http://www.google.com/search?q=movi...-au&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1