I still use Karen's Replicator as well. Been using it since back in the Windows Magazine days and it still works as good as it did in win 98. It's almost as easy to use as Lucky Backup in linux.
Friends: After all this learning, I've decided to leave OS, apps, and files on Disk 1:
To avoid backing up everything on the disk each time, now I use FreeFileSync to mirror my content folders and then use Todo Backup for the whole disk excluding typical conent file types (.docx, .mp3, .mp4, etc). This is working well, although it hasn't yet been through the acid test of restoring Disk 1.
I have Partition Master on this computer (homemade) and am going to clean up the structure of Disk 1. Obviously, will increase the size of the EFI System Partiion. Is there a reason to keep any of that unallocated disk space after C:?
Realtek High Definition Audio; Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth® Audio; Intel® Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Digital Microphones
Monitor(s) Displays
as outfitted
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1200 (as recommended)
Hard Drives
one SSD 1TB
Case
N/A
Cooling
as outfitted
Internet Speed
800MB/sec up & down
Browser
Chrome
Antivirus
Malwarebytes
Other Info
Device name REC-840
Processor 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1360P 2.20 GHz
Installed RAM 32.0 GB (31.6 GB usable)
Product ID 00355-61334-62672-AAOEM
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch Touch support with 10 touch points
Tony, curious as to why the last two partitions aren’t labeled, meaning have no descriptions (I don’t mean drive letters)
I don’t know that it matters, but curious.
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
Memory
32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
Sound Card
Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
4 x LG 23MP75 - 2 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
Screen Resolution
All over the place
Hard Drives
Too many to list.
OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
PSU
Silverstone 1500
Case
NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
Cooling
Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
Realtek High Definition Audio; Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth® Audio; Intel® Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Digital Microphones
Monitor(s) Displays
as outfitted
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1200 (as recommended)
Hard Drives
one SSD 1TB
Case
N/A
Cooling
as outfitted
Internet Speed
800MB/sec up & down
Browser
Chrome
Antivirus
Malwarebytes
Other Info
Device name REC-840
Processor 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1360P 2.20 GHz
Installed RAM 32.0 GB (31.6 GB usable)
Product ID 00355-61334-62672-AAOEM
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch Touch support with 10 touch points
By default, when installing Windows, those descriptions on the recovery partitions are identified. It isn’t something that is done normally as a manual process
Again, I don’t know if it matters I’ve just never seen it.
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
Memory
32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
Sound Card
Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
4 x LG 23MP75 - 2 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
Screen Resolution
All over the place
Hard Drives
Too many to list.
OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
PSU
Silverstone 1500
Case
NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
Cooling
Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
internal 1TB M2 type SSD partitioned.
250GB C: Drive, Windows, user files, desktop.
750GB D: Home, all personal folders, documents, downloads, music, etc.
with this setup i can reinstall Windows and all personal files are separate and remain as is.
external USB caddy 1. 500GB HDD used for C: drive by Windows 7 backup and restore on a monthly schedule.
external USB caddy 2. 1TB HDD used for D: drive. all personal folder backup done manually every month.
This was a high-end gaming computer (a few years ago) that I had built for me (.nfo file avaiable on GDrive). While I've been into operating systems, software, and hardware for years, I don't think I ever even looked at a disk structure until I joined this Forum a few months back.
Realtek High Definition Audio; Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth® Audio; Intel® Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Digital Microphones
Monitor(s) Displays
as outfitted
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1200 (as recommended)
Hard Drives
one SSD 1TB
Case
N/A
Cooling
as outfitted
Internet Speed
800MB/sec up & down
Browser
Chrome
Antivirus
Malwarebytes
Other Info
Device name REC-840
Processor 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1360P 2.20 GHz
Installed RAM 32.0 GB (31.6 GB usable)
Product ID 00355-61334-62672-AAOEM
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch Touch support with 10 touch points
When Tony first time install OS on the disk, it created 1st Recovery partition, most right one on the disk.
When Tony run in-place install (from 23H2 to 24H2), this created 2nd Recovery partition, the one closer to OS partition.
If Tony runs in-place install again, it will create 3rd Recovery partition.
and so-on,
, , , , , ,
You can delete them and keep only one. even delete all of them, OS will still run. but no Recovery partition, in case if needed.
By default, when installing Windows, those descriptions on the recovery partitions are identified. It isn’t something that is done normally as a manual process
Again, I don’t know if it matters I’ve just never seen it.
When Tony first time install OS on the disk, it created 1st Recovery partition, most right one on the disk.
When Tony run in-place install (from 23H2 to 24H2), this created 2nd Recovery partition, the one closer to OS partition.
If Tony runs in-place install again, it will create 3rd Recovery partition.
and so-on,
You can delete them and keep only one. even delete all of them,. OS will still run. but no Recovery partition, in case if needed.
Was not what I asked though, actually not even remotely.
I know how it works.
What I have never seen is the labels under the recovery partition sizes not being present.
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
Memory
32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
Sound Card
Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
4 x LG 23MP75 - 2 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
Screen Resolution
All over the place
Hard Drives
Too many to list.
OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
PSU
Silverstone 1500
Case
NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
Cooling
Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
This was a high-end gaming computer (a few years ago) that I had built for me (.nfo file avaiable on GDrive). While I've been into operating systems, software, and hardware for years, I don't think I ever even looked at a disk structure until I joined this Forum a few months back.
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
Memory
32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
Sound Card
Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
4 x LG 23MP75 - 2 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
Screen Resolution
All over the place
Hard Drives
Too many to list.
OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
PSU
Silverstone 1500
Case
NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
Cooling
Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
Memory
32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
Sound Card
Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
4 x LG 23MP75 - 2 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
Screen Resolution
All over the place
Hard Drives
Too many to list.
OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
PSU
Silverstone 1500
Case
NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
Cooling
Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
Realtek High Definition Audio; Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth® Audio; Intel® Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Digital Microphones
Monitor(s) Displays
as outfitted
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1200 (as recommended)
Hard Drives
one SSD 1TB
Case
N/A
Cooling
as outfitted
Internet Speed
800MB/sec up & down
Browser
Chrome
Antivirus
Malwarebytes
Other Info
Device name REC-840
Processor 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1360P 2.20 GHz
Installed RAM 32.0 GB (31.6 GB usable)
Product ID 00355-61334-62672-AAOEM
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch Touch support with 10 touch points
Well some stuff I read says it doesn't matter, some stuff I read said the attributes for a recovery partition are important.
What I do know is that those partitions can be deleted and another one created in their place. I just couldn’t tell you how as I have never done it. I have read about people doing it in this forum
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
Memory
32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
Sound Card
Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
4 x LG 23MP75 - 2 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
Screen Resolution
All over the place
Hard Drives
Too many to list.
OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
PSU
Silverstone 1500
Case
NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
Cooling
Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
Memory
32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
Sound Card
Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
4 x LG 23MP75 - 2 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
Screen Resolution
All over the place
Hard Drives
Too many to list.
OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
PSU
Silverstone 1500
Case
NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
Cooling
Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
I use Inateck external 2.5" enclosures for this purpose. I repurpose old SSDs. The Inateck enclosures support UASP over USB3 so you get full SSD speeds too.
They cost about $15-30 and are really good. I use the tool-less model. Just pop it open, insert drive, close it and connect. DONE. Can't be simpler than that.
@TonyCzar I's 6 in the morning, I'm an insomniac, and have the time since you seem like an above average guy who wants to understand how it all works.. I'll throw some reading at you as to the why of it, my real world experience of it and cautions. In this thread see @hsehestedt who explains well the why more than one recovery partition is created. post #5.
On both my SSDs I have windows 11 installed and as marked on the picture below I have 2 WINRE_DRV (recovery drives). Is it normal to have two of them and why would one be placed at the end of the last partition? My guess is that probably one of them should not be in use!? Can it be deleted?
www.elevenforum.com
As @antspants said, it is not normal for those partitions to be without a label. IMO there's a possibility that neither is a working recovery partition but you can check with the command below to find the one marked ENABLED.
Also, never assume that the active recovery partition is the one closest to the OS without checking first.
You can find the recovery partition currently being used by the system by running this command in elevated PowerShell. reagentc /info
But to actually know partition numbers you have to look at diskpart (or use a 3rd party tool). Just looking at Disk management is deceiving. Once one identifies which partition # is the active recovery partition using the reagentc command, Any unused recovery partition should be removed using diskpart (or a 3rd party tool), NOT disk management..
Here is disk management for a virgin install of Windows 11 I did last week. It looks exactly as one would expect, at the end of my drive which if you eyeball it appears to be partition 3. It's not. There's a 16 MB Reserved partition that is hidden even from disk management. That recovery partition is actually partition #4 However, if I use a 3rd party partition manager (Easeus Partition Master or Minitool) I DO see that 16 MB partition and the partition numbers agree with diskpart.
When I run the powershell command, it says my active recovery partition is disk 1 partition 4 and enabled.
When I run diskpart and list partitions on drive 1, I see that hidden partition. The points I'm trying to make here is never assume, and 3rd party tools are better for managing partitions than disk management if one wants an intuitive interface (or use diskpart for something not quite as intuitive to a normal user.). For some things, disk management doesn't cut the mustard.
Yeah, I have two Window 7 laptops with Samsung SSDs in them that I am recycling. One has a SATA connector, while the other one uses a M.2 NVMe stick.
Don't know the SSD model numbers offhand but I am thinking about erasing them and using them for something else. I'm thinking about external enclosures for them and am looking for suggestions.
