200MB 'System Reserved' partition

System Reserved partition
100 MB in Windows 7 RTM Installation
200 MB in Windows 7 Beta or RC Installation

 

you can install it without this stupid partition
At the first setup screen (Language, Keyboard, etc.) press SHIFT+F10 to open command prompt.
Type the following:

- Diskpart
- List disk
(this command is important. It will show you what disk drives you have. Most likely your hard drive will be will be Disk 0,
but you need to check it first.)

- select disk 0
- clean
- create partition primary size=102400
(make this number any size you want, the example used creates a partition 100GB in size. If you want to use the whole hard drive, just leave off the size=number)

- select partition 1
- active
- format fs=ntfs

then proceed with setup as normal

 

if you install over a public beta without deleting the partitions
youll end up with the 200mb reserved partition.

" [0-9][ 0-9] [^Aa-Zz][^Aa-Zz] ...........* *NTFS *.......... *[12]00 M. "

[12]00 M

the 1 and 2 inside brackets means the partition size could be 100 MB OR 200 MB

 

As far as I know, you only get one of these hidden partitions if you install to a drive that is either un-formatted or has some un-allocated space on it already.

So at install, just use the available 'Format' command (2nd or 3rd screen in?) to format your whole drive at the start, you won't get this partition.

I install to the 1st partition of a drive already formatted to 4 partitions, so I never get it!

I'm no expert though and could well be mistaken , and your mileage may vary of course!

My 1st post by the way on this excellent forum!! ..

 

the partition size is 100mb in windows 7 RTM, prior to RTM it was 200. It creates a partition if you allow windows to format the drive (install it on unallocated space) My Loaders are hardcoded to 100M as opposed to the 100-200 variable in unternmensch's.

Not sure why I am answering you (Alexander01) after you were so rude to me, I guess others need to know too.