
Important boot files are also stored here by default, although you could store them on the main Windows partition if you preferred. The System Reserved partition is essential if you want to use BitLocker drive encryption, which can’t function otherwise. Your computer boots the unencrypted System Reserved partition, and then decrypts the main encrypted drive and starts the encrypted Windows system.
The startup files used for BitLocker Drive Encryption: If you ever decide to encrypt your hard drive with BitLocker drive encryption, the System Reserved partition contains the necessary files for starting your computer. RELATED: How to Use BitLocker Without a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Your computer starts the boot loader off of the System Reserved partition, which in turn starts Windows from your system drive. The Boot Manager and Boot Configuration Data: When your computer starts, the Windows Boot Manager reads the boot data from the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) Store. The System Reserved partition contains two important things: What Does the System Reserved Partition Do? The partition is also created on Windows Serer 2008 R2 and newer Server versions of Windows. The System Reserved partition was introduced with Windows 7, so you won’t find it on previous versions of Windows. RELATED: Understanding Hard Drive Partitioning with Disk Management Windows doesn’t normally assign a drive letter to these partitions, so you’ll only see them when you use Disk Management or similar utility.
Windows 7, 8, and 10 create a special “System Reserved” partition when you install them on a clean disk.