Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
1 Message
0
1536
Alienware 17 R2 partition issues.
I have an Alienware 17 R2 upgraded to Windows 10 and I'm having some partition and recovery issues.
Long story short, I have been having issues with my partition table and being able to successfully navigate a recovery, whether it be through the provided recovery media or anything created by Respawn, since I purchased the computer. I recently had an SSD issue which required replacement. This provided an opportunity for the first full recovery of the system I've had done in a while. Now I have the system back to factory and upgraded to Windows 10 with no added software other than AlienRespawn. My partitions now look like the included picture. Does that seem right? Looks like a lot of redundant recovery partitions but I don't know for sure. Are the recovery partitions on the larger Disk 0 the ones that came factory installed on my system and the ones on the SSD (Disk 1) the ones created by AlienRespawn when I installed it and it made an image? Do all of the partitions on Disk 0 look correct as the factory would have intended it or are the redundant ones messing things up which is why I get partition table errors when I try to run recoveries? It just seems like a lot of space lost for recovery and I'd like to reclaim what space I can as well as make sure the partitions are such that my original factory provided recovery media will work properly in an emergency. Any insight you can give would be great but I also understand if it's too specific and I should consult a technician. Thanks!
Alienware-Eimy
3 Apprentice
3 Apprentice
•
4.4K Posts
0
May 19th, 2017 09:00
Hi ryanmilligan4,
No, it is not normal. We'll advise you to perform a clean install but you'll need to delete every partition (format) both drives while installing. So during the installation you need to select CUSTOM install to be able to delete all those partitions.
Then, after the installation you can create a new recovery partition with Dell Backup and Recovery.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
8 Wizard
•
17K Posts
0
May 19th, 2017 11:00
Where to start ?
First, if it boots, and works, and you have a large main partition for your Windows and programs ... it's "right" or good-enough .
I have seen something like this before on some machines. It's about what I would expect to see of a machine that had either been:
- Over-laid or In-Place upgraded form Windows-7 to Windows-10
- Restored with a Dell recovery solutions meant for Windows-7, and then Over-laid or In-Place upgraded to Windows-10
- Cloned from a drive that had any of above
As for the extra partitions, some might be have been placed there for Dell's (Windows-7 based) Recovery Solution to work. One Partition might be for Intel Rapid Start Technology. You don't really need that with a bootable SSD, but that doesn't stop manufacturers from shipping machines that way.
For Reference:
- I just did a complete Windows-10 Pro 64bit install to my Lenovo laptop. I ended up with 3 partitions (2 small and 1 large). It's pretty easy to determine what they are for.
- My Aurora-R6 just came from Dell with 4 Partitions (2 small, 1 medium [12gb], 1 large).
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3050495/windows/windows-10s-hidden-hard-drive-partitions-how-to-find-them-how-to-remove-them.html
I've never thought it was a good idea to place your Recovery Partition on the drive that might crash or machine that might be lost or stolen. I like the idea of creating it on external media, like a USB-Flash-Drive.
Finally, AFAIK, Alien-ReSpawn (re-skinned Dell Backup-and-Recovery) is not compatible with Windows-10 (nor is it shipped with Windows-10 machines). Like other manufacturers these-days, Dell points you to use the built-in Microsoft Windows Imaging tools (like Recovery Media Creator). While I do create that one (you can never have enough backups), I normally use and prefer Macrium Reflect Free for my Backup and Imaging needs.