Can't Update System Reserved Partition

[Hindman]

Windows 10 feature update 1607 failed. The system reserved partition is 100 and cannot be updated. I've walked through Microsoft's recommended fix using administrator rights to extend the partition. It didn't work. I've used a Windows 10 uprgrade link recommended on one of these boards. It failed with the message that the system reserved partition could not be upgraded. I was told that the partition might be locked from the manufacturer. I have no idea if that is true or just a wild suggestion. Are there any suggestions? I even tried directions using a MiniTool Partition Wizard recommended by a friend, but that failed as well. I use three computers regularly. The other two updated without issue. This desktop will not update. Help would be appreciated.

[mdklassen · Accepted solution]

Purchase a new disk-drive from SEAGATE or WESTERN DIGITAL that is much larger (50% to 100%) than your current disk-drive.  Both manufacturers' web-site has free "disk-cloning" software to copy everything from your "current" disk-drive to the "new" disk-drive.

Within that software, choose "Manual" mode. 

Then, you can force the "System Reserved Partition" on the NEW disk to be much larger --- say 500 MB to 1 GB.

The other partitions will "expand" as needed/specified to use the full capacity of the new disk-drive.

[mdklassen]

> Why would you want to extend the system reserved partition?

It's not a matter of "wanting" to do it, it's a matter of the '1607' ("Windows 10 Anniversary Update, 2016-July") NEEDING to update that partition, and it is reporting that there does not exist enough unallocated disk-space to complete the update.

Such a major "resizing" of the partitions on a disk-drive is a critical update.

For "safety", it's best done by a "smart" usage of a "disk-cloning" utility, creating a new "target" disk, and leaving the "source" disk unmodified.

[Trailhound]

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@Hindman wrote:

Windows 10 feature update 1607 failed. The system reserved partition is 100 and cannot be updated. I've walked through Microsoft's recommended fix using administrator rights to extend the partition. It didn't work. I've used a Windows 10 uprgrade link recommended on one of these boards. It failed with the message that the system reserved partition could not be upgraded. I was told that the partition might be locked from the manufacturer. I have no idea if that is true or just a wild suggestion. Are there any suggestions? I even tried directions using a MiniTool Partition Wizard recommended by a friend, but that failed as well. I use three computers regularly. The other two updated without issue. This desktop will not update. Help would be appreciated.

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I feel your pain ... I've been fighting this issue for 3 months or so, ever since the win10anniversary update came out.  This update will not install and gives an error "We couldn't update the system reserved partition."  

I'm running a Envy Phoenix 810-145qe with a 2 TB SSD (GPT Partioning).  The System Reserved Partiion appears to be locked at 128 MB and cannot be accessed or expanded or merged ... no matter what I have tried. I have 3 other HP computers and they all have updated successfully, and have similar setups with SSD drives ... go figure).  

I've tried using 3rd party partioning software (3 different sources)  to shrink another partition and gain unallocated space.  I've moved the new space next to the SRP.  I've been through microsoft's "fixes".  Nothing to date will modify this partition. 

I've ended up blue-screened on two occasions, but fortunately had created a win10 image backup and was able to finally recover both times with minimal data loss.... but it seems nothing I've tried will update the SRP, expand it, or access it to delete info, and it is 100% full.   

If anyone has a real solution for a GPT Partioned SSD drive to solve this issue I'd appreciate it. 

(I'll evaluate the suggestion of adding another harddrive and moving the OS to that .. sounds plausible).  

Frustrated in Texas

[mdklassen]

> I'm running a Envy Phoenix 810-145qe with a 2 TB SSD (GPT Partioning).  

> The System Reserved Partiion appears to be locked at 128 MB and cannot be accessed or expanded or merged ...

> no matter what I have tried. I have 3 other HP computers and they all have updated successfully,

> and have similar setups with SSD drives ... go figure).  

Yikes!  Around here, a 2TB SSD is in the range of $999 to $1400.   🙂

Do you remember the days of IDE drives, that maxed-out at about 500 MB (not 500 GB), when using the "native" CHS (Cylinders & Heads & Sectors) formatting?  This limitation forced the introduction of LBA (Logical Block Address) formatting, which allowed IDE disks of up to 500 GB to be used.

The file-system for those CHS-formatted disks grouped together serveral consecutive sectors into one logical "allocation unit".  Windows 98 supported allocation-units of up to 32Kbytes, using the 'FAT16' file-system.

What I think that has happened to you is that your 128MB has the maximum (either 32768 or 65536) number of allocation-units, given the current number of sectors per allocation unit. 

So, you need a way to "double" the number of sectors per allocation unit, that correspondingly will reduce by 50% the number of "in-use" allocation-units.  Now that you have "unused" allocation-units, you should be able to "expand" the partition to "double" its size to 256MB.

Can you mount your disk-drive into another computer, and copy all those files (including any "system" and/or "hidden" files) to some external device, such as a 128MB USB memory-stick, and then carefully use the 'FORMAT' command to specify and create allocation-units that are "double" the size of the current allocation-units.  Then, restore the files from the backup.

[Trailhound]

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@mdklassen wrote:

> I'm running a Envy Phoenix 810-145qe with a 2 TB SSD (GPT Partioning).  

> The System Reserved Partiion appears to be locked at 128 MB and cannot be accessed or expanded or merged ...

> no matter what I have tried. I have 3 other HP computers and they all have updated successfully,

> and have similar setups with SSD drives ... go figure).  

Yikes!  Around here, a 2TB SSD is in the range of $999 to $1400.   🙂

What I think that has happened to you is that your 128MB has the maximum (either 32768 or 65536) number of allocation-units, given the current number of sectors per allocation unit. 

So, you need a way to "double" the number of sectors per allocation unit, that correspondingly will reduce by 50% the number of "in-use" allocation-units.  Now that you have "unused" allocation-units, you should be able to "expand" the partition to "double" its size to 256MB.

Can you mount your disk-drive into another computer, and copy all those files (including any "system" and/or "hidden" files) to some external device, such as a 128MB USB memory-stick, and then carefully use the 'FORMAT' command to specify and create allocation-units that are "double" the size of the current allocation-units.  Then, restore the files from the backup.

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Thanks mdklassen for that suggestion... it is worth considering.  I won't have the ability to try that for a couple of weeks.   May be a solution.  I'm seeing enough people with this same issue on other forums that I suspect the problem is something HP and Microsoft are both aware of, but don't have a readily available solution to.  Both want to charge $$ for tech support time, and no guarantees that they can give me a solution to the problem.  

It also may be about as easy to purchase a copy of Win10 and just backup files, reformat, and then start over with a clean install.  My only hesitation there is whether I'd have access to HP's model specific drivers and knowledge base?  The joys of forced upgrades !!  😕

[mdklassen]

> It also may be about as easy to purchase a copy of Win10 ...

If you currently are running Windows 10, you have a "digital entitlement" to download Windows 10, and to re-install it, without needing to have a 25-character product-key.

> My only hesitation there is whether I'd have access to HP's model specific drivers and knowledge base? 

The site: http://support.hp.com is a wealth of _free_ information.

I presume that running Windows Update will also load device-drivers.

One thing that I have not tried is reinstalling the "as-shipped" version of Windows, and then using that "digital entitlement" to _try_ to do an "upgrade-in-place", rather than doing a "clean-install".

[Trailhound]

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@mdklassen wrote:

> It also may be about as easy to purchase a copy of Win10 ...

If you currently are running Windows 10, you have a "digital entitlement" to download Windows 10, and to re-install it, without needing to have a 25-character product-key.

> My only hesitation there is whether I'd have access to HP's model specific drivers and knowledge base? 

The site: http://support.hp.com is a wealth of _free_ information.

I presume that running Windows Update will also load device-drivers.

One thing that I have not tried is reinstalling the "as-shipped" version of Windows, and then using that "digital entitlement" to _try_ to do an "upgrade-in-place", rather than doing a "clean-install".

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[to mdklassen]  I suspect you are right on the drivers, but I have doubts on whether an upgrade from a disk will change the SRP size ... it might, but since the online update doesn't complete I have doubts the new version will recognize the issues and allow it to complete the install.  Since I've not tried it I don't know either.  I guess it would be worth a try, and if it failed one could always go back and do a complete clean install, formatting the drives, etc.   All that will have been lost is time.  

I may try that the first of the year if I can't find another solution.  I appreciate your input. Good thoughts. 

[oic120]

I have a 1TB HDD, how can I update win 10 without buying a new HDD?

[oic120]

How would a clean install let you expand the system reserved partition? I can go for a clean install rite now if that helps expanding the otherwise 100MB system drive.