Partition Help Needed

In response to MS update KB5034441 issues, I have seen advice on resizing the RE partition, but the order of my partitions is peculiar. Maybe a guru here could help me with what is safe to delete or move around?

The example on how to resize the RE partition always seems to show the RE directly to the right of the system partition. But that is not the case with my system, I don't know why really.

This is what Diskpart shows for my system:
Partition ### Type Size Offset
------------- ---------------- ------- -------
Partition 1 Primary 500 MB 1024 KB
Partition 2 Primary 1861 GB 501 MB
Partition 3 System 100 MB 1862 GB
Partition 4 Recovery 557 MB 1862 GB


The GUI Windows Disk manager shows Partition 1 as healthy basic, part 2 is the C:. part 3 is the UEFI system and part 4 is the RE.

This isn't going to be an easy fix is it?

Any good advice is greatly appreciated!

disk mgmt screenshot is easier to view.

ther are many possibilities.

you could have esp as the first partition

delete the previous esp

shrink the os partition a few hundred mb

Krawk said:

In response to MS update KB5034441 issues

Please post images or share links displaying any error messages.



Run diskpar info > post a share link

https://www.tenforums.com/attachment...iskparinfo.bat

Batch files for use in BSOD debugging

Batch files for use in BSOD debugging

zbook said:

Please post images or share links displaying any error messages.

Run diskpar info > post a share link


Batch files for use in BSOD debugging

Info on the KB issue that is widespread. This post here is from Eugene Tang on MS forums. Interestingly enough, my RE partition has more than 250Mb free, I suspect it is a bigger issue.

Code:

IMPORTANT

Some computers might not have a recovery partition that is large enough to complete this update. Because of this, the update for WinRE might fail. In this case, you will receive the following error message:

    Windows Recovery Environment servicing failed.
    (CBS_E_INSUFFICIENT_DISK_SPACE)

To help you recover from this failure, please follow Instructions to manually resize your partition to install the WinRE update.

Known issue Because of an issue in the error code handling routine, you might receive the following error message instead of the expected error message when there is insufficient disk space:

    0x80070643 - ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE

Source: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/kb5034441-windows-recovery-environment-update-for-windows-10-version-21h2-and-22h2-january-9-2024-62c04204-aaa5-4fee-a02a-2fdea17075a8

I tried the process of resizing the recovery partition and ran into an interesting error when I tried to re-enable it. Windows reported it can't enable it while Bitlocker is enabled.

So I'm wondering if this patch to fix a Bitlocker-related vulnerability requires Bitlocker to be disabled and the device decrypted before it will work.

Thoughts?

Along with a DIY video tutorial on how to do it without too much trouble:
FIX IT...Windows 10 KB5034441 Security Update Fails With 0x80070643 Errors - YouTube

dalchina said:

Post a screenshot of your partitions using e.g. Minitool Partition Wizard (free) (not Disk Management as that hides 1 UEFI partition) thus:


Manipulating partitions with a good partition manager is fairly intuitive.
MT P Wizard also displays links to helpful videos.

Videos also on Youtube.

So much good advice here,, trying to gather what is requested.

For starters here is the screenshot of the drive in question from minitool.

Megahertz said:

I would say that you converted a MBR into GPT and it did created a new EFI partition and left the first partition (MBR System) without any use.



- You can create a drive image and then recover rearranging the partitions in the correct order and size. I have done it on my computer some years ago when MS changed the partitions order.

- You can format the first partition, load the EFI boot manager on it, delete the actual EFI partition after the C: and increase the Recovery partition. Quite easy to do.

And yes, Megahertz, that is mostly correct. When I did the initial conversion, the recovery partition did not exist so I got other interesting errors and sought advice from this forum, in the end I ran the repair tool and that is the end result of partitions. I would say yes, the first partition does look like it's not useful.

Having never used a recovery tool that lets you copy partitions, could plan B be to make images of each partition on one of my larger drives, use a boot stick and restore them that way in the order I want? What of the boot code? For paid tools, I have NTI Echo and Macrium Reflect.

It appears the first partition is 500 Mb, which is excessive of course for EFI, correct? In the end, I would like to tidy up the partitions a bit anyway to prevent any future related issues.

dalchina said:

Yes, this issue is very well known.. see
KB5034441 Security Update for Windows 10 (21H2 and 22H2) - Jan. 9

The News section has a thread per update.

Most people have increased the size of the Recovery Partition to about 1GB - yours is small and that may account for the problem.

I'm guessing the first is an old unused Recovery partition.
You are missing the Reserved partition (16MB on mine).

Your Recovery partition follows the EFI partition, rather than being the next after Windows. That's unusual, and makes resizing it harder.

Yes, I see your 16Mb reserved, all my other drives seem to have that.
Megahertz suggests making my first unused partition the UEFI partition and deleting the one I currently have, which would make the order right, but the sizes are wrong. Could I stretch my C: partition to the left once I do rather than having a 500Mb UEFI?

At this point, not making any drastic actions til I know for sure what I need to do.