How to revert a System labeled/Partitioned Drive to a regular one?

[zoobooboozoo]

Hi all,

I have 3 Sata drives, and one of them is labeled "system" which means, as far as I know, that there's a hidden system partition created by windows on it.

this drive is my data drive and I want the 3rd one to be my system drive 'cause that's the one I wish to install windows onto.

I don't have a viable option for formatting the "system" drive since it's pretty full and I don't have an external disk to move the files(which I need) to while I format the drives.

EDIT: BTW - the drive that's labeled "system" is also not automatically "lettered" whenever I install windows and each time I install windows I need to manually go to disk management and assign a letter(which means that at first I can't see the drive in explorer)... anyone knows why is that? is it connected to the fact that it's labeled system?

Thx, ZBBZ.

 

[ja6on]

Just have the one drive connected to the mobo when installing windows, then connect the other drives later.

not sure i understand the question your asking about formatting? you have three drives, all with files on them you want to keep? what are you trying to format?

 

[zoobooboozoo]

C: where I want to install windows
D: with some files
E: labelded "system" and with files

I want C: to be "system" and have my windows on it, and I want to "un-system" E: without losing the files on it.

 

[ja6on]

you cant delete the partion without formatting .

so you would need to move everything you want from e: and spread it across c: & d:
create a partion on c: for windows.

then format e: delete partion.

then install windows on c: on the partion without clearing any files off, then move all the files from c: to e: then format c:

 

[zoobooboozoo]

That's what I was "afraid" of... C: and D: are not big enough for Ethe Audio with 1TB disk):

 

[setishock]

First of all you sound a little confused by the LABEL on the E: drive. "system is just a name for the drive someone gave to it. To change or remove it select computer from the start menu. Then highlight the drive in question and right click. Select properties.
In the window you will see the name of the drive highlighted. Either change the name or delete it.
Click apply. When the permission box opens click continue. You're done.

The LABEL has nothing to do with the drive letter. The computer will assign the drive letter.

 

[zoobooboozoo]

1) Disk0 is (System, Active, Primary Partition)

Doesn't that mean that there's a hidden windows system partition on it?

2) The letter has nothing to do with it, I'm just wondering why windows doesn't assign a letter specific to that drive(disk0) after an install(happend with several installs of windows)

 

[setishock]

Ok I got it now. When you look at disk0 what drive letter is assigned to it?

 

[zoobooboozoo]

That's the wierd thing. Windows does not assign a letter to this specific drive automatically with the installation(it's not a one time thing, it happens whnever I install windows)

after I took the screenshot I manually assigned it "F".

[Also, the disks are ordered this way (1TB:0,160GB:1 0.5TB:2) with no correlation to how I plug the sata cables.
maybe, the 1 and 2 change places, but however I plug the disk0(1TB) it stays disk0 - maybe cause it's sata3 ?]

 

[OhSnapWord]

Is that a flash drive or something? It says it's removable.