Solved Do I need two recovery partitions?


What happens if Windows fails to boot will the troubleshooter screen open to try an automatic boot repair if recovery set to C:?
It works exactly like it does if it is in a partition.

What are benefits of doing this, e.g.,
- cleaner setup
- optimizes disk space (no wasted space in the recovery partition)
Finally, with a good image backup why bother with a recovery environment?
Just a cleaner disk with less partitions. When recovery environment is disabled, the files are stored in C:\Windows\System32\Recovery (or maybe C:\Windows\Recovery, I can't remember). So it might as well be enabled, because it isn't going to save any space by disabling it - unless you manually delete the files.

Everything that recovery environment does, booting from a Windows 10/11 USB flash drive will also do anyway.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Homebuilt
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero (WiFi)
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Education
    Computer type
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    Dell Inspiron 7773
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    Intel i7-8550U
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce MX150
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 512GB NVMe SSD
    SK Hynix 512GB SATA SSD
    Internet Speed
    Fast!
It works exactly like it does if it is in a partition.


Just a cleaner disk with less partitions. When recovery environment is disabled, the files are stored in C:\Windows\System32\Recovery (or maybe C:\Windows\Recovery, I can't remember). So it might as well be enabled, because it isn't going to save any space by disabling it - unless you manually delete the files.

Everything that recovery environment does, booting from a Windows 10/11 USB flash drive will also do anyway.
When winre is disabled, winre.wim is temporarily parked in C:\Windows\System32\Recovery.

If winre is reenabled and there is a system recovery partition, winre.wim is moved from above to the recovery partition.

If winre is reenabled and there is not a system recovery partition, winre.wim is moved from above to C:\Recovery

The important thing to remember when messing with recovery partitions is to park winre.wim by running "reagentc \disable" first.

Otherwise, you could end up deleting winre.wim if you delete an active recovery partition in error. Then if you try to reenable winre.wim, it can't as none to re-enable.

PS avoid messing with winre.wim when using dual/multi boot windows pcs. It can get very complicated with versions, locations, and changing one can affect another installation. This is teue with native booting vhds as well.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
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    ASUS Vivobook 14
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    Yep, Laptop has one.
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    16 GB
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    Yep, got one
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    Built in
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    72 Mb/s :-(
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    Edge mostly
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    TPM 2.0
If you will be doing a clean install, ALL partitions should be deleted during the install process making all space on the disk unallocated. Windows should always be installed in unallocated space. Then the install process can properly create the partitions. If you don't believe me see Brink's tutorial. Clean Install Windows 11 Tutorial
 

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    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
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    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
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    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
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    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
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    500w
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    Dell Premium
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    Logitech wired
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    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
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    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
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    Dell factory
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    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
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    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
I don't know if it was cleaning up some of the recovery partitions and moving to back of disk or removing the 16mb partitions. But since doing so
I have no more check disk and fixing errors at boot.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Antec/Case
    CPU
    Intel i5-10600kf
    Motherboard
    GIGABYTE Z590 UD AC
    Memory
    32gb corsair vengerance pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD RX 6500XT
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    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    40" Hisense
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850
    Samsung 870
    Seagate 2TB
    PSU
    EVGA GQ 750
Just for information, when two recovery partitions have been created I just use MiniTool partition wizard. Right clicking the recovery partitions and selecting 'Explore' gives the date and time the recovery partitions were created. Delete the older recovery partition then move/resize partitions as required and all done through the program.
For clarity I've attached two jogs of the recovery partitions I have. Can I safely delete "B" ? Thanks in advance.
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP All in One
    CPU
    i7 12700T
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX1650 4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP 24" Touch
    Hard Drives
    WD 256 GB NVME
    WD 256GB SSD
    Keyboard
    USB
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    500 MBS
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Open administrative command prompt and type or copy and paste:

sfc /scannow
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
chkdsk /scan
reagentc /info


Type:
ctrl + a
ctrl + c

Paste into this thread typing:
ctrl + v




Open administrative command prompt and type or copy and paste: (all at one time)

diskpart
lis dis
lis vol
sel dis 0
det dis
lis par
sel dis 1
det dis
lis par
sel par 1
det par
sel par 2
det par
sel par 3
det par
sel par 4
det par
sel par 5
det par
sel par 6
det par
sel par 7
det par




Type:
ctrl + a
ctrl + c

Paste into this thread typing:
ctrl + v
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4800MQ CPU @ 2.70GHz
    Motherboard
    Product : 190A Version : KBC Version 94.56
    Memory
    16 GB Total: Manufacturer : Samsung MemoryType : DDR3 FormFactor : SODIMM Capacity : 8GB Speed : 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro K3100M; Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition Audio CODEC; PNP Device ID HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_111D&DEV_76E0
    Hard Drives
    Model Hitachi HTS727575A9E364
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Mobile Workstation
Or run:
reagentc /disable

and then delete both recovery partitions. Whole lot easier.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Homebuilt
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero (WiFi)
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Education
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 7773
    CPU
    Intel i7-8550U
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce MX150
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 512GB NVMe SSD
    SK Hynix 512GB SATA SSD
    Internet Speed
    Fast!
Or run:
reagentc /disable

and then delete both recovery partitions. Whole lot easier.
Thanks. How can I just delete the last one on the left ? (B) ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP All in One
    CPU
    i7 12700T
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX1650 4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP 24" Touch
    Hard Drives
    WD 256 GB NVME
    WD 256GB SSD
    Keyboard
    USB
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    500 MBS
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    MS
Thanks. How can I just delete the last one on the left ? (B) ?
It looks like you have MiniTool Partition Wizard. In MiniTool Partition Wizard, right click on the partition you want to delete and select.....wait for it..... delete. Then don't forget to click the apply button.

capture2.jpg
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Homebuilt
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero (WiFi)
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Education
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 7773
    CPU
    Intel i7-8550U
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce MX150
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 512GB NVMe SSD
    SK Hynix 512GB SATA SSD
    Internet Speed
    Fast!
You will notice above that I don't have a standard Windows Recovery partition on my system drive 1. That's because I ran reagentc /disable, then deleted the recovery partition. Then I ran reagentc /enable and the Windows Recovery Environment gets re-installed in a folder under C: drive.

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

    Windows RE status:         Enabled
    Windows RE location:       \\?\GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk1\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE
    Boot Configuration Data (BCD) identifier: 225258a8-6c40-11ed-a2aa-2c8db1e3769f
    Recovery image location:
    Recovery image index:      0
    Custom image location:
    Custom image index:        0

REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.


C:\Windows\System32>

capture2.jpg
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Homebuilt
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero (WiFi)
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Education
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 7773
    CPU
    Intel i7-8550U
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce MX150
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 512GB NVMe SSD
    SK Hynix 512GB SATA SSD
    Internet Speed
    Fast!

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SAM0A87 Samsung SAM0D32
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Homebuilt
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero (WiFi)
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Education
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 7773
    CPU
    Intel i7-8550U
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce MX150
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 512GB NVMe SSD
    SK Hynix 512GB SATA SSD
    Internet Speed
    Fast!
Thanks. How can I just delete the last one on the left ? (B) ?
Sorry folks. Mimosas here too. I meant the last partition on the right. (B).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP All in One
    CPU
    i7 12700T
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX1650 4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP 24" Touch
    Hard Drives
    WD 256 GB NVME
    WD 256GB SSD
    Keyboard
    USB
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    500 MBS
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    MS
Sorry folks. Mimosas here too. I meant the last partition on the right. (B).
Same answer. Right click on it in MiniTool Partition Wizard and select delete.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Homebuilt
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero (WiFi)
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Education
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 7773
    CPU
    Intel i7-8550U
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce MX150
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 512GB NVMe SSD
    SK Hynix 512GB SATA SSD
    Internet Speed
    Fast!
Thanks. Done. Much appreciate the help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP All in One
    CPU
    i7 12700T
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX1650 4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP 24" Touch
    Hard Drives
    WD 256 GB NVME
    WD 256GB SSD
    Keyboard
    USB
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    500 MBS
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    MS
Thanks. Done. Much appreciate the help.
Hi,
If you enlarge the one you left alone windows will stop creating another after large updates
Hell just make it 1gb and be done with it for a long while.

Could of also just merged it with the one after you deleted the older.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win-7-10-11Pro's
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer 17" Nitro 7840sn/ 2x16gb 5600c40/ 4060/ stock 1tb-os/ 4tb sn850x
    CPU
    10900k & 9940x & 5930k
    Motherboard
    z490-Apex & x299-Apex & x99-Sabertooth
    Memory
    Trident-Z Royal 4000c16 2x16gb & Trident-Z 3600c16 4x8gb & 3200c14 4x8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Titan Xp & 1080ti FTW3 & evga 980ti gaming
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek x3
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1-AOC G2460PG 24"G-Sync 144Hz/ 2nd 1-ASUS VG248QE 24"/ 3rd LG 43" series
    Screen Resolution
    1920-1080 not sure what the t.v is besides 43" class scales from 1920-1080 perfectly
    Hard Drives
    2-WD-sn850x 4tb/ 970evo+500gb/ 980 pro 2tb.
    PSU
    1000p2 & 1200p2 & 850p2
    Case
    D450 x2 & 1 Test bench in cherry Entertainment center
    Cooling
    Custom water loops x3 with 2x mora 360mm rads only 980ti gaming air cooled
    Keyboard
    G710+x3
    Mouse
    Redragon x3
    Internet Speed
    xfinity gigabyte
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    mbam pro

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