diff --git a/base/system/smss/sminit.c b/base/system/smss/sminit.c
index bba8faf7cbe..3594e52d62c 100644
--- a/base/system/smss/sminit.c
+++ b/base/system/smss/sminit.c
@@ -872,17 +872,11 @@ SmpTranslateSystemPartitionInformation(VOID)
                                     TRUE,
                                     &Context,
                                     NULL);
-    if (!NT_SUCCESS(Status))
-    {
-        DPRINT1("SMSS: Cannot find drive letter for system partition\n");
-        return;
-    }
-
     /* Keep searching until we find it */
-    do
+    while (NT_SUCCESS(Status))
     {
         /* Is this it? */
-        if ((RtlEqualUnicodeString(&DirInfo->TypeName, &SearchString, TRUE)) &&
+        if (RtlEqualUnicodeString(&DirInfo->TypeName, &SearchString, TRUE) &&
             (DirInfo->Name.Length == 2 * sizeof(WCHAR)) &&
             (DirInfo->Name.Buffer[1] == L':'))
         {
@@ -904,13 +898,9 @@ SmpTranslateSystemPartitionInformation(VOID)
                 NtClose(LinkHandle);
 
                 /* Check if it matches the string we had found earlier */
-                if ((NT_SUCCESS(Status)) &&
-                    ((RtlEqualUnicodeString(&SystemPartition,
-                                            &LinkTarget,
-                                            TRUE)) ||
-                    ((RtlPrefixUnicodeString(&SystemPartition,
-                                             &LinkTarget,
-                                             TRUE)) &&
+                if (NT_SUCCESS(Status) &&
+                    (RtlEqualUnicodeString(&SystemPartition, &LinkTarget, TRUE) ||
+                    (RtlPrefixUnicodeString(&SystemPartition, &LinkTarget, TRUE) &&
                      (LinkTarget.Buffer[SystemPartition.Length / sizeof(WCHAR)] == L'\\'))))
                 {
                     /* All done */
@@ -927,11 +917,22 @@ SmpTranslateSystemPartitionInformation(VOID)
                                         FALSE,
                                         &Context,
                                         NULL);
-    } while (NT_SUCCESS(Status));
+    }
     if (!NT_SUCCESS(Status))
     {
-        DPRINT1("SMSS: Cannot find drive letter for system partition\n");
+        DPRINT1("SMSS: Cannot find drive letter for system partition: 0x%x\n", Status);
+#if (NTDDI_VERSION > NTDDI_WIN7SP1) || defined(__REACTOS__)
+        /* If we failed because no drive letter associated to the system
+         * volume was found (none was assigned to it), fall back to using
+         * the OS boot drive letter instead. Otherwise, fail altogether.
+         * NOTE: This has been introduced in a post-SP1 Windows 7 update. */
+        if (Status != STATUS_NO_MORE_ENTRIES)
+            return;
+        DirInfo->Name.Buffer[0] = SharedUserData->NtSystemRoot[0];
+        DirInfo->Name.Buffer[1] = SharedUserData->NtSystemRoot[1]; // == L':';
+#else
         return;
+#endif
     }
 
     /* Open the setup key again, for full access this time */
@@ -945,15 +946,15 @@ SmpTranslateSystemPartitionInformation(VOID)
     Status = NtOpenKey(&KeyHandle, KEY_ALL_ACCESS, &ObjectAttributes);
     if (!NT_SUCCESS(Status))
     {
-        DPRINT1("SMSS: Cannot open software setup key for writing: 0x%x\n",
-                Status);
+        DPRINT1("SMSS: Cannot open software setup key for writing: 0x%x\n", Status);
         return;
     }
 
     /* Wrap up the end of the link buffer */
-    wcsncpy(LinkBuffer, DirInfo->Name.Buffer, 2);
+    LinkBuffer[0] = DirInfo->Name.Buffer[0];
+    LinkBuffer[1] = DirInfo->Name.Buffer[1]; // == L':';
     LinkBuffer[2] = L'\\';
-    LinkBuffer[3] = L'\0';
+    LinkBuffer[3] = UNICODE_NULL;
 
     /* Now set this as the "BootDir" */
     RtlInitUnicodeString(&UnicodeString, L"BootDir");