Windows Installation Drive - partition questions

Method · Jan 21, 2025

Apologies for asking this in a separate thread, but I am in the middle of a clean install of Win 11 Pro on my new machine (not the machine Im writing this from) and I could do with a quick, clear answer.

I have 2 x M.2 drives in my new machine 1 x 4Tb and 1 x 1Tb. At the time of purchase I envisioned something like this:
4Tb drive partitioned into a 1Tb Windows partition and a 3 Tb Data partition.
1Tb drive was going to be used for disk imaging for backup, critical data backup and maybe as a scrub disk for video editing.

Following the Clean Install Windows 11 guide, it clearly says to ensure that my 1Tb drive is removed (it is) and the Windows should be installed into a partitionless drive...so all 4Tb.

So how do I get my data partition?

Apologies if Ive missed something here, or if I am being dumb. Its been 10 years since my last PC build.

Thanks
Matt

SIW2 · Jan 21, 2025

Windows should be installed into a partitionless drive

One simple way if you want to use windows setup:

First create the partitions you want. 4x1tb ish or in your case a 1tb followed by a 3tb, or whatever you want. Then delete the first one and point setup at the unallocated space.

zbook · Jan 21, 2025

Once Windows is clean installed on the unallocated 4TB drive it will have four default partitions.

diagram of default partition layout: system, msr, windows, and recovery

The Windows partition can be enlarged.

New partitions can be created.

UEFI/GPT-based hard drive partitions

learn.microsoft.com

XxXxX · Jan 21, 2025

How to install Windows 11 on custom partition - Pureinfotech

To create a custom partition to install Windows 11, during setup, select unallocated space, click New and new create partition and continue.

pureinfotech.com

i use the partition manager on a Live Linux USB drive to set the drive up before installing Windows.
very similar to how you are setting your drive up.
25% for C: Drive, Windows .. 75% for D: Drive, Data
format them NTFS, save the partition settings then reboot in to the Windows install USB.

install windows to C: Drive. boot in to Windows then ..
once Windows is installed create folders on D: Drive then use move to transfer the folders to the data drive.
its a fairly simple process. best of luck, Steve ..

SIW2 · Jan 21, 2025

@zbook

I dont think the op wants the recovery partition being a nuisance at the end of the disk.

If he follows my suggestion he will be fine. In most situations, could use any decent 3rd party partitioner or diskpart from the installation media.

I have 2 x M.2 drives in my new machine 1 x 4Tb and 1 x 1Tb. At the time of purchase I envisioned something like this:
4Tb drive partitioned into a 1Tb Windows partition and a 3 Tb Data partition.

Because it appears both disks are already in the same machine, if the 1tb already has windows installed it is simplest to use diskmgmt from there to partition the 4tb disk into 1tb and 3tb.

Otherwise diskpart from the booted media.

zbook · Jan 21, 2025

Microsoft recommends that the recovery partition remains located to the immediate right of the Windows partition for automatic failover.

The 3TB can be placed on the right side of the recovery partition.

Then the 3TB can be used to create up to 124 (128 - 4) new partitions.

SIW2 · Jan 21, 2025

@zbook

If the op installed to an unpartitioned 4tb disk where do you think setup would put the recovery partition?

Hazel123 · Jan 21, 2025

I'm not a partitioning expert but - could you not just install Windows on the 1tb drive and set the 4tb as the data drive? Apologies if I'm talking rubbish.

SIW2 · Jan 21, 2025

He could, but he wants to do something else.

hsehestedt · Jan 21, 2025

Here is a way to ensure it gets partitioned the way you want:

Copy the text in the code block below into notepad and save as partition.bat. Drop that file into the root of your installation media.

Start the Windows installation by booting from your installation media.

At the very first static screen (the first screen prompting you for info), press SHIFT + F10 to open a command prompt. You need to change drive letters to the installation disk. You may have to try several drive letters until you find the right drive. For example:

C:
dir

Check to see if that drive has the batch file that you saved. If not repeat the above commands with D:, E:, etc. until you get the right drive.

Once you are on the right drive run partition.bat

Type exit to close the command prompt.

Continue installation as always. On the screen that shows the partitions make sure that the partitions look correct and then select the 1TB partition labeled "Windows" as the location to which Windows should be installed.

Batch:

REM Last Updated on Jan 21, 2025

REM Remove all partitions from disk 0 by performing a CLEAN, then initialize
REM the drive as GPT.

select disk 0
clean
convert gpt

REM Create an EFI partition. Note, the EFI partition only needs to be 100 MB
REM in size, but I always use 260 MB because on an advanced 4k format drive
REM the minimum size for a FAT32 partition is 260 MB. By using 260 MB we
REM guarantee this to work on all drives.

create partition efi size=260
format fs=fat32 quick label="System"

REM Create an MSR partition. Note that MSR partitions are not formatted.

create partition msr size=128

REM Create a partition for Windows making it 1TB in size.

create partition primary size=1048576
format fs=ntfs quick label="Windows"

REM Create a Data Partition using remaining space on the drive. 
REM After creating it, shrink it by 1 GB. This will give us 1 GB of free
REM space to create a Recovery Tools partition.

format fs=ntfs quick label="Data Partition"
shrink desired=1024

REM Create the Recovery Tools partition. We don't specify a size because we
REM will allow it to occupy all remaining space on the drive (1 GB obtained
REM from shrinking the Data partition).

create partition primary
set id="de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac"
gpt attributes=0x8000000000000001
format fs=ntfs quick label="Recovery Tools"

Technical Note

When creating partitions, sizes are specified in MB. So, 1 GB is 1,024 MB and 1 TB is 1,048,576 MB. This is why you see the numbers above. Yes, you could use 1,000,000 to specify 1 TB but that will show up in Windows as nine hundred some odd GB.

zbook · Jan 21, 2025

SIW2 said:
@zbook

If the op installed to an unpartitioned 4tb disk where do you think setup would put the recovery partition?

See the default layout in post #3.

Scott · Jan 21, 2025

Hazel123 said:
I'm not a partitioning expert but - could you not just install Windows on the 1tb drive and set the 4tb as the data drive? Apologies if I'm talking rubbish.

Not talking rubbish at all. In fact that's what I did. My issue with putting data partitions on the boot drive is if
for some reason the boot drive goes bad you could lose your data.

antspants · Jan 22, 2025

Hazel123 said:
I'm not a partitioning expert but - could you not just install Windows on the 1tb drive and set the 4tb as the data drive? Apologies if I'm talking rubbish.

That’s what I would do, Hazel, I don’t ever partition a drive that Windows is installed on, not past the partitions Windows creates.

I would then divide the 4TB and use (if this is what the member wants to do) 1 x 1TB partition for their scratch (Scrub) drive and allocate backups to the other partition/s; a 3TB or a 2TB and another 1TB on the 4TB drive.

1TB Windows

4TB
1 x 1TB Scratch
1 x 2TB System Image Backups
1 x 1TB User Folders or User Folder backups.

But to each their own.

Megahertz · Jan 22, 2025

SIW2 said:
One simple way if you want to use windows setup:

First create the partitions you want. 4x1tb ish or in your case a 1tb followed by a 3tb, or whatever you want. Then delete the first one and point setup at the unallocated space.

Method

SIW2 gave you the solution to what you ask, although I would use the 1T for Windows + Programs (100G) and 900G for backup and the 4T for data only.

Hazel123 · Jan 22, 2025

I was thinking back to when I used to have to install on an Eee PC 900 with two drives - one was only 4gb. Normally you'd install Windows on the 4gb and the rest partitioned (or not partitioned) on the "larger" 8gb drive. But when Windows XP got too big for the 4gb drive there was a way to install everything on the 8gb and ignore/disable the 4gb. Sorry I'm digressing from the OP's point - but I just remember keeping data separate from Windows

Method · Jan 22, 2025

SIW2 said:
One simple way if you want to use windows setup:

First create the partitions you want. 4x1tb ish or in your case a 1tb followed by a 3tb, or whatever you want. Then delete the first one and point setup at the unallocated space.

Thanks - that makes complete sense (I wouldnt have thought of it - but its logical)

Method · Jan 22, 2025

Megahertz said:
Method
SIW2 gave you the solution to what you ask, although I would use the 1T for Windows + Programs (100G) and 900G for backup and the 4T for data only.

You might weigh in on this with other opinions, but the reason I was using the 4Tb drive for both windows and data was performance.

The 4Tb is a Samsung 990 Pro which is both faster and more reliable (in terms of its NAND type) that the cheapo 1Tb I also picked up. Dont get me wrong, compared to my 10 year old SATA drives in my old machine, either of these drives is blazing fast. Both the 4Tb and the 1Tb drive are m.2 and Gen 4 (but in a X870 motherboard which means the 4Tb is currently sitting in a Gen 5 socket but that doesnt matter)

If you dont think I will notice a jot of performance difference when booting and using windows with it installed on the 1Tb cheapo drive vs the much more expensive (and higher spec) Samsung 990 Pro drive then I can put the OS there.

hsehestedt · Jan 22, 2025

Method said:
If you dont think I will notice a jot of performance difference when booting and using windows with it installed on the 1Tb cheapo drive vs the much more expensive (and higher spec) Samsung 990 Pro drive then I can put the OS there.

You might want to watch this. I found it very interesting:

Hazel123 · Jan 22, 2025

All I know is, with son's gaming pc they recommend having Windows on the slower/smaller drive as it makes no difference to performance, His games are all on the bigger, faster drive, as the speed of launch for those does make a difference apparently.

Fishmill · Jan 23, 2025

Method said:
If you dont think I will notice a jot of performance difference when booting and using windows with it installed on the 1Tb cheapo drive vs the much more expensive (and higher spec) Samsung 990 Pro drive then I can put the OS there.

Unless you have a very unusual use case, I don't think you notice any appreciable performance difference on 2 different gen 4 drives.

But you may be highly concerned with benchmarks you've seen. Or the stated TBW in the spec sheets. Or with random Internet anecdotes. Or brand loyalty.

You state: "1Tb drive was going to be used for disk imaging for backup, critical data backup and maybe as a scrub disk for video editing."

"disk imaging for backup" of what exactly?

An image of 2 TB of whatever probably won't fit on a 1 TB drive.

If the partition to be imaged has no more than maybe 1.5 TB occupied, that might fit on a 1 TB backup drive...snugly. I say might.

If "data" is not on C, maybe you can keep an image of C relatively small and backup "data" separately through something other than imaging, typically with an application like Sync Back Free or Free File Sync that simply replicates file by file as you specify.....these files, these folders, not these files, not these folders, using check boxes.

Data file backup by imaging is doable, but unnecessarily complex.

Ideally, you'd like the larger drive for data and backup. Or even 3 drives: C for OS/apps; D for data; E for backups of both C and D...with E being the largest.

But I don't know locked in you are to a budget or your original plan.

Windows Installation Drive - partition questions

Member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

Wish to be flying

Method​

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Member

My Computer

Member

Method​

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Member

My Computer

Similar threads

Method

Method