C: missing system partition, booting from D:

Question

C: missing system partition, booting from D:

Adam ‎ 40

Hello hello,

I installed Windows 10 to my C: drive, but it seems that the EFI and recovery partitions were somehow installed on my second SSD. When I disconnected my D: drive, I booted straight into bios with no boot options. I've been having GPU issues (that question is on my profile), but this shouldn't be the cause of it right? Anyways, is there a way to migrate the partitions, or add them to the C: drive without messing everything up? I've reinstalled windows like 4 times now (GPU issues), so this is just the damn cherry on top. I don't plan on removing the D: drive anytime soon, but will this be any slower than having the partitions on the C: drive? My C: drive is an NVMe, but the D: SSD isn't. Thanks for reading, and god bless Windows.

User's image

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

0 additional answers

Your answer

Answer 1

DaveM121 885K Independent Advisor

Your screenshot indicates that Windows was originally installed on the top drive, and you have now installed Windows on the bottom drive, is that correct?

If so, when you install Windows, if there was a previous Windows installation on the other drive, Windows will use the boot partition on that drive and will not create a new boot partition on the bottom drive, the only way to avoid that is to re-install Windows again and before the installation, disconnect that top drive, that will force the Windows installation to create a boot partition on the bottom drive.

Adam ‎ 40 Reputation points

2026-01-20T12:04:22.78+00:00

Here, I can clean up the info:

Drive C: = Disk 1 = 1tb = m.2 nvme

Drive D: = Disk 0 = 500mb = ssd

Disk 0 was originally my main drive, but it's since been formatted and reserved for games. I think all the windows files are on disk 1, as there is no D:/Windows folder. Is reinstalling Windows really the only way to add the partitions, even with all the files being on the right drive?
DaveM121 885K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-01-20T12:12:07.05+00:00

If the top D drive is healthy, and you do not intend disconnecting that drive, you could continue to use the current setup with the EFI partition on the top drive, that will not cause any problems.

Otherwise, re-installing Windows is the best option, there is also a working a method provided by Kyhi on this link to create an EFI partition on the bottom drive, but if you are going to perform these steps, it is best to backup your files first.

https://www.tenforums.com/installation-upgrade/52837-moving-recreating-efi-partition.html

.

.

Standard Disclaimer: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

Share via

C: missing system partition, booting from D:

0 additional answers

Your answer