Solved Disk Management- Partition Advice

trevo · Dec 28, 2022

When I first got this Laptop I created a separate data partition and a couple of months ago, changed the sizes as C was too large.
Looking at disk management now, I have 7 partitions and I would like to tidy things up.
What would be the best method to get rid of partitions 6 and 7 and use the space to add to my data partition D?
Any advice would be appreciated, I'm a novice at this.

DigitalGoat · Dec 28, 2022

Your problem is that at least one of those recovery partitions is current and lies after the partition you want to increase (extend).
A 3rd party solution would be able to achieve what you want by moving the partitions around, some are free, some paid, there will be recommendations in posts on these forums if you search.
There is an easier Windows method if you want, open an admin command and type reagentc /disable then reboot the machine, open an admin command and type reagentc /enable this will place the recovery files into a Recovery folder in the root of the C:\ drive, it will be a hidden, system, protected folder, Treesize or similar free apps can show it (download install or portable versions from developer sites or the MS Store).
You can then delete all the recovery partitions and extend D:\ to use all the now available space.
I suggest you research the benefits, drawbacks and methods posted throughout these forums as to the results to be expected and the methods used.
One thing nearly all users of these forums agree on is to use an app like Macrium Reflect (tutorials on these forums, and for others) to create an image of your current drive to an external device so that should anything go wrong you can easily recover without data loss (things can go wrong and most likely will when you can least afford to have them go wrong).
Also make and test the imaging apps rescue/ boot drive, usually a USB device to make sure you can restore the image when/ if needed.
If you search the tutorial section of these forums you will find many different methods for how to remove, create and move partitions, before diving in I suggest you view several to understand the process involved and the pitfalls before deciding on a method.
You can always ask again for more detail if you feel lost.

NavyLCDR · Dec 28, 2022

DigitalGoat said:
There is an easier Windows method if you want, open an admin command and type reagentc /disable then reboot the machine, open an admin command and type reagentc /enable this will place the recovery files into a Recovery folder in the root of the C:\ drive, it will be a hidden, system, protected folder, Treesize or similar free apps can show it (download install or portable versions from developer sites or the MS Store).
You can then delete all the recovery partitions and extend D:\ to use all the now available space.

The order of the steps is a bit incorrect in the above post.

1. Run reagentc /disable in a command prompt with admin privileges.
2. Reboot - don't know if it is necessary, but won't hurt.
3. Delete all the recovery partitions. Note one of them (16.1 GB recovery) is likely a factory recovery partition and you won't be able to do a reset back to factory software after deleting it.
4. Then run reagentc /enable after the recovery partitions are deleted.

If you run reagentc /disable and then reagentc /enable without deleting the recovery partition(s) first, it will just put the Windows Recovery Environment files right back into the recovery partition that they came from.

Ghot · Dec 28, 2022

If it were me, I'd get rid of everything after the D: partition and start using backup software.

Oh wait, that's what I did...

trevo · Dec 28, 2022

Ghot said:
If it were me, I'd get rid of everything after the D: partition and start using backup software.

I'm a long time user of Macrium Home and take regular images, this is more of a housekeeping issue, I'm not short of space.

Ghot · Dec 28, 2022

trevo said:
I'm a long time user of Macrium Home and take regular images, this is more of a housekeeping issue, I'm not short of space.

Well, here's what I really did... OCD rulz !!

DigitalGoat · Dec 28, 2022

NavyLCDR said:
The order of the steps is a bit incorrect in the above post.

1. Run reagentc /disable in a command prompt with admin privileges.
2. Reboot - don't know if it is necessary, but won't hurt.
3. Delete all the recovery partitions. Note one of them (16.1 GB recovery) is likely a factory recovery partition and you won't be able to do a reset back to factory software after deleting it.
4. Then run reagentc /enable after the recovery partitions are deleted.

If you run reagentc /disable and then reagentc /enable without deleting the recovery partition(s) first, it will just put the Windows Recovery Environment files right back into the recovery partition that they came from.

If you run reagentc /disable then the reference to the partition ID used for the recovery files becomes invalid, reagentc /enable with no partition ID arguments will populate the Recovery folder in the root of C:\ by default, this is how it worked on my Win11 22h2 system.
The reboot I just assume is a good idea after changing such an environmental variable.

trevo · Dec 29, 2022

I decided to go for the @Ghot nuclear option, so marking Thread as solved.
Thanks for all contributions.

NavyLCDR · Dec 29, 2022

DigitalGoat said:
If you run reagentc /disable then the reference to the partition ID used for the recovery files becomes invalid, reagentc /enable with no partition ID arguments will populate the Recovery folder in the root of C:\ by default, this is how it worked on my Win11 22h2 system.
The reboot I just assume is a good idea after changing such an environmental variable.

You would be mistaken. See below. First I disabled RE, then re-enabled it. It went right back into the existing recovery partition. Then I disabled RE, rebooted the computer and re-enabled it. It went right back into the existing recovery partition. In order to move the Recovery Environment into C:\Recovery, the user must delete the existing recovery partition before re-enabling RE.

Code:

C:\Windows\System32>diskpart

Microsoft DiskPart version 10.0.22621.1

Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.
On computer: DESKTOP-8FMKR4G

DISKPART> sel dis 0

Disk 0 is now the selected disk.

DISKPART> lis par

  Partition ###  Type              Size     Offset
  -------------  ----------------  -------  -------
  Partition 1    System             100 MB  1024 KB
  Partition 2    Reserved            16 MB   101 MB
  Partition 3    Primary            126 GB   117 MB
  Partition 4    Recovery           625 MB   126 GB

DISKPART> exit

Leaving DiskPart...

C:\Windows\System32>reagentc /info
Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) and system reset configuration
Information:

    Windows RE status:         Enabled
    Windows RE location:       \\?\GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE
    Boot Configuration Data (BCD) identifier: c571a573-87aa-11ed-b33b-f1b28219d331
    Recovery image location:
    Recovery image index:      0
    Custom image location:
    Custom image index:        0

REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.


C:\Windows\System32>reagentc /disable
REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.


C:\Windows\System32>reagentc /enable
REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.


C:\Windows\System32>reagentc /info
Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) and system reset configuration
Information:

    Windows RE status:         Enabled
    Windows RE location:       \\?\GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE
    Boot Configuration Data (BCD) identifier: c571a575-87aa-11ed-b33b-f1b28219d331
    Recovery image location:
    Recovery image index:      0
    Custom image location:
    Custom image index:        0

REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.


C:\Windows\System32>reagentc /disable
REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.


C:\Windows\System32>

Rebooted computer

Code:

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.22621.525]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\System32>reagentc /enable
REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.


C:\Windows\System32>reagentc /info
Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) and system reset configuration
Information:

    Windows RE status:         Enabled
    Windows RE location:       \\?\GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE
    Boot Configuration Data (BCD) identifier: c571a577-87aa-11ed-b33b-f1b28219d331
    Recovery image location:
    Recovery image index:      0
    Custom image location:
    Custom image index:        0

REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.


C:\Windows\System32>

DigitalGoat · Dec 29, 2022

NavyLCDR said:

You would be mistaken. See below. First I disabled RE, then re-enabled it. It went right back into the existing recovery partition. Then I disabled RE, rebooted the computer and re-enabled it. It went right back into the existing recovery partition. In order to move the Recovery Environment into C:\Recovery, the user must delete the existing recovery partition before re-enabling RE.

Code:

C:\Windows\System32>diskpart

Microsoft DiskPart version 10.0.22621.1

Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.
On computer: DESKTOP-8FMKR4G

DISKPART> sel dis 0

Disk 0 is now the selected disk.

DISKPART> lis par

  Partition ###  Type              Size     Offset
  -------------  ----------------  -------  -------
  Partition 1    System             100 MB  1024 KB
  Partition 2    Reserved            16 MB   101 MB
  Partition 3    Primary            126 GB   117 MB
  Partition 4    Recovery           625 MB   126 GB

DISKPART> exit

Leaving DiskPart...

C:\Windows\System32>reagentc /info
Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) and system reset configuration
Information:

    Windows RE status:         Enabled
    Windows RE location:       \\?\GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE
    Boot Configuration Data (BCD) identifier: c571a573-87aa-11ed-b33b-f1b28219d331
    Recovery image location:
    Recovery image index:      0
    Custom image location:
    Custom image index:        0

REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.


C:\Windows\System32>reagentc /disable
REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.


C:\Windows\System32>reagentc /enable
REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.


C:\Windows\System32>reagentc /info
Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) and system reset configuration
Information:

    Windows RE status:         Enabled
    Windows RE location:       \\?\GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE
    Boot Configuration Data (BCD) identifier: c571a575-87aa-11ed-b33b-f1b28219d331
    Recovery image location:
    Recovery image index:      0
    Custom image location:
    Custom image index:        0

REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.


C:\Windows\System32>reagentc /disable
REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.


C:\Windows\System32>

Rebooted computer

Code:

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.22621.525]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\System32>reagentc /enable
REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.


C:\Windows\System32>reagentc /info
Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) and system reset configuration
Information:

    Windows RE status:         Enabled
    Windows RE location:       \\?\GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE
    Boot Configuration Data (BCD) identifier: c571a577-87aa-11ed-b33b-f1b28219d331
    Recovery image location:
    Recovery image index:      0
    Custom image location:
    Custom image index:        0

REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.


C:\Windows\System32>

I trust your results of course, I stand corrected. What I don't trust now is my memory (wet ware, not RAM).
I could have sworn I didn't delete the recovery partition until after the Recovery folder was populated because I was unsure what would happen and didn't want to mess up.
But obviously I must remember wrong. Too much Xmas spirit perhaps.

Thanks for testing it and posting the results.

Have your self a happy new year!

NavyLCDR · Dec 29, 2022

DigitalGoat said:
I trust your results of course, I stand corrected. What I don't trust now is my memory (wet ware, not RAM).
I could have sworn I didn't delete the recovery partition until after the Recovery folder was populated because I was unsure what would happen and didn't want to mess up.
But obviously I must remember wrong. Too much Xmas spirit perhaps.
Thanks for testing it and posting the results.
Have your self a happy new year!

Running reagentc /disable moves the Recovery Environment into Windows/System32/Recovery regardless of the existence of a recovery partition or not. Perhaps that is what you were thinking.

DigitalGoat · Dec 29, 2022

NavyLCDR said:
Running reagentc /disable moves the Recovery Environment into Windows/System32/Recovery regardless of the existence of a recovery partition or not. Perhaps that is what you were thinking.

Possibly, it was the first time I had ever used the command, to be honest I can't even remember why I wanted to remove the recovery partition in the first place.

Subscriber43 · Dec 29, 2022

Is there any advantage to relocating the Recovery Partition/Environment?

NavyLCDR · Dec 29, 2022

Subscriber43 said:
Is there any advantage to relocating the Recovery Partition/Environment?

One less partition on the disk. But that is more of a concern on an MBR disk limited to 4 primary partitions than it is on a GPT disk.

zbook · Dec 31, 2022

If the disk drive has a recovery partition then the drive architecture is important during Windows upgrades.
Windows may create a second recovery partition leaving an orphaned partition.

Code:

The recovery tools should be in a separate partition than the Windows partition 
to support automatic failover and to support booting partitions encrypted with Windows 
BitLocker Drive Encryption.

We recommend that you place this partition immediately after the Windows partition. 
This allows Windows to modify and recreate the partition later if future updates require a 
larger recovery image.

UEFI/GPT-based hard drive partitions

learn.microsoft.com

Stigg · Dec 31, 2022

A bit of info here about multiple Recovery partitions, including a link to Kari's excellent explanation.

1 GB Recovery Partition?

I upgraded to Windows 11 using the Upgrade Assistant tool on October 4 on a Dell Inspiron 3793.. Since then, I've been poking around here and there and everything seems to be working fine. I use Macrium Reflect 8 to backup my computers. One thing that caught my eye was that Macrium had marked...

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