Windows 8.1 Update: Too Many "Health (Primary Partitions)"

[Miguel95]

My laptop started with Windows 8 and then I updated to Windows 8.1 around 4 months ago. So, I want to dual boot Windows 10 Technical Preview and I already have the bootable media for it but the issue is, I have to many partitions in my disk. I would like to know which one I can delete in order to continue with the dual booting.

 

[Jody Thornton]

Actually, can a fresh installation be made WITHOUT any health partitions being made? I can just use the DVD after all.

 

[Miguel95]

I believe it can be, but I literally cannot perform a installation on disk 0 because it has too many partitions. It gives me the option to erase all of disk 0 but I do not want to do that. I want my windows 8.1 with my games and all just with the necessary partitions allowing me to dual boot.

 

[KYHI]

you have 4 recovery partitions. one is most likely the oem recovery tools 900mb and the 20gb oem recovery image partition
the 350mb probably came from windows 8 and the 450mb came with the 8.1 upgrade

open a command prompt (admin)
type> diskpart
type> list volume

find the volume(s) without drive letters
type> select volume 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or whatever
type> assign letter="m" or "n" or "p" or what ever
now go into your file explorer and you will see the drive contents

the problem with win 8 to win 8.1 to win 10 - is they all install winre (recovery tools) so you end up with several recovery partitions of them. but none of them now use the oem recovery image (20GB partition)

win 8.1 upgrade uses the 450mb partition and win 10 preview also

 

[KYHI]

if you are good at loading software and drivers - use the Microsoft media creation tool to download windows 8.1 media - this will make your original windows 8 installation worthless and the windows 8 oem installation will never be needed again.

first download all your OEM Drivers from the MFG's website

second run the windows 8.1 setup by booting to the setup media > install > if it does not ask you for a product key, it is an embedded product key or you will need to type in your windows 8 product key

third when you get to the screen to install to drive partition > click advanced and remove all the current partitions > tell windows to install to the unallocated space > windows will now create 4 partitions > select the biggest and again remove it > now create several small partitions > size 262144 should get you two (256GB Partitions) and allow for a third (Data Partition) or just split the biggest of the 4 partitions windows creates in half and create just two partitions.. select one of the partitions and install windows 8.1 to it and now you can choose the other to install windows 10