If you open a command prompt with administrator privileges (navigate to Start > All Programs > Accessories > Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator), you will get a different result when typing the dir command depending on what edition of Windows 7 you have installed. The “System Reserved” partition can indeed be altered/changed/removed, and in this article, we’ll find out how… Well, both of these points are somewhat incorrect. I’ve also seen many posts claiming that the System Reserved partition is essential to your Windows installation and can’t be removed or modified in any way. Can “System Reserved” Partition Be Changed Or Removed?Īs you may imagine, this has led some less experienced users to wonder if Windows deletes or modifies this partition when doing a major upgrade such as a Service Pack or significant version upgrade from 7 to 8 to 8.1, etc… I’ve seen many people ask how to delete the system reserved partition to free up some unallocated space. This partition includes the Boot Manager Code, the Boot Configuration Database, and the startup files needed for BitLocker Drive Encryption. When you choose unallocated space to install a fresh new Windows operating system or Windows Server, a System Reserved Partition is generated. Many are left wondering what purpose this partition serves and why it’s there in the first place.

It can be found, by default, along with all your other hard drive partitions at the beginning of your disk. Many of us have likely seen the 100MB “System Reserved” partition found on every Windows 7 installation.

Increase system reserved partition