Options
Windows 8.1 Update Fails
JulesandSand
Posts: 6,012
Forum Member
✭
I have W8 installed and this morning I received a message offering to update my system to 8.1 Pro. I've downloaded the update twice now and each time it has failed with a 'Couldn't Update System Reserved Partition' message.
I don't think I even have such a partition - does one need to be present to install W8.1?
I don't think I even have such a partition - does one need to be present to install W8.1?
0
Comments
Are you certain all your drivers etc. were up to date to latest versions on 8.0 before updating to 8.1?
Don't know what motherboard you have but also check your BIOS doesn't have some sort of setting to protect the MBR from changes.
Laptop is a Samsung NP700Z5A which I bought with W7 Pro installed with a free upgrade to W8 Pro 64 bit, so presumably MBR can be changed.
All drivers are up to date and W8 updates all installed..
I read elsewhere that the system reserved partition (100MB on mine) needs to have 50MB free in order to upgrade - mine has no free space.
AFAIK the reserved partition should have 350mb by default. So just increasing the partition should work....
I tried to do that
I tried giving the partition a letter, but, even with unallocated space on the C drive I couldn't extend the volume - the option to do so was greyed out.
At least when I look at it with GParted it says it's 'unallocated'. Windows may see it as system space?
Your C: drive isn't cram full by any chance?
Might be worth doing a defrag on your C: before you try to upgrade. That's providing it's not an SSD.
It is an SSD but it isn't anywhere near full and has 10% unallocated by overprovisioning. I've tried removing that but it makes no difference.
Have you used a Linux live disk with Gparted on? Gparted is a great tool for resizing and moving partitions around, it might be worth giving it a go.
Just beware that sometimes it can mess up windows partitions if you move/resize them so backup your C drive in windows first as a system image then try. Then if it goes wrong then you can use the system image you created as a recovery.
I already had a System Reserved Partition for Windows 8 with the WinRE installed (partition size 400MB) but have read that another one was created because either there wasn't enough space on that partition to update / write files needed to install the Windows RE files needed for Windows 8.1 or that people such as myself who have an OEM system (my laptop is manufactured by HP) have files on the original System Reserved Partition placed there by the computer manufacturer and so Windows won't install an further files on that partition and creates another one.
Whichever explanation for the second System Recovery / Reserved Partition being created mine, like yours, has been created by taking 350MB of space from the C: drive and the partition has been created to the right of the C: drive. As I had already partitioned the C: drive into further partitions for things such as documents, photos, music and video files and this System Reserved Partition now lies inbetween the C: drive and the rest of the partitions it means I no longer have the option to extend the C: drive if it became necessary.
Apologies to the original poster that my reply doesn't answer the original query but I thought the above reply was worth responding to as few people seem to have noticed that upgrading from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 for some people has led to their computer creating a second System Reserved / Recovery Partition and one that might cause problems down the line if there is a need to extend the C: drive.
Yes it's worth noting.
I have various Linux partitions on the same drive, and if I delete that 350MB partition by mistake in the future, it might mean that Windows 8 might refuse to boot, if what you say is correct.
Have to make a mental note to leave it alone.
ETA: Interestingly I've just looked at this computer (also 8.1 but different to the one I was talking about), in Disk Management, and it doesn't have the extra partition. Just the 100MB system partition to the left of the C: drive?
I upgraded this computer from Windows 7 to 8, and now to 8.1.
The other computer had a clean install of Windows 8 upgraded to 8.1.
Perhaps I should have bitten the bullet when installing the SSD and did a fresh install rather than cloning the HDD.
Well that's strange.
As Windows makes the system partition, you'd think it would be able to organize it?
As I said previously, on one of my machines it made a 350MB partition on the right of the C: drive. On the other machine it didn't, and there's only the 100MB partition to the left of the C: drive.
I wonder why Windows can't just make that 350MB partition on your system, if it requires it?
Perhaps it's some setting in your BIOS, or some function of using an SSD or something else?
More research on your part required, I guess.
Yes. Windows 7 uses a 100MB system partition, and Windows 8 uses a 350MB one. You shouldn't really mess about with them.
You could boot from a Linux CD, and remove the partitions. Booting from a Windows 8 DVD should allow you to fix the system partition.
Or, you can start from scratch...
I tried booting from my W8 DVD - all it allowed me to do was to delete the system partition, which I did, obviously the system wouldn't then boot, my hope being that, running a repair from the DVD would make a system partition of the required size (I had left 500MB of unallocated space on the drive), unfortunately my hopes were unfulfilled - the system partition remains at 100MB.
I know I could format and re-install W8 but that's a fair bit of time and work and I'm not sure it's worth it to go from 8 to 8.1?
I dont know if it will work but its worth a try to see if you can do this rather than having to reformat.