Windows and Partitioning

O

OmegaMB

New Member
If I were to partition part of my hard drive, and copy all the files in my Windows folder, would I be able to boot my Windows from it?
 
If you are trying to set up a dual boot system you have to shrink the present single primary and create a second NTFS type to install Windows onto. Once installed the second copy on that partition would then become the default at startup until the boot.ini file is edited or the boot order is changed in the msconfig. Two copies of the same version isn't generally advised however. Here three different versions of Windows are actually seen on three different hard drives.
 
you would need some special tool to copy it. you can't do it just by drag and drop from explorer, if that was your intention.

the master boot record will point to whatever partition is set to active.
 
It's far more then just the mbr involved there. Windows has to be installed just like any other software to see a new registry created along with making drivers active along with creating the boot information. This is one reason why people see problems when cloning a drive. The need for a totally new mbr and boot information is still needed.
 
When windows has been copied to the new partition, the registry can be modified, so it will have c: (or what ever letter the original partition has) point to the new partition.

You do that here: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices

mbr doesn't need to be changed. mbr automatically boots from the partition marked as active
 
You seem to forget that Windows detects hardwares as it is installed and then creates a new hardware profile from where it is installed to. It's a little more involved then one reg value to see a working copy. The installer will then modify or write a new boot.ini file as well as seeing a new loader(ntldr file) created on the second primary. It will then detect the first installation during that process to add it into the new mbr and boot options.
 
Have you any experience in doing this? What is it you think mbr does and doesn't do?

Edit:

About boot.ini. This is just a little text file. It is very easy to add or modify it, so it will point to another disk or partition.

ntldr and ntdetect.com can just be copied from the original installation. Hardware profiles belongs to the registry. All of this is just cloned from the existing installation
 
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tyttebøvs said:
Have you any experience in doing this? What is it you think mbr does and doesn't do?

Edit:

About boot.ini. This is just a little text file. It is very easy to add or modify it, so it will point to another disk or partition.

ntldr and ntdetect.com can just be copied from the original installation. Hardware profiles belongs to the registry. All of this is just cloned from the existing installation
Click to expand...

Naaa.... I only multiboot 3 or 4 OSs like 2 versions of XP along with Vista on multiple hard drives with an occasion Linux distro thrown into the mix.
 
well, you don't get much technical knowledge of mbr, boot files, registry and other lowlevel stuff, just by letting the windows installer make a dual installation for you
 
You will find that most people that dual or simply multiboot a system choose different versions of Windows like Pro and Home or XP and Vista as well as Windows versions and Linux. Manual configurations for dual booting are seen more with Linux. With Windows the need for proper hardware detection and seeing the clean install of drivers to make them active is what works.

Besides the Windows directory alone the installer also creates a new DocumentsandSettings folder along with a new Program Files as well as the new installation record. That includes new user account information. As far as the system registry you don't push new users in there since one mistake can end with a need to see Windows reinstalled all over.
 
But in this case, you're making a clone of the original installation (Windows, drivers, user accounts etc). It is not ment to be run on another computer with different hardware, so hardware profiles, drivers etc are all okay.

Edit: OP only mentioned the Windows folder. For it to work without a hassle, the Program files and Documents and Settings folders should also be copied (because you change the drive letter assignment). I don't know if this is want he wanted
 
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Using a cloning software for duplication on a second identical partition still sees a need for a new mbr there. That's a mirrored image not just simply copying folders and expecting Windows to run.
 
The master boot record (512 bytes) basically contains 3 things:

1) partition table
2) disk id
3) program code

the program code is "universal". All the different Windows (and DOS) versions uses a similar mbr. The program code has one function: to check which primary partition is marked as active, and load it into ram.

the program code in the active partition then takes over, and load the resprictive OS loader (in this case ntldr).

This mbr layout is created automatically when Windows initializes a disk and takes in into use. So you don't need to mess with any of this stuff
 
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