Windows 7 Put System Partition on Wrong HDD

WhiteZero

WhiteZero

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Is this supposed to be right? My Windows 7 install put the bootmgr on a different HDD than the OS? So if I have the actual OS drive (Disk 2, C drive) set to boot first in BIOS, it tells me BOOTMGR is missing, and I need to set Disk 1 to boot first. What the heck?
Should I even worry about this? How would I fix it so I'm actually boot off Disk 2?
 
Was Disk 1 set to boot first when you installed Windows? I believe (I don't actually know anything, I'm just guessing) that Windows puts the boot partition on the drive set to boot first in BIOS so that the system will actually find it and boot to Windows.
 
Arainach said:
Was Disk 1 set to boot first when you installed Windows? I believe (I don't actually know anything, I'm just guessing) that Windows puts the boot partition on the drive set to boot first in BIOS so that the system will actually find it and boot to Windows.
Click to expand...

Nope, had Disk 2 set to first boot.
 
I had this happen when I installed XP, and then Vista. It set up the sysboot / BCD info on the XP partition. When I went to remove XP it was a PITA.

EasyBCD and the like wouldn't do it.

I ended up having to delete the XP partition and try to rebuild. Spent a couple of hours making it work. Had to rebuild the BCD partially, and then let the Vista disk finish fixing it.

I'd recommend pulling all drives except the win7 drive, nuke it, install win7 from scratch. Replug in the other drives after install. To ensure it doesn't do this. You can do some stuff with EasyBCD and the like to fix this but honestly I think it's easier to redo, considering how easy it is to install win7.
 
This happens to me. Were you perhaps running the install from XP/vista and set it to install to another drive? (Like you put/mounted the install disk in XP, and let it run the install as a windows program, and designated it to a different drive?)
 
WhiteZero said:
Nope, had Disk 2 set to first boot.
Click to expand...

Methinks you maybe must have misubderstood what was going on at this point, and actually had the machine configured so that a different drive was 'seen' as the primary boot drive. A Windows installation process will ALWAYS place the boot loader files on the drive which is configured in hardware to be primary boot drive, irrespective of which drive or partition you place the actual installation on.



If you're not happy with the results (which won't really create any practical problems in operation - the worst problem you ever encounter would be a need to run a 'startup repair' should you nuke or remove the actual boot drive at some stage) then start over, and ensure that the drive you want Windows on is the ONLY drive connected up when you install.

If you only have a single drive connected up for the Windows install you basically can't make mistakes. Even if you have the drive attached but not configured in hardware as the primary boot drive the Windows installation won't allow you to proceed. Instead, it'll return an error indicating that no suitable drives were detected for the installation.



I know that you're adamant you had it configured the way you've reported, but I'm afraid that the report you've given just isn't a feasible/possible one. Windows install just doesn't go randomly bunging the boot files where they don't belong!
 
yeah, I think it'll be fine how it is. At least for now. Just kinda strange.
 
I ran into a similar problem. To prevent this, before installing Win7 disable in bios (or remove power/data cable) all your HD's except the drive you wish Win7 to install. Install OS and then re-enable your other drives.
 
This happens if you dont change the boot drive in the CMOS.

I always install a new OS with only one hard drive plugged in.
Saves this type of hassle and other pretty bad ones.
 
WhiteZero said:
How would I fix it so I'm actually boot off Disk 2?
Click to expand...
Disconnect all drives except Windows 7.
Put the W7 DVD in and boot to it.
When you get to the Install window, click on "Repair your computer" at the bottom of the screen. Select the OS, click "Next". On the next window, click on "Startup Repair". Let it do its thing.
Since your Wndows 7 partition is currently not active, you may need to do this twice (after it reboots the first time, it may still not work; do it again).
 
Good example of why you ONLY have the HDD you are installing to hooked up when you install an OS.
 
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