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    System_drv partition

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by wiivile, Apr 11, 2010.

  1. wiivile

    wiivile Notebook Consultant

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    Hey, I was trying to get rid of Windows 7 on my new X201 and just install Windows XP, because I hate new things, haha. Anyway, there are three partitions in the Windows 7 screen, one called SYSTEM_DRV (C :), one for Windows 7, and one for Lenovo Recovery. If I wanted to install Windows XP but keep the ability to restore Windows 7, I assume I have to get rid of the Windows 7 partition, and keep the Lenovo recovery partition. But what is SYSTEM_DRV? Should it be deleted?
     
    wiivile, Apr 11, 2010
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  2. pstrisik

    pstrisik Notebook Evangelist

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    It is safer to leave it. That small partition (just over a gig) allows the OEM activation of Win7. So if you ever reinstall 7, you will want to have that there.

    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=472929

    .
     
    pstrisik, Apr 11, 2010
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  3. GlennT

    GlennT Notebook Geek

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    If you have Win7 Pro, you can still run XP under it. No need to change, and you can have the benefits of improved security and 64 bit if you want to add memory.
     
    GlennT, Apr 11, 2010
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  4. wiivile

    wiivile Notebook Consultant

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    hmm, i didn't know you can run XP in windows 7
     
    wiivile, Apr 11, 2010
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  5. Mutnat

    Mutnat Notebook Consultant

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    Mutnat, Apr 11, 2010
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  6. orev

    orev Notebook Virtuoso

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    This information is incorrect. I know that Lenovo told you this, but that person is wrong. Windows activation has nothing to do with any partitions that exist on the drive.
     
    orev, Apr 13, 2010
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  7. pstrisik

    pstrisik Notebook Evangelist

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    Well, I don't understand all of the inner workings but..... I was not activated as shown at the bottom of Control Panel => System, I did a fresh, sector by sector image of the system_drv partition from the factory drive and restored it to the new drive and I was activated. So it certainly has something to do with it.
    .
     
    pstrisik, Apr 13, 2010
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  8. tobyg

    tobyg Notebook Consultant

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    If you understand the way OEM_SLP activation works with Windows Vista and Windows 7 (Also Windows 2008 and 2008 R2), then you would understand that partitions have nothing to do with it. I don't know what problem you had initially, but I can tell you that the partitioning has nothing to do with it. It's all about the BIOS and SLIC ACPI table, a certificate and the proper OEM SLP key for the version of Windows you are installing. And that's it.
     
    tobyg, Apr 13, 2010
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  9. orev

    orev Notebook Virtuoso

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    I do understand the inner workings (see sig, program I wrote - ABR). It's just not the case and you had some other issue which just happened to get fixed by the reimage. Anyway, getting a bit OT.
     
    orev, Apr 13, 2010
    #9