On UEFI/GPT-based drives, we've reduced the recommended size of the MSR partition from 128MB to 16MB. Uses the Master Boot Record (MBR) partition structure. The partition types must match the firmware of the computer. For image-based deployment, boot the PC to Windows PE, and then use the DiskPart tool to create the partition structures on your destination PCs. While we still use a separate recovery tools image, Windows no longer needs a separate full-system recovery image to use push-button reset features. For example, NTFS may reserve 5-15MB or more on a 750MB partition. In Windows 10 for desktop editions (Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education), we've changed the partition layout. Some recovery tools, such as Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE), require a separate system partition.
When you deploy Windows to a UEFI-based device, you must format the hard drive that includes the Windows partition by using a GUID partition table (GPT) file system. It cannot store user data.
No user activity is needed. Advanced Format 4K Native (4Kn) drives are supported on UEFI-based computers only. There are two main reasons: Configure UEFI/GPT-Based Hard Drive Partitions | Configure BIOS/MBR-Based Hard Drive Partitions | Configure More than Four Partitions on a BIOS/MBR-Based Hard Disk, Configure Multiple Hard Drives | Hard Disk Location Path Format | Internal and External SATA Port Configuration | Configuring Disk Mirroring, Compact OS, single-sourcing, and image optimization, Capture and Apply Windows, System, and Recovery Partitions | Deploy Windows using Full Flash Update (FFU) | Deploy Windows on a VHD (Native Boot) | Factory Encrypted Drives | BitLocker Drive Encryption, UEFI Firmware | The Windows and GPT FAQ | BCDboot Command-Line Options | DiskPart Command line syntax | WIM vs. VHD vs. FFU: comparing image file formats, Deploy Windows using Full Flash Update (FFU), Configure UEFI/GPT-Based hard drive partitions, Capture and Apply Windows, System, and Recovery Partitions, Configure UEFI/GPT-Based Hard Drive Partitions, Configure more than four partitions on a BIOS/MBR-based hard disk, Description of known issues with the FolderLocation settings, Configure BIOS/MBR-Based Hard Drive Partitions, Configure More than Four Partitions on a BIOS/MBR-Based Hard Disk, Internal and External SATA Port Configuration, WIM vs. VHD vs. FFU: comparing image file formats.
This allows future updates to Windows RE to grow the Windows RE partition by shrinking the Windows partition. For more information about drive space and RAM considerations, see Compact OS, single-sourcing, and image optimization. For more information, see Capture and Apply Windows, System, and Recovery Partitions. The recovery tools should be in a separate partition than the Windows partition to support automatic failover and to support booting partitions encrypted with Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption. The recovery image, winre.wim, is typically between 250-300MB, depending on what drivers, languages, and customizations you add.
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Class 2: Uses the GPT partition structure. A single computer may contain multiple drives. To help protect your deployment environment, you can use a factory pre-encrypted hard drive to prevent unauthorized access before you install Windows or any other software.
This allows Windows to modify and recreate the partition later if future updates require a larger recovery image. We recommend that you place this partition immediately after the Windows partition. Note that while the vast majority of Windows 10 computers will have an MSR partition, some will not. An SSD must have a minimum of 16Â gigabytes (GB) of space to install Windows.
Protect end users from accidentally modifying utility partitions by identifying them using a GPT attribute. Advanced Format 512e drives are not affected by this limitation, because their emulated sector size is 512 bytes. For more info, see Configure more than four partitions on a BIOS/MBR-based hard disk.
Windows can perform a push-button reset using built-in tools. Basic Input/Output System (BIOS).
Also includes a compatibility support module (CSM) that enables you to use BIOS functions, including the MBR partition structure.
The system might assign different numbers to drives when you reboot. The minimum size of this partition is 100 MB, and must be formatted using the FAT32 file format.
The recovery partition furthest to the immediate RIGHT of your Primary Partition (i.e.
The MSR is a reserved partition that does not receive a partition ID. Use the FFU image format to apply images faster to your devices: Deploy Windows using Full Flash Update (FFU). As you can see, this partition table is broken up into 4 primary partitions. The Windows partition must have 16 GB of free space after the user has completed the Out Of Box Experience (OOBE) and Automatic Maintenance has completed. Let’s look at each of the different partitions you are likely to see on a hard drive running Windows 10 or Windows Server: The Recovery Partition is a a very small amount of hard drive space that contains a limited set of Windows 10 installation files and a very stripped down interface called the Windows Recovery Environment (aka WinRE). To enhance the security of the Windows partition or a data partition, you can use BitLocker to encrypt the partition. Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) (Class 1): Uses the GUID Partition Table (GPT) partition structure. Change the Windows drive letter to a letter thatâs near the end of the alphabet, such as W, to avoid drive letter conflicts.
The partition must have at least 20 gigabytes (GB) of drive space for 64-bit versions, or 16 GB for 32-bit versions. This … It is only used when the system detects corruption on the hard drive.
However you should not delete the Recovery Partition because: The Primary Partition on a Windows 10 PC is is the drive space you see when you look in COMPUTER / FILE EXPLORER which almost everyone has configured with drive letter C:\ . For BIOS/MBR-based systems, it's still possible to combine the Windows RE tools partition with the system partition. The user can then select which operating system to boot. Save the following code in the as a text file (CreatePartitions-UEFI.txt) on a USB flash drive. Note  It's no longer necessary to run the Windows System Assessment Tests (WinSAT) on SSD drives.
Recovery tools. A Windows 10 System Partition is the place where “boot” files are stored including the Windows Boot Manager, Boot Configuration Data (BCD) Store and if your hard drive is encrypted the System Partition is where encryption information is stored. Step 2.
One simply selects the target disk, and clicks Next. If you change the default location of the user profile folders to any volume other than the system volume, you cannot service your image.
Windows detects SSD drives and tunes itself accordingly.
For information about how to configure system partitions while you apply images, see Capture and Apply Windows, System, and Recovery Partitions. If you install Windows on a device that has multiple hard drives, you can use the disk location path to make sure that your images are applied to the intended drives. Add an MSR to each GPT drive to help with partition management.