Windows 10 UEFI install, partition setup

DannyTabTec · 29 Jan 2016

I am trying to create an autounattend file to install Windows 10 as a UEFI install. I am encountering one problem when it comes to creating the partitions in the unattend file. Windows 10 creates 4 partitions, 3 of which (MSR, EFI and OS partitions) I have no trouble with as they are roughly the same as Windows 8.1 just different sizes but the new 4th partition, a 450MB "Recovery" partition, I can't seem to create.

When installing Windows 10 it lists the partition type as "Recovery" but using WADK there is no option to set "Recovery" as the partition type, the only options are EFI, MSR, Extend, Logical or Primary.

Can anyone tell me the exact attributes/settings required to create the new 450MB "Recovery" partition in an unattend answer file?

My searches on the web so far have not turned up any helpful information regarding this new partition created by Windows 10 so hopefully someone here can help me.

cereberus · 29 Jan 2016

DannyTabTec said:

I am trying to create an autounattend file to install Windows 10 as a UEFI install. I am encountering one problem when it comes to creating the partitions in the unattend file. Windows 10 creates 4 partitions, 3 of which (MSR, EFI and OS partitions) I have no trouble with as they are roughly the same as Windows 8.1 just different sizes but the new 4th partition, a 450MB "Recovery" partition, I can't seem to create.

When installing Windows 10 it lists the partition type as "Recovery" but using WADK there is no option to set "Recovery" as the partition type, the only options are EFI, MSR, Extend, Logical or Primary.

Can anyone tell me the exact attributes/settings required to create the new 450MB "Recovery" partition in an unattend answer file?

My searches on the web so far have not turned up any helpful information regarding this new partition created by Windows 10 so hopefully someone here can help me.

As far as I know, the recovery partition is just a normal primary partition.

Why are you setting any up - the install package does it all for you ie just delete all existing partitions and let it do its own work?

DannyTabTec · 29 Jan 2016

I will give it a try just creating it as an ordinary primary partition, thank you.

The idea is to create an autounattend.xml so that Windows will completely install itself without the need for my input. This is something I have done before with both Windows 7 and 8.1. To do this I need to specify the the partitions, sizes, formats and types etc or it will stop at the partitioning stage and not continue until I take action.

If the partition section of my autounattend.xml is wrong it shows up errors saying that it cannot create the partitions and the Windows setup exits. I know most of what it needs but the new partition that is created by Windows 10 is confusing me a lot.

cereberus · 29 Jan 2016

DannyTabTec said:

I will give it a try just creating it as an ordinary primary partition, thank you.

The idea is to create an autounattend.xml so that Windows will completely install itself without the need for my input. This is something I have done before with both Windows 7 and 8.1. To do this I need to specify the the partitions, sizes, formats and types etc or it will stop at the partitioning stage and not continue until I take action.

If the partition section of my autounattend.xml is wrong it shows up errors saying that it cannot create the partitions and the Windows setup exits. I know most of what it needs but the new partition that is created by Windows 10 is confusing me a lot.

Not convinced this will work, because in a normal installation, if there is an existing recovery partition, Windows 10 just creates a new one ie you end up with two. It does not ually delete the old one. Still, you can only experiment I guess.