Avoid Hidden Partition Created While Installing Windows 7 OS
When you install Windows 7 OS, an active hidden primary system partition will be automatically created. This is separate standalone NTFS partition and you will not see any drive letter or path labeled on it. This partition will have 200 MB of disk space however, and it only occupies 32 MB and remaining 168 MB space remains free.
Basically, this small partition of 200MB space contains Windows Recovery Environment. It holds all the bootable files and some essential system files with which you can boot Windows 7 properly. By using these files, you can also recover your operating system when your OS gets corrupted.
When this 200 separate MB of small partition is created during Windows 7 installation, you can not delete or remove it. Also it is not possible to delete using “delete the volume” option in the Storage Disk Management inside the Computer Management tab.
When you use third party utilities such as partition editor or partition manager, a Partition Table will be corrupted or it will not remain valid. Normally, in all systems the Partition Table is located in the Main Boot Directory (MBR).
The error occurs in the Partition Table since the standard sector zoning format is not used by 200MB partition. A partition tool which does not supports a non-standard type partition when gets removed then consequently the Partition Table is corrupted.
If you don’t want this 200 MB partition in any way, you have to stop the installation process of Windows 7 and create the partition when you install Windows 7. If you are installing OS with single partition scheme on hard disk then the feature of creating 200 MB partition for WinRE files will be installed on your computer.
Following are some rules that you follow to avoid or skip the auto production of 200M partition during installation in Windows 7.
- It is highly recommended that you should not install Windows 7 on such a hard disk which is still not partitioned. Also do not install the setup to any unallocated space.
- When you select to install Windows 7 to an unallocated space, you will not be prompted with pop-up warning or confirmation and the setup will automatically and directly generate a special partition of 200 MB.
- If it is possible, all the necessary partition must be created manually. Then you should format these partitions just before installation of a fresh copy of Windows 7 OS.
- If you still want to install Windows 7 OS into a blank hard disk or a new hard disk which do not have any defined partition or to start afresh, or if you have deleted all the existing partitions, go to “Drive options (advanced)”.
- If there are any unwanted partitions then just delete them.
- After that, just click on “New” option for creating a single partition or multiple partitions and that depends upon your own choice.
- Now you will be prompted with a dialog box which says “To ensure that all Windows features work correctly, Windows might create additional partitions for system files”.
- Just, click on the Cancel option. Also again Format the partition while going to select for installation of Windows 7.
When you do not allow to Windows 7 to create the special partition of 200MB, all the files of WinRE recovery environment is stored inside the folder in Win7 installation drive root. For instance, when you install Windows7 OS to a partition along with a label “C:” then WinRE will be located in the system at C: Recovery.