Solved Custom minimal partitioning layout... still possible?

Hi folks!

I've just attempted to install Win11 for the first time, but it seems Win11 does not accept my custom partitioning layout as it used to!?

My custom (proven) partitioning layout for the last (15?) years has been:

I have always purposely crafted this layout with GParted before attempting any Windows installation, to prevent Windows from "auto-generating" it's own set of partitions.

This has always worked, up to Win10!
But with the Win11 installer I am getting: "There is an error selecting this partition for install. Please select a different partition or refresh selections."



The only workaround I found, was to "Delete Partition 1"in the installer, and then press "Partition".

But this only led Windows to again create it's own set of partitions... (which is what I wanted to prevent):


(Not sure Windows actually even used the BOOT partition for it's bootloader??)


Is there any way to make my layout work for Win11?

My ideas:

• some installer tweak or "hack"?
• install Win10 first, then upgrade to Win11?
• an older Win11 ISO?

Hello @nuc and welcome to ElevenForum.

It would help if you posted a screenshot of Disk Management stretched out horizontally, so we can read everything.

The default Win 11 partitions on a GPT disk, look like this...




The following commands will tell you if your disks are MBR or GPT...









Things we need to know...

1. Whether your disk(s) are MBR or GPT
2. And the Disk Management screenshot

Hi Ghot thank you, happy to be here! :)

Do you mean this?:

(the 10GB partition is swap btw, forgot to mention it earlier)
It doesn't show the MSR partition in that tool for some reason (it is there in GParted). But it shows the recovery.

Ghot said:

The default Win 11 partitions on a GPT disk, look like this...

View attachment 180589

Click to expand...

Ah, that helps a bunch already! So then, Win11 at least uses my pre-deployed EFI partition. It just created the MSR and Recovery.

My disk is using the GPT table:

The only partitions you MUST have to boot Windows are the C:\ partition and the EFI partition.
The Recovery partition is nice if Windows becomes corrupt, and won't boot.
You don't really need the MSR partition.

I use 3rd party backup software, so I don't keep the Recovery partition.


My Disk Management, looks like this...




If possible, I would remove everything from your disk (Linux also), and install Windows 11.
Get that setup as you like... THEN install your Linux's

I think all of the dual boot tutorials recommend installing Windows first, then installing Linux.


Others on this forum may have different ideas.

Ghot said:

The only partitions you MUST have to boot Windows are the C:\ partition and the EFI partition.
The Recovery partition is nice if Windows becomes corrupt, and won't boot.
You don't really need the MSR partition.

Click to expand...

Thank you, that is re-assuring to know. So that matches what I know from Win10!

Ghot said:

If possible, I would remove everything from your disk (Linux also), and install Windows 11.
Get that setup as you like... THEN install your Linux's

I think all of the dual boot tutorials recommend installing Windows first, then installing Linux.

Click to expand...

Matter of fact, this is exactly how I am always doing it. It is possible to install Windows later, just it will possibly overwrite the default bootloader, so manual steps may be required. That's why I always install Windows first (but it is not strictly in my experience).

So I always boot up a linux live USB and pre-partition with gparted as I like it (my structure from post 1), and then I install Windows (first).

The issue here is, that the Windows installer wouldn't accept the selected NTFS partition, only after I delete it (in the windows installer), and let it recreate it... but that leads to it creating the MSR and Recovery partitions as well....

So I am not sure why it wouldn't let me install it onto the ntfs partition. I have just tried it gain. Same result.

nuc said:

So I always boot up a linux live USB and pre-partition with gparted

Click to expand...

Best just to leave the entire disk... unallocated.
Then install Windows 11.
Once Win 11 is installed, you can use Minitool Partition Wizard, to resize, move, delete, and create new partitions, etc.



This pic shows the right click menus for the disk (left), or for the partition (right).









Here's some other things that you may find useful...

Ghot said:

Best just to leave the entire disk... unallocated.
Then install Windows 11.
Once Win 11 is installed, you can use Minitool Partition Wizard, to resize, move, delete, and create new partitions, etc.

Click to expand...

I suppose that this would work, but it sounds very inconvenient in practice - at least to me. I always took the exact opposite approach, in that I created a partition "skeleton" for the Windows installer that would "force" it to use my layout. So basically it would not have any space to create its own partitions, because I already created them and it just has one NTFS (+ ESP) partition to work with. This has always worked best for me!


Luckily, I figured out the main culprit: The change came with the Windows 11 24H2 ISO with the new installer.

So all ISOs until 23H2 will work!

Then, thanks to this forum, I have found that the legacy installer can still be launched by hacking the USB flashed drive – even with the latest Win11 ISO flashed! :)

I have written down my findings and procedure in a tutorial for others to benefit:

You can use the command prompt after booting from the Windows installation media, and then the DISM /Apply-Image command to apply the Windows image to the partition where you want it installed. Then you will need to add the new Windows to the boot menu using either the BCDBOOT command or GRUB (if Linux is booting).

This is what I do:
- Boot the Win 11 installation drive as UEFI
- When ask where to install, create two partitions: The first one for EFI, MSR, Windows, and Recovery and second for Linux and Swap
- Delete the first partition and leave it as an unallocate
- Install Windows on the unallocate space. It will create the EFI, MSR, Windows, and Recovery partitions and install Windows.
- Delete the last partition (the one created to have Linux and Swap)
- Boot from the Linux installation drive as UEFI and install Linux on the unallocated space after the Recovery partition. It will also install Grub on the EFI partition

When dualbooting and if you have several boot drives.. i still think Legacy bios installs is still king.

don't forget this simple windows tool :

Win+R and type msconfig

Then use the little gui pane to select boot or other stuff



cheers
jimbo