Disk's partitions and Windows10 upgrade

[Kreiskybill]

Hello,

I'm here to find some information about Windows 10 because I would like to upgrade my system, now it's Windows 7 Pro (64bit). I've yet downloaded the ISO of Windows 10N Pro and before doing the upgrade I will create a complete backup of my disc using Macrium Reflect.

I have now four partitions:

1. System NTFS Active, 500Mb
2. (:C) NTFS Primary
3. (: D) HP Recovery - NTFS Primary 😄
4. (:E) HP Tools - NTFS Primary

In which partition does Windows 10 install?

Have I to choose or it's an automatic installation?

Should I erase some partitions?

Does W10 upgrade will eliminate one or more partitions?

Thank you for your help!

PS: how to verify if the driver are compatible with W10 ?

[AMiT147]

-U will have to download new drivers for ur pc.

-U will get a option to choose where u want to install windows 10.

-Ur partition must have enough space to store windows 10 files.

-Removing partition or keeping is your own choice.

- u can keep hp recovery partition to go back to windows 7 anytime.

[Kreiskybill]

Thank you!

It is a good to know that I can keep HP Recovery to go back to W7 🙂

Therefore, if I keep (D) HP Recovery I suppose I should keep also (E) HP Tools E.

“System” partition, what is it for ? Is it better to keep it ?

Anyway, if I want to go back to W7 the better choice is to install W10 on C, am I right ?

I have another question… I want to be sure to have the possibility to go back to W7 even if something go wrong with HP Recovery.

I will make an image of my disk on an external HD, then, to mount this image back to my HD should I take my HD out and mount the image using an other PC ? Or can I mount it directly from the external HD to my notebook ?

Cheers,

Marco 

[WAWood · Accepted solution]

I've upgraded numerous Win7 PCs to win10 -- and every one had some problem that had to be overcome.

Your plan to do an image backup with MR is the best approach because, while Microsoft tells you that there is no risk in the Win10 Upgrade, because they let you believe that you can always revert back to your original OS and setup within 30 days, the ugly fact of the matter is that the Win10 GoBack function has proven to be unreliable -- and when it fails, it can leave machines in a corrupted state -- which doesn't always happen, but it does happen often enough to be a problem and you won't get any warning in advance that it is going to trash your PC!

As to your questions:

1) Installation partition: You already have 4 upper-level partitions, so unless your drive is formatted GPT (which is probably is NOT), you will NOT get a useful choice regarding where to install Win10 because only the C: partition will have enough space.

2) Removing partitions:  While you could migrate the HP Tools stuff into the C: partition, and then remove HP_TOOLS, that really won't help much because that space is way too small to be useful.

3) Using the Recovery partition.  Do NOT count on it working. The Win10 Upgrade is know, in some cases, to corrupt the Recovery partition stored there by the OEM that built the original machine.  This pretty much guarantees that no HP Recovery is going to work. So, relying on the Win7 Recovery partition to revert back to Win7 is a mistake.

Your MR backup is the most reliable and safest way to have a backup plan for reverting back to Win7.  You do not Mount the image in order to do a restore, instead, you boot from media that you created using MR, connect the external drive, and then use the Restore option to select the backup you have made.  So, be sure to exercise the MR option to create boot media -- you will need that later to do a restore.

Good Luck
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[Kreiskybill]

Thank you very much Wawood, your answer is helpfull !

I already have the MR boot CD.
I will install and work with Windows 10 for a month or two, if I like Windows 10 and I decide to keep it... I will then do a new clean installation and erase HP Recovery and HP Tool partitions. Always keeping on the shelf the complete image of W7.

Thank you !

Marco