system reserve


I just wanted to make a couple of corrections because I noticed some incorrect terminology used a few times that could lead to confusion:

There is more than one partition some are referring to as a "reserved" partition so it's important to differentiate between them.

The System Reserved partition is typically about 500 MB in size with Win 10+. The size can vary a bit, that's a typical value. Note that only an MBR disk has a System Reserved partition. On a GPT disk, this partition is known as the Recovery Partition which holds the Recovery Environment (Windows RE).

The MSR or MicroSoft Reserved partition is the 16 MB partition on a GPT OS drive and is unformatted. On non-OS GPT disks, the MSR is 128 MB for disks larger than 16 GB, 32 MB for disks smaller than 16 GB. You can typically delete this partition, it's considered "Reserved for Future Use", so if you prefer upgrades installs rather than clean installs, there is a possibility that you may one day find Microsoft using this partition, but who knows what they will do :-)

The EFI partition on a GPT disk is 100 MB except in the case of an Advanced Format 4K drive because the minimum FAT32 partition size on this type of disk is 260 MB. For use with scripts or unattended installs I always specify a size of 260 MB to guarantee that it will work on any disk.

With all that said, the real question in my mind is this: On a system with so much available free space in the primary partition, why would a 16 MB partition (one sixty-fourth of a GB) even concern you? I would be far more inclined to leave it alone unless I was somehow desperate for space, but that's just my opinion :-)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-built
    CPU
    Intel i7 11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A MB
    Memory
    64GB (Waiting for warranty replacement of another 64GB for 128GB total)
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 4TB NVMe SSD
    3 x 512GB 2.5" SSD
    1 x 4TB 2.5" SSD
    5 x 8TB Seagate Barracuda HDD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case
    Cooling
    Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Home Computer Specifications, Configuration, and Usage Notes General Specifications ASUS Prime Z590-A motherboard, serial number M1M0KC222467ARP Intel Core i7-11700K CPU (11th Gen Rocket Lake / LGA 1200 Socket) 128GB Crucial Ballistix RGB DDR4 3200 MHz DRAM (4 x 32GB) Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black CPU cooler Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Corsair LL-120 RGB Fans (Qty. 3)
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    The five 8TB drives and three 512GB SSDs are part of a DrivePool using StableBit DrivePool software. The three SSDs are devoted purely to caching for the 8TB drives. All of the important data is stored in triplicate so that I can withstand simultaneous failure of 2 disks.

    Networking: 2.5Gbps Ethernet and WiFi 6e
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
I haven't had any check disk/repair since the removal...Before it would randomly do so to all drives in the computer
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Antec/Case
    CPU
    Intel i5-10600kf
    Motherboard
    GIGABYTE Z590 UD AC
    Memory
    32gb corsair vengerance pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD RX 6500XT
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    40" Hisense
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850
    Samsung 870
    Seagate 2TB
    PSU
    EVGA GQ 750

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