How can I change the Boot drive

[gradutunes]

I have installed a new, larger Hard Drive. However, even though the new drive is identified as having the active system partion, the old drive still has the boot partition. The older, bootable drive is the C: drive. I would like to rename the new drive as the C: drive, and make the new drive the boot drive.

I have tried renaming the boot drive unsuccessfully, and have tried changing the boot sequence - to no avail.

I made the new drive a system image of the older drive, and disconnected the old drive and got a boot error.

The bottom line is I can't rename the new drive as the C: drive, and I can't get the computer to boot from the new drive.

Any suggestions?

[mdklassen]

Booting Windows 7 is complicated.

Run the DISKPART utility, to get output like:

DISKPART> list volume

  Volume ###  Ltr  Label        Fs     Type        Size     Status     Info
  ----------  ---  -----------  -----  ----------  -------  ---------  --------
  Volume 1         System Rese  NTFS   Partition    100 MB  Healthy    System
  Volume 2     C   BOOT2016     NTFS   Partition    111 GB  Healthy    Boot

DISKPART> select volume 1

Volume 1 is the selected volume.

DISKPART> list part

  Partition ###  Type              Size     Offset
  -------------  ----------------  -------  -------
* Partition 1    Primary            100 MB  1024 KB
  Partition 2    Primary            111 GB   101 MB

DISKPART> select volume 2

Volume 2 is the selected volume.

DISKPART> list part

  Partition ###  Type              Size     Offset
  -------------  ----------------  -------  -------
  Partition 1    Primary            100 MB  1024 KB
* Partition 2    Primary            111 GB   101 MB

DISKPART> exit

Yes, the output for Volume #1 is the same as Volume #2, with the exception of that '*'.

Booting starts with that 100 MB partition, on the OLD disk-drive, which contains a "boot-manager".

Since you have installed Windows on both your "old" and your "new" disk-drive,

the boot-manager lets you choose between the two installations,

and then the booting continues from the selected disk-drive.

So, you cannot remove the "old" disk-drive; as you have determined, doing so triggers the boot-failure.

[gradutunes]

Thank you mdklassen.

Unfortunately, in my case, the DISKPART shows the asterisk aligned with Partition 2 on both volumes. Without changing anything, the computer will continue to boot using the original disk/drive/volume, even though the new drive is a clone.

I'm not sure if this is a Windows issue, where drive C: is the default drive, and I can't swap the drive letters on the active boot drive. I understand that this is a complicated process to ensure it doesn't happen inadvertently, but it is not documented anywhere that I can find.

I would like to make drive H: the boot drive, or swap the drive letters for C: and H:, and leave C: as the boot drive.

I am getting warnings that my C: drive is failing, and I need to have a different boot drive before it finally quits.

How is this done when installing a new internal HDD?

Thanks again.

[mdklassen]

>  though the new drive is a clone.

Did you clone ALL the partitions from the old disk-drive to the new disk-drive?

What software did you use to do the cloning?

After the cloning, did you disconnect the data/power cables from the old disk-drive, and enter BIOS SETUP to ensure that the new disk-drive is selected as a "bootable" device?

If you use Windows "Disk Management", do both disk-drives have an identical number & layout of partitions?

EDIT: With only the new disk-drive connected, boot from the Windows DVD, and choose "Repair".

If a boot partition exists on the new disk-drive, the "Repair" should fix things.

[savvy2]

REDUX 1

never never never clone a corrupted HDD, to new HDD

this is all bad to the bone.

end story

see my last post.

next time start the post first.

not do.

ask what to do when my HDD fails?, and SMART tells me bad. and windows tells me my hdd has bad sectors

this is a bad HDD, end of the road.

sure later we can suck data off it . sure.

if lucky  ,sure luck happens sure we have forensic software that can to magic. sure.

but skipped step one, at that was not CLONING

with you clone a mutant sheep to  new sheep the  new sheep is  mutant. same here. same reasons.

if crystaldiskinfo told you the HDD rand dry of spare sectors that DRIVE IS DEAD now,  it will get worse each day forward.

sorry

[savvy2]

worse

no drives stated,

is one a SSD?

if you clone a huge HDD to a small SSD you lose the HP, restore partitions

is this OK>

all the details matter,  we cant watch you do this ,but is simple if you read the pages. at farstone 11.

here it is , in all its glory......

btw , I helped this develper fine tune the design on this APP, the part about the MIRROR failures. we solved.

I was an alpha tester, unpaid....  and love to help those offering   free software...

http://www.farstone.com/resources/manuals/DCW11.pdf

use normal cloning mode

do the check if PC is UEFI PC first.  in the book or it will fail.

see page 7(pdf #)

see that keep drive ID there?  do not do that. if you pick this , the new disk and old have identical GUID ID.

bad. that. if both in same PC.

the clone is now a mirror of the other but not the GUID.

to HDD with same GUID = LOGGERHEAD fight to death. (fun to watch the first time seen)

some want the guid left same so, old disk removed) so they dont get the windows, activation error, pain,

easy to cure you have HP OEM license tag on case of pc..

note the wornings here,  "remove xxxxx"

https://superuser.com/questions/706507/cloning-hdd-to-ssd-but-windows-fails-to-boot

[savvy2]

keep in mind now

all post online on topic will use 2 tacks

1: do it over the correct way.

2: repair the damage done..

both ways are good.

but #1 works best if the source disk is still perfect and still boots ok by its self.??????

the winner will be the guy with the fastest fingers.... in most cases.. LOL

[mdklassen]

>  if you clone a huge HDD to a small SSD you lose the HP, Restore partitions ...

Sigh.  Not always true.

The "better" disk-cloning programs will always copy ALL the partitions from the "source" disk-drive, not just ONE partition. 

Been there -- done that  (with Acronis disk-cloning software), and with the "classic" PowerQuest PartitionMagic.

Also, those "better" programs will "resize" the partitions, to make each partition fit onto the "target" drive, if possible.

Been there -- done that  (with Acronis disk-cloning software), and with the "classic" PowerQuest PartitionMagic.

Obviously, a nearly-full 500 GB disk-drive cannot be cloned onto a 120 GB SSD, and better disk-cloning software will tell you that, immediately.

[gradutunes]

Thanks to both of you for taking the time to help me. Unfortunately, so far nothing is working.

I started with a 2 TB Hitachi HD. It has some bad sectors and I am getting an 'imminent' failure message. I purchased a 2 TB WD HD and cloned the Hitachi with the Acronis disk cloning software. Everything appears to be correct, except that I can't get the computer to boot up with the new WD drive. In DISKPART, the two drives appear to be identical in the number and size of partitions. When I examine the drives, they appear to be identical in folder content. However, DISKPART shows the Hitachi drive is still the system and boot drive. I can change the boot sequence, but it won't boot in the new WD drive. It still defaults to the Hitachi. If I disconnect the Hitachi, I get a boot failure.

I have tried all the troubleshooting tips, but can't get the computer to boot with the WD. Both drives work fine, and have all the required Boot Mgr software, but the OS won't let me relable the WD to be drive C:, and won't let any other drive but the Hitachi boot. The Hitachi is going to fail unexpectedly, and I'm just trying to replace it with a bootable drive. I think I have followed all of the instructions, but I am missing/overlooking something. I have seen some evidence that the two drives might be fighting each other, so I think the cloned image may have given both drives the same GUID (I'm not sure what that would do).

Let's say I just bought a new drive to replace a failed drive. How would I get the new drive to boout up?

Thanks.   

[mdklassen · Accepted solution]

> DISKPART shows the Hitachi drive is still the system and boot drive.

Correct.  The "boot order" in the BIOS SETUP indicates which disk-drive is to be the "boot" drive.

> I can change the boot sequence, but it won't boot in the new WD drive.

Exactly how are you making the change?  In the BIOS SETUP?

> If I disconnect the Hitachi, I get a boot failure.

After the POST (Power On Self Tests) have completed, does it immediately "fail", stating "no boot device"?

Is the WD drive listed in the BIOS SETUP as an eligible boot-device ?

Or, does it actually start to read from the WD drive, and then Windows reports a "boot failure" ?

> can't get the computer to boot with the WD.

> Both drives work fine, and have all the required Boot Mgr software,

> but the OS won't let me relabel the WD to be drive C:, and won't let any other drive but the Hitachi boot.

Choosing between the two disk-drives to be the "current" boot-drive is done within the BIOS SETUP.

Within Windows, you don't want to reconfigure the Boot Manager on the "failing" drive to show a menu -- boot from Hitachi versus boot from WD.  That would require that the Hitachi keep working.

> The Hitachi is going to fail unexpectedly, and I'm just trying to replace it with a bootable drive.

Smart (pun intended) thing to do.

> I think I have followed all of the instructions, but I am missing/overlooking something.

From my end, the "mystery" is when you get the "boot failure" message.

> I have seen some evidence that the two drives might be fighting each other,

> so I think the cloned image may have given both drives the same GUID (I'm not sure what that would do).

Nothing really bad, but nothing good, either.

> Let's say I just bought a new drive to replace a failed drive. How would I get the new drive to boot up?

Remove the failed disk-drive. 

Connect the new disk-drive.

Boot the "Windows Installer" from DVD or USB.

Reinstall Windows onto the "empty" disk-drive.

If Windows 7, add an anti-virus program (Windows 8 and 10 have "Windows Defender" already running).

Run Windows Update, repeatedly.

Reinstall your free programs (Adobe Reader, Audacity, VLC, iTunes).

Restore your Personal Files from a backup that you proactively made, before the disk failed.

Reinstall the commercial programs (MS Office, et cetera) if you have the license-keys.

SUGGESTIONS (starting from where you currently are):

1. Disconnect the Hitachi drive.

2. Start the computer, and enter BIOS SETUP mode.

3. Check that the WD drive is listed as the primary "bootable" device.

4. Save/Exit from BIOS setup -- the computer will restart, and should start to load the Boot Manager from the WD drive.

5. Windows should finish the boot.

Tell us what happens.