Starting with Windows 7, a new partition has appeared that is reserved by the system. However, it is not designated by a letter, like, for example, drive C and can occur either after reinstalling the OS or by default in a newly purchased computer. Its size can vary from 100 to 350 megabytes.
Windows reserves space on the hard drive where it stores important data, without which the operating system would stop working.
Before this, users could accidentally delete system files, after which the computer would stop functioning normally. And in order to avoid such problems, Microsoft developers decided to play it safe and limit access to system files by hiding them on a separate hidden drive.
When reinstalling the current OS, the installer independently reserves memory space and automatically creates a new partition. Even if you install Windows on a completely empty disk, “Reserved by the system” will still appear. By default it will be hidden, but after the next OS change you will be able to see it again.
But in some cases it will still appear in "My computer". This mainly happens when installing a pirated version and not very direct hands of the programmer who assembled it.
The user has several options:
Before deleting “Reserved by the system,” think several times. Firstly, this action will not free up space on the computer, but will simply transfer data from the reserved disk to the local one.
Secondly, you will have to spend a lot of time setting up and downloading special programs - the computer will simply not allow you to make such important changes. And if something goes wrong, Windows may stop loading and, instead of the desktop, display a message that the OS simply was not found.
If you still decide to get rid of “Reserved by the system”, despite all the negative consequences, then this can be done at the stage of installing the system, if you reinstall it manually.
Before removing the partition, be sure to copy important information to the flash drive. Next, format the disk or disks, if there are several of them. Next, when you open a utility window that reinstalls the OS, open the command line using the combination Shift+F10. In it, enter the commands sequentially: diskpart, select disk 0, create partition primary. After this, close the command line and continue installing the system.
The extra partition reserved by the system will no longer appear, and the functionality and protection of Windows will suffer greatly. And it is not advisable to store system data on one disk, since if there are problems, you can lose all your data.
There are many more disadvantages than advantages. But you can avoid problems by using special programs, for example, Partition Wizard. With its help, you can painlessly create new sections in memory.
If you don’t want to waste time reinstalling Windows, you can simply hide the corresponding section so that it doesn’t catch your eye and doesn’t tempt you to poke around in it and change something. In addition, it is much simpler and easier than deleting the system partition. You don't need any special programs to hide it.
Right-click the Computer shortcut on your desktop or Start menu. In the list that appears, select “Management”. Settings will open. There is a list on the left side - find it "Disk Management".
Right-click on "Reserved by the system" and choose "Change drive letter or drive path".
A new window will appear indicating the letter representing the system partition. Since addressing in the computer memory is based on this name, it needs to be deleted, which can be done with the corresponding button. In this case, the partition itself will remain in the system and will continue to work, but will no longer be visible.
When carrying out any operations with your computer, it is best to make backup copies of your data. You never know at what step an error will occur, especially if you are not an experienced user.
It is also best to delete the “System Reserved” partition only on clean Windows.
In general, deleting a partition does not provide any benefits, only negative consequences. It makes the most sense to simply hide the system partition and continue working with the computer than to spend a lot of time discovering that Windows has completely crashed due to some error.
If you've ever installed Windows 7 or 8, you've probably noticed that at the very beginning of the procedure, the Wizard creates a small additional partition on your hard drive. In Windows 7 its size is 100 MB, in Windows 8 it is already 350 MB. For obvious reasons, it is impossible to install the system on it, but if this is so, then why is it needed at all?? Let's figure it out.
This section is called System Reserved, which means "reserved by the system". It usually does not have a letter and is therefore not accessible from Explorer. You can verify its presence using a standard tool diskmgmt.msc or special utilities for working with hard drive partitions. You can even make it visible by assigning it one of the letters of the Latin alphabet in the Disk Management snap-in. However, it may well happen that this additional partition will not be on the computer, which is also very likely.
It is impossible to say that this reserved area of disk space is absolutely necessary, since the operating system can be installed without any additional partitions.
But if the Microsoft developers themselves considered its creation an important matter, then it is needed for something. And indeed it is. The “Reserved by the system” section can have not one, but several functions at once.
Its most important purpose is to protect operating system boot files. Storing the bootloader and configuration files in a separate area of the hard drive provides a higher level of system security and reduces the risk of accidental damage, for example, during compression or other manipulations. Also, the presence of this section makes it easier to work with a computer that has multiple operating systems installed.
The second function of the “System Reserved” section is to store files necessary for the encryption technology to work BitLocker. We will not dwell on this aspect of Windows operation in detail.
Many inexperienced users may have the impression that the additional section is not so important, so they can and should get rid of it. So, this is exactly what you shouldn’t do. If you delete it, the operating system will not be able to boot, since you will delete the file along with the partition BCD, the same one that stores the configuration parameters responsible for starting Windows. But even if the additional partition could be deleted without any consequences, would there be much benefit from it, at least from the point of view of saving disk space? The capacity of modern hard drives often exceeds 500-750 GB, against which these 100 or 350 MB seem quite insignificant.
As we have already said, some computers may not have system-reserved space. This does not affect the operation of the system, because the files necessary for loading it can just as easily be stored on the system disk along with all other Windows files. And yet, why does one computer have a reserved partition, but not the other?
This depends on several factors. The first and most important condition for creating a System Reserved partition is installing the system from a boot disk or flash drive. In the case of installation from Windows, the user “bypasses” the utility for partitioning the hard disk, therefore, he will not have the opportunity to create a reserved partition.
Secondly, the number of main sections should not be more than three. If you are installing the system on a computer that already has more than three main partitions on its hard drive, then an additional hidden partition will not be created, and the boot configuration files will be placed on the active partition.
As for logical partitions, there can be as many of them as you like. Finally, the third condition for creating a reserved partition is: do not install the system on an already existing partition. First, delete it, and then create a new one in the unallocated space that appears and install the system in it.
If you have a new computer, the system can be installed on an entire hard drive and divided into partitions later. To do this, at the very beginning of the installation, even before the disk partitioning utility window appears, press Shift + F10 and in the command line that opens, run the command diskpart. Next, run the commands select disk 0 and create partition primary sequentially, and then close the command line.
Hello friends. After updating or installing Windows 7, you has a partition (disk) called “System Reserved” appeared? It's okay, now let's try to solve this problem.
I once downloaded a new build of Windows 7 and installed it on a laptop, not even for myself. After installation, I went to “My Computer” and saw that, along with the usual drives C, D, etc., a disk called “Reserved by the system” appeared. It is approximately 100 MB in size. I didn’t want to leave it, especially since the laptop is not mine and there was little they could do with this partition, for example, delete files from it. Therefore, I had to hide it manually.
This partition is created during the installation of Windows 7, when we partition the hard drive. The system warns you about the creation of this backup partition. But it should be hidden, but for some reason in my case it received the letter, if I’m not mistaken, then also E, and was displayed along with all local drives.
Let's now proceed to actions that will help us remove the “Reserved by the system” section; it won’t disappear anywhere, we just won’t see it.
Click “Start”, then right-click on “Computer” and select “Manage”.
A window will open in which we click on “Disk Management” on the right, wait a little while the system loads the information, and look for our section in the list, which is called “Reserved by the system.” Right-click on it and select “Change drive letter or drive path...”.
During a clean installation of Windows on an unpartitioned disk, the system creates a special separate System Reserved partition. It can be found in Windows 7, Windows 8.X, and Windows 10. This mechanism first appeared in Windows 7, so you won't find it on previous versions of Windows. Often the system does not assign any letters to this drive, so it does not appear in Explorer. Typically, users discover it when they get into disk utility, or for some mysterious reason (it happens, whatever) Windows will take and assign a letter to the backup drive, after which it will appear in Explorer. This is where a logical question arises for beginners: what is it and why is it needed?
The System Reserved section contains two types of information:
In other words, the System Reserved section is very important for the correct operation of Windows and encryption mechanisms. The latter cannot work without this disk, but the information for the boot manager can be transferred to another partition if you really want it.
Reserved by the system consumes only 100 MB on Windows 7, 350 MB on Windows 8 and 500 MB on Windows 10. This partition is often created during system installation, before dividing the storage for the main Windows partition.
First, let's define one important fact: the disk is reserved by the system cannot be deleted. It's easier and safer for your computer if you just leave it alone. However, you can hide it so that it is not an eyesore and so that someone does not accidentally copy some information there.
Theoretically, it is possible to remove the System Reserved drive so that Windows is still functional. First, you will need to move the download files from the reserved disk to another partition (the system disk where Windows is installed). This process is more complicated than it seems. It includes delicate registry tweaks, copying various files between drives, and BCD updates. On Windows 8, you will also need to disable and enable Windows Recovery. Only after all these dances with a tambourine will you be able to safely remove the disk Reserved by the system. As you can see for yourself, the 500 MB of free space won is not worth such a headache. Moreover, Microsoft does not support such techniques, so we also do not recommend resorting to such radical methods of increasing free disk space. There are many other ways you can cut out excess gigabytes on the drive if free space is limited.
You can hide the System Reserved section only if it is visible in Windows Explorer and has a separate letter assigned to it. Without an assigned letter, Reserved by the system will not work. There will simply be nothing to hide, since without the letter it will not be displayed. This is the way to hide a drive - you simply need to delete the letter associated with it. It simply shouldn't be there.
Alternatively, you can prevent the disk from being created as System Reserved. To do this, you will need to install the system on an already partitioned disk, where All The free space is occupied by a ready-made partition. The disk space allocation interface will not work when installing Windows - the system will still create the partition it needs. Therefore, you will have to use third-party markup utilities or the command line. But again, we will not describe this procedure, since it makes absolutely no sense. Don't do this, really. Just hide the System Reserved drive and forget about it.
On computers and laptops with pre-installed Windows 8.1 or the new Windows 10 operating system, in the list of local drives in “My Computer” you can see a drive marked as “System reserved”. What it is? This is a specialized section for restoring the computer's operating system to its factory state. In addition to installation files, it also stores configuration files and download data. In the current operation of the Windows operating system, it does not play a special role, but is only an eyesore. How can I remove the “System Reserved” disk from the list?! Very easy!
Right-click on the “This PC” icon on the desktop:
Or open the Start menu and click on the icon there. In the menu that opens, select “Management”. The Computer Management window will open. Here, in the menu on the left, you need to select “Disk Management”:
In the upper right part of the window there will be a list of local disks on the computer. Right-click on the disk that is reserved by the system to open the context menu. Select “Change drive letter or drive path.” A window will open in which you need to click on the “Delete” button to remove its letter from the drive. Windows will immediately not like this and she will start asking questions:
In response to everything, click the “Yes” button. After this, only local drives will be listed as disk drives. The reserved partition will disappear from the list, but will still remain on the hard drive and can be used if the system is restored.
