Which technology is better for work hard disk - MBR or GPT? This question is asked computer specialists and PC users who install a new hard drive on the system. Essentially, replacing old technology MBR came the new GPT and it would seem that the answer to the question “GPT or MBR is better?” obvious. But you shouldn’t get ahead of things. The “new” does not always immediately replace the “well-polished old” in everything.

Background

To store information you need a medium. Computers have used a hard drive for these purposes for several decades, and to this day. Operating systems (OS) are also recorded on this storage medium. In order for a PC to be able to run the OS, it will first need to find logical drive, on which it is located.

Search is carried out using basic system input/output system (basic input/output system, abbreviated as BIOS), the MBR helps it with this.

MBR concept

MBR (Master Boot Record) translated into Russian as “Master Boot Record” is the first sector (the very first 512 bytes of memory) of the storage medium (whether it is a hard drive (HDD) or solid state drive(SSD)). MBR is designed for several functions:

1. Contains code and data (446 bytes - boot loader) that the BIOS needs to start loading the OS.
2. Contains information about hard disk partitions (4 primary partitions, 16 bytes each). This information is called a Partition Table.
3. Guard (0xAA55, size - 2 bytes).

OS boot process

Loading the operating system after turning on the computer is a multi-step process. Most PCs today prepare their hardware for use using BIOS firmware. During startup, the BIOS initializes system devices, then looks for the bootloader in the MBR of the first storage device (HDD, SDD, DVD-R disc or USB drive) or on the first partition of the device (therefore, in order to boot from another drive, you need ).

Next, the BIOS passes control to the bootloader, which reads information from the partition table and prepares to boot the OS. The process is completed by our guardian - a special signature 55h AAH, which identifies the master boot record (OS loading has begun). The signature is located at the very end of the first sector in which the MBR is located.

Flaws

MBR technology was first used in the 80s in the first DOS versions. Over time, the MBR was sanded and rolled on all sides. It is considered simple and reliable. But with growth computing power, the need for large volumes media memory. There were difficulties with this, since MBR technology only supports drives up to 2.2 TB. Also, MBR cannot support more than 4 primary partitions on a single disk.

Peculiarities

GPT is located at the beginning of the hard disk, just like MBR, but not in the first, but in the second sector. The first sector is still reserved for the MBR, which can also be found in GPT disks. This is done for security purposes and to ensure compatibility with older operating systems. In general, the structure of GPT is similar to its predecessor, with the exception of some features:

1. GPT does not limit its size to one sector (512 bytes).
2. Windows reserves 16,384 bytes for the partition table (if a 512-byte sector is used, then it is calculated that 32 sectors are available).
3. GPT has a duplication feature - the table of contents and partition table are written at the beginning and end of the disk.
4. The number of partitions is not limited, but technically there is currently a limit of 2 64 partitions due to the width of the fields.
5. Theoretically, GPT allows you to create disk partitions (with a sector size of 512 bytes; if the sector size is larger, then the partition size is larger) up to 9.4 ZB in size (that's 9.4 × 10 21 bytes; to give a better idea, the partition size of the storage medium could would have the same volume as 940 million disks of 10 TB each). This fact eliminates the problem of limiting storage media to 2.2 TB under MBR control.
6. GPT allows you to assign a unique 128-bit identifier (GUID), names, and attributes to partitions. Using the Unicode character encoding standard, sections can be named in any language and grouped into folders.

OS boot steps

Loading the OS is completely different from the BIOS. UEFI does not access the MBR code to boot Windows, even if it exists. Instead, a special partition on the hard drive is used, which is called “EFI SYSTEM PARTITION”. It contains files that need to be launched to download.

Boot files are stored in the directory /EFI/<ИМЯ ВЛАДЕЛЬЦА>/. This means that UEFI has its own multi-booter, which allows you to detect and load many times faster required applications(in BIOS MBR this required third party programs). The UEFI boot process is as follows:

1. Turning on the computer → checking the hardware.
2. The UEFI firmware is loading.
3. The firmware loads the boot manager, which determines which drives and partitions UEFI applications will be loaded from.
4. The firmware runs the UEFI application with the FAT32 file system of the UEFISYS partition, as specified in boot entry firmware download manager.

Flaws

GPT has disadvantages, and the most noticeable of them is the lack of support for the technology in previous devices using BIOS firmware. OS Windows family are able to distinguish and work with a GPT partition, but not everyone can boot from it. I'll bring you clear example in the table.

operating system	Bit depth	Read, write
Windows 10	x32	+	+
	x64	+	+
Windows 8	x32	+	+
	x64	+	+
Windows 7	x32	+	-
	x64	+	+
Windows Vista	x32	+	-
	x64	+	+
Windows XP Professional	x32	-	-
	x64	+	-

Also, among the disadvantages of GPT we can highlight:

1. It is not possible to assign a name to an entire disk like separate sections(only has its own GUID).
2. The section is being linked to its number in the table ( third party downloaders OSs prefer to use numbers instead of names and GUIDs).
3. Duplicate tables (Primary GPT Header and Secondary GPT Header) are strictly limited to 2 pieces and have fixed positions. If the media is damaged and there are errors, this may not be enough to recover the data.
4. These 2 copies of GPT (Primary and Secondary GPT Header) interact with each other, but do not allow the checksum to be deleted or rewritten if it is incorrect in one of the copies. This means that there is no protection against at the GPT level.

The presence of such shortcomings shows that the technology is not perfect enough and still needs to be worked on.

Comparison of two technologies

Although the concepts of MBR and GPT are quite different from each other, I will try to compare them in general terms.

Also visually compare OS loading using old and new technology.

Conclusion

Before deciding whether GPT or MBR is better, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Will I use the disk with the partition I need for storing data or as a system disk for booting Windows?
2. If as a system one, then which Windows will I use?
3. On my computer it is BIOS firmware or UEFI?
4. Is my hard drive less than 2 TB?

By answering these questions after reading the article, you will decide which technology is better in this moment just for you.

P.S. Motherboards that are being printed now are equipped with UEFI firmware. If you have one, it is preferable to use partitions with GPT style(but again, depending on what goals you are pursuing). Co BIOS time will become a thing of the past sooner or later, but most computerized devices will work with drives using GPT.

Hello friends! I am often asked how to quickly determine style hard drive MBR or GPT?

And in fact, if you take a laptop or regular computer and run the operating system on it, you will not immediately understand what layout the drive is. I did a little experiment and asked my friends to determine the style of my SSD mobile computer. To my surprise, several participants in the experiment went into the BIOS to see if the UEFI interface was enabled there, and only two opened Disk Management and set the partition using the disk properties. But I want to say that you can do this even easier in the command line or Windows PowerShell.

MBR or GPT

Any HDD or solid state SSD drive contains in the initial sectors a small program code(boot record) used by Windows to boot, also this code carries a partition table, that is, information about the partitions of the hard drive. This code may be standard MBR or GPT.

Master Boot Record MBR has been used since 1983 and has long been outdated, as it does not allow the use of all the space of modern HDD capacity 2 TB or more, and does not support creating more than 4 primary partitions on the disk. There are other reasons: poor security and the ability to work only with the outdated BIOS input/output system.

The GPT standard is devoid of all these shortcomings and perfectly sees the entire space hard drives of any volume, allows you to create 128 main sections, is better protected and uses a more modern version of the BIOS called UEFI.

So, if you are given a laptop with Windows 8.1 or Win 10 installed, then you will not immediately understand what style of HDD it has. In today's article, I will show you several ways to determine this.

• An attentive reader may ask, why even know the drive layout standard? The simplest answer may sound like this: - If the disk on which the operating system is installed GPT markup, this means you have a modern computer or laptop with the UEFI interface enabled. Accordingly, the method for restoring the operating system bootloader is different. You will not be able to install on this Windows laptop 7 by the second system and so on (I can name many more reasons).

So, let's find out the standard of the hard drive or SSD using Windows PowerShell.

If on your computer device the latest version is installed, then open Windows PowerShell

and enter the command: get-disk

We see it on the “Partition Style” tab that the system has two disks and the first drive with a capacity of 1000 GB is in GPT format, and the second 500 MB is in MBR format.

In the administrator's command line, you can also find out the style of the hard drive, but only with a different command.

MBR (in Russian - master boot record) is a specific set of data, lines of code, partition table and signatures. It is required to load the Windows operating system after turning on the computer. There are cases when, as a result of various hardware and system failures, the ICBM is damaged or erased, which makes it impossible to Windows startup. Similar problems solves the recovery of the Windows 7 MBR boot record. This article discusses several simple ways in which you can recover records.

A little theory

After switching on computer BIOS selects the storage medium from which the download will be carried out. At this stage, the device needs to know which hard section disk contains system files Windows. MBR is a small program that is stored in the first HDD sector and points the computer to correct section to start the system.

If you install the second operating system incorrectly, the partition table may be damaged and the first Windows will not be able to start. The same thing sometimes happens when sudden shutdown electricity. If this happens, do not despair; damaged data can be completely restored.

Boot Record Recovery

In order to restore the MBR, you will need the installation disk from which you installed Windows (or any other). If there is no disk, you can create a bootable USB flash drive with Win7. Action algorithm:

Automatic recovery

First, it’s worth providing the MBR repair standard means from Microsoft. Select Startup Repair. There is no need to do anything else, some time will pass and the computer will indicate that the process is complete. Try starting Windows. If nothing works, then you need to restore the ICBM manually.

Command line

This path requires you to enter several commands in command line Windows.

• From the system recovery menu, select Command Prompt.
• Now you need to enter “bottrec/fixmbr”. This command serves to write a new MBR compatible with Win 7. The command will remove non-standard parts of the code, fix corruption, but will not affect the existing partition table.
• Next enter “bootrec/fixboot". This command is used to create a new boot sector for Windows.
• Next “bootrec/nt60 sys”. This command will update the MBR boot code.
• Close the console, restart your computer and try to start the system. If the problem is still not resolved, you need to enter a few more commands.
• Launch the console again and enter "bootrec/Scanos" and "bootrec/rebuildbcd". Using these utilities, your computer will scan your hard drive for operating systems, and then add them to the boot menu.
• Then enter “bootrec/nt60 sys” again and restart the computer.

TestDisk utility

If you don't have bootable flash drive or disk, you can restore a damaged recording using third party program. To do this, you need to run another (working) OS. If your machine only had one Windows, you will have to connect the hard drive to another computer. Working with TestDisk is quite complex, so it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the manuals dedicated specifically to this program.

Choosing one of the GPT or MBR standards can be quite simple for the owner of a new computer with a large hard drive and a modern UEFI interface.

Such parameters require a transition to more modern standard.

Whereas, if you have more than one PC, the choice may be made in favor of an almost outdated MBR - and it may turn out to be the only option.

Contents:

What do these abbreviations mean?

Any hard drive or solid-state drive must be partitioned before being used to record the operating system, system and other information.

MBR standard, which stands for "master boot record", represents old way data storage, GPT (or "GUID Partition Table") is new.

Both of them are also necessary to store information about the beginning and end of each partition, thanks to which the system recognizes the location of sectors and determines whether this part of the disk is bootable or not.

Although the MBR is considered reliable and simple - and recovery is rarely required.

The disadvantages of the standard include impossibility of support large quantity partitions is a small drawback for HDDs up to 500 GB in size, but is already quite serious for terabyte or even 4 terabyte models.

If it was necessary to create more than 4 partitions, it was necessary to use rather complex EBR technology.

The second problem associated with increasing the volume of hard drives is the inability to work with partitions larger than 2.2 TB.

Advantages and disadvantages of the new standard

The improved GPT standard, which is gradually replacing MBR, is part of UEFI technology, which, in turn, replaces the outdated BIOS interface.

Each section has its own unique identificator- Very long string characters. The advantage of GPT compared to the outdated standard can be called:

• no restrictions on the volume of the section. More precisely, the maximum value still exists - but it will not be possible to achieve it earlier than in several decades;
• unlimited number of sections– up to 264 in general, up to 128 for Windows OS.

On a disk that supports the MBR standard, partition and boot data are located in the same place. If this part of the drive is damaged, the PC user faces a number of problems.

Another difference between GPT is the storage of cyclic redundancy code, which allows you to control the safety of data.

Damage to information leads to an immediate attempt to restore it.

While when using MBR, you can find out about the problem after the system has stopped booting and its partitions have disappeared.

Among the disadvantages of the standard, it is worth noting the lack of support for previous technologies - . And, although an operating system with an outdated interface recognizes it, the likelihood of loading it is minimal. In addition, when using this option, you cannot assign names to all disks, as well as partitions, and data recovery is not always available due to limitations in the number and location of duplicate tables.

Compatibility

Trying to configure a GPT disk using MBR-only technologies will get you nowhere- Thus, protective option Master Boot Record prevents accidental overwriting and legacy partitioning.

Windows systems boot from technology marked GPT disk ov only on devices that support the UEFI interface - that is, on laptops and PCs with Windows from Vista to 10.

If the firmware motherboard contains , the sections will be read, but loading most likely will not occur.

Although these same operating systems are capable of working with GPT disks as information storage.

You should know: The GPT standard is also supported by other operating systems, including Linux. And on Apple computers, this technology replaced the old APT partition table.

Comparison of standards

To assess the similarities and differences between the two standards, the capabilities of their operation, drives and boot interface, it is worth creating a small comparison table.

It makes it much easier to decide what partition standard to use for your computer.

Table 1. Comparative characteristics of MBR and GPT

Standard	MBR	GPT
Working with firmware	With BIOS and UEFI	Only with UEFI
Windows support	All versions, starting from the very first	Only 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Vista, all variants of Windows 8 and 10
Read and write	Any platforms	All Windows operating systems from Vista and higher + XP Professional 64-bit
Number of partitions on one disk	No more than 4	Up to 264
Maximum partition size	2.2 TB	9.4 x 109 TB
Built-in multi-booter	Absent	Eat

Problems of working with the new standard and their solutions

The existence of two standards can lead to certain problems. Especially if the computer does not allow loading by any other method other than using the hard drive.

The situation can be corrected by moving to, which does not allow working with the new standard - and when you try to boot, an error appears on the screen indicating the presence of a GPT partition style.

Solving the problem is not so difficult - to do this you will need to take a regular boot disk with Windows OS and execute the following actions :

• Start booting from disk;
• get there until the section is selected, where the problem appears;
• Launch console(simultaneous pressing Shift and F10);
• Get started with special utility by entering the command diskpart.

After the program is launched, you should type “list disk”, which will lead to a list of numbered disks appearing on the screen.

Now you just need to enter “clean” on the command line, clearing unnecessary information, and proceed to converting standards.

In order for a GPT disk to be converted to an outdated format, you should enter the convert mbr command, which allows you to work with the disk and install any platform on it.

The same utility provides work with partitions.

For example, entering the command "create partition primary size=X" creates a partition of X GB in size, “format fs=ntfs label=”System” quick” performs formatting to NTFS, and "active" allows the partition to become active.

• Translation

Have you ever wondered how your computer boots? Regardless of the hardware and operating system, all computers boot using either the traditional BIOS-MBR method or the more modern UEFI-GPT implemented in latest versions OS.

In this article, we will compare GPT and MBR partition structures; GPT stands for GUID Partition Table and MBR stands for Master Boot Record. Let's start by looking at the download process itself.

The following chapters highlight the differences between GPT and MBR partition styles, including instructions on how to convert between the two styles and advice on which one to choose.

Understanding the Boot Process

When you press the power button on your PC, it starts a process that will eventually load the operating system into memory. The first command depends on what the partition structure is on your hard drive.

If there are two types of partition structures: MBR and GPT. The partition structure on a disk determines three things:

1. Data structure on disk.
2. The code that is used during boot if the partition is bootable.
3. Where does the section begin and end?

MBR boot process

Let's return to the download process. If your system uses an MBR partition structure, the first execution process will load the BIOS. The Basic Input/Output System includes bootloader firmware. The bootloader firmware contains low-level functions such as keyboard input, video display access, disk I/O, and code to load the initial stage of the bootloader. Before the BIOS can detect boot device, it performs a sequence of functions system configuration, starting with the following:

• Self-test at power-on.
• Detection and initialization of the video card.
• Displays the BIOS start screen.
• Implementation quick check memory (RAM).
• Plug and play device configuration.
• Boot device definition.

Once the BIOS has detected a boot device, it reads the first disk sector of that device into memory. The first sector of the disk is the master boot record (MBR), which is 512 bytes in size. Three objects fit into this size:

• First stage of the bootloader (446 bytes).
• Disk Partition Table (16 bytes per partition × 4 partitions) - MBR only supports four partitions, more on that below.
• Signature (2 bytes).

At this stage, the MBR scans the partition table and loads it into RAM boot sector - Volume Boot Record (VBR).

A VBR usually contains an Initial Program Loader (IPL), this code initiates the loading process. The program's boot loader includes a second boot loader stage, which then loads the operating system. On Windows NT family systems, such as Windows XP, the bootloader first loads another program called NT Loader (NTLDR), which then loads the operating system.

For operating systems on Linux kernel The GRUB (Grand Unified Bootloader) bootloader is used. The download process is similar to that described above, the only difference is the name of the loaders at the first and second stages.

In GRUB, the first stage of the boot loader is called GRUB Stage 1. It loads the second stage, known as GRUB Stage 2. The second stage loads gets a list of operating systems on hard drives and provides the user with a list to select an OS to boot.

GPT boot process

At the same boot stage, the following happens in the GPT partition structure. GPT uses UEFI, which does not have the same storage procedure as MBR. boot sector the first stage of the bootloader and then calling the second stage of the bootloader. UEFI - Unified Extensible Firmware Interface - is a more advanced interface than BIOS. He can analyze file system and even upload files yourself.

After turning on your UEFI computer First performs system configuration functions, just like the BIOS. This includes energy management, setting dates and other system management components.

UEFI then reads the GPT - GUID Partition Table. GUID stands for Globally Unique Identifier. GPT is located in the first sectors of the disk, just after sector 0, where the master boot record for the Legacy BIOS is still stored.

GPT defines the partition table on the disk where the EFI boot loader recognizes the EFI system partition. System partition contains bootloaders for all operating systems installed on other hard disk partitions. The bootloader initializes the Windows boot manager, which then boots the operating system.

For Linux kernel operating systems, there is an EFI-enabled version of GRUB that loads a file, such as grub.efi, or an EFI boot loader, which loads its own file, such as elilo.efi.

You may notice that both UEFI-GPT, And BIOS-MBR transfer control to the bootloader, but do not directly load the operating system. However, UEFI does not require you to go through multiple bootloader stages like BIOS. The boot process occurs at a very early stage, depending on your hardware configuration.

Differences between GPT and MBR partition structures

If you've ever tried to install Windows 8 or 10 on new computer, then most likely you saw the question: which partition structure to use, MBR or GPT.

If you want to know more or are planning to install a new operating system on your computer, then read on. We've already looked at differences in boot processes that are worth keeping in mind when partitioning a disk or choosing a partition structure.

GPT is a newer and more advanced partition structure, and it has many advantages, which I will list below. MBR has been in use for a long time, it is stable and has maximum compatibility. Although GPT may eventually replace MBR as it offers more advanced features, in some cases only MBR can be used.

Master Boot Record

MBR is a traditional structure for managing disk partitions. Since it is compatible with most systems, it is still widely used. The master boot record is located in the first sector of the hard drive or, more simply, at the very beginning. It contains a partition table - information about the organization of logical partitions on the hard drive.

MBR also contains executable code, which scans partitions for the active OS and initiates the OS boot procedure.

An MBR disk allows only four primary partitions. If you need more, you can designate one of the partitions as an extended partition, and you can create more subpartitions or logical drives on it.

The MBR uses 32 bits to record the partition length, expressed in sectors, so that each partition is limited to a maximum size of 2 TB.

Advantages

• Compatible with most systems.

Flaws

• Allows only four partitions, with the ability to create additional subpartitions on one of the main partitions.
• Limits the partition size to two terabytes.
• Partition information is stored in only one place - the master boot record. If it is damaged, the entire disk becomes unreadable.

GUID Partition Table (GPT)

GPT - more new standard to determine the partition structure on the disk. Globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) are used to define the structure.

This is part of the UEFI standard, meaning a UEFI-based system can only be installed on a drive that uses GPT, such as the Windows 8 Secure Boot feature.

GPT allows for an unlimited number of partitions, although some operating systems may limit the number to 128 partitions. There is also virtually no limit on partition size in GPT.

Advantages

• Allows an unlimited number of sections. The limit is set by the operating system; for example, Windows allows no more than 128 partitions.
• Does not limit partition size. It depends on the operating system. Limit on maximum size partition is larger than the capacity of any disks existing today. For drives with 512-byte sectors, a maximum supported size of 9.4 ZB (one zettabyte is equal to 1,073,741,824 terabytes)
• GPT stores a copy of the partition and boot data and can recover the data if the main GPT header becomes corrupted.
• GPT stores values checksum using a cyclic redundancy code (CRC) algorithm to check the integrity of its data (used to check the integrity of GPT header data). If corrupted, GPT can notice the problem and attempt to recover the corrupted data from another location on the disk.

Flaws

• May not be compatible with older systems.

GPT vs MBR

• GPT allows an unlimited number of primary partitions, while MBR allows only four primary partitions and the rest are secondary.
• GPT allows you to create partitions of any size, while MBR has a limit of 2 TB.
• GPT stores a copy of the partition data, allowing it to be restored if the main GPT header becomes corrupted; MBR stores only one copy of partition data in the first sector of the hard disk, which can lead to the loss of all information if partition information is damaged.
• GPT stores checksum values ​​to verify that data is not corrupted and can perform necessary recovery from other areas of the disk if corruption occurs; The MBR has no way of knowing if data is corrupted; you can only find out if the computer refuses to boot or the partition disappears.

Operating system compatibility

The first sector (sector 0) on a GPT disk contains an MBR protection record, which records that the disk has one partition that spans the entire media. In case of using older tools that only read MBR disks, you will see one large partition the size of the entire disk. The protective record is made to prevent the old tool from mistaking the disk as empty and overwriting the GPT data with a new master boot record.

MBR protects GPT data from being overwritten.

Apple MacBooks" and use GPT by default, so it is not possible to install Mac OS X on an MBR system. Even though Mac OS X can run on an MBR disk, it is not possible to install on it. I tried this, but without success.

Most Linux kernel operating systems are GPT compatible. When installing Linux OS on the disk, GRUB 2 will be installed as the bootloader.

For operating rooms Windows systems Booting from GPT is only possible on UEFI computers running 64-bit versions of Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10 and related server versions. If you bought a laptop with a 64-bit version of Windows 8, then there is a high probability that it has GPT.

Windows 7 and above early systems Typically installed on MBR disks, you can still convert partitions to GPT, as discussed below.

All versions of Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10 can read and use data from GPT partitions - but they cannot boot from such non-UEFI drives.

So GPT or MBR?

You can feel comfortable with both MBR and GPT. But given the benefits of GPT mentioned earlier and the fact that the transition is gradual modern computers for this technology, you may prefer GPT. If the goal is to support older hardware or need to use a traditional BIOS, then you are stuck with MBR.

Check the hard drive partition type

On each hard drive under Windows, you can check the partition type using Disk Management ( Disk Management). To launch Disk Management, do the following:

Press the Windows + R hotkey combination to open a window for launching programs.

Type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter.

Windows will scan hard disks and will soon show them. To check the partition type of any hard drive, click right click mouse on the disk plate at the bottom of the interface. You need to click on “Disk 0”, “Disk 1” and so on, and not on partitions.

In the appeared context menu select Properties. A window with the properties of the selected disk will open.

Go to the Volumes tab and look at the Partition Style value.

If you prefer the command line, you can choose another option. Its advantage is that it is slightly faster, since it immediately displays drives and partition styles.

1. Click Windows key, type cmd.exe, hold Ctrl and Shift, press Enter.
2. Confirm the UAC message about increasing system privileges.
3. Type diskpart and press Enter.
4. Type list disk and press Enter again.

All drives are listed. The Gpt column indicates the partition style for each disk. If you see an asterisk in the column, then it is GPT; if it is not there, it is MBR.

Convert between MBR and GPT during Windows installations

There are two common error messages that may appear when installing Windows on a hard drive:

• Error #1: “Windows cannot be installed on this drive. The selected disk does not have a GPT partition style."
• Error #2: “Windows cannot be installed on this drive. The selected disk has a GPT partition style."

When one of these two errors appears, you may not be able to select a partition to install. But this does not mean that there is something wrong with the computer.

As you already know, MBR and GPT are two completely different hard disk partition structures. MBR is the traditional partition structure, while GPT is the newer one.

Error #1 occurs when you try to install Windows on a UEFI computer and the hard drive partition is not configured for UEFI mode or Legacy BIOS compatibility. Microsoft TechNet offers two options to resolve the issue.

1. Reboot the computer in Legacy BIOS compatibility mode. This option will keep the current section style.
2. Reformat the disk for UEFI using the GPT partition style. This option will allow you to use UEFI firmware features. You can do the reformatting yourself by following the instructions below. Always save backup copy data before formatting.

Of course have third party utilities to convert disks to GPT while preserving the data, but it is still safer to make a backup copy in case the utility is unable to complete the conversion.

Instructions for converting a hard drive from MBR to GPT

Using Windows Setup

1. Select the unallocated space and click Next. Windows will detect that the computer is booted in UEFI mode and will automatically reformat the drive using the GPT partition style. The installation process will begin immediately after this.

Manual conversion

1. Turn off your computer and plug in boot drive Windows (USB or DVD).
2. Boot from it in UEFI mode.
3. Clean the disk: clean .
4. Conversion to GPT is done with the convert gpt command.

Instructions for converting a hard drive from GPT to MBR

Sometimes it is necessary to convert a disk to an MBR partition structure. For example, if you receive the following error message during Windows installation:

"Windows cannot be installed on this drive. The selected disk has a GPT partition style"

Booting from GPT is only supported on 64-bit Windows versions Vista, 7, 8, 10 and corresponding server versions on UEFI systems. This error message means that your computer does not support UEFI, and therefore you can only use a BIOS that works with the MBR partition structure.

Microsoft TechNet offers two options to resolve the issue.

1. Reboot the computer in BIOS compatibility mode. This option will keep the current section style.
2. Reformat the disk using the MBR partition style. Always back up your data before formatting. Although there are third-party utilities that can convert disks to GPT while preserving the data, it is still safer to make a backup copy in case the utility fails to complete the conversion.

If you chose the second option, then follow the step-by-step instructions:

Using Windows Setup

1. Turn off your computer and insert a bootable Windows drive (USB or DVD).
2. Boot from it in UEFI mode.
3. Select "Other" (Custom) in the installation type.
4. A screen will appear asking “Where do you want to install Windows?” Select all partitions on the disk and click Delete.
5. After successful removal, the disk will be a single area of ​​unallocated space.
6. Select the unallocated space and click Next. Windows will detect that the computer is booted into BIOS mode, and automatically reformats the disk using the MBR partition style. The installation process will begin immediately after this.

Manual conversion

1. Turn off your computer and insert a bootable Windows drive (USB or DVD).
2. Boot from it in BIOS mode.
3. From the Windows installation, press Shift+F10 to open the console. After each next command press Enter.
4. Run the diskpart tool with the diskpart command.
5. To select the disk to convert, type list disk .
6. Specify the disk number to convert: select disk # .
7. Clean the disk: clean .
8. Conversion to GPT is done with the convert mbr command.
9. Type exit to exit diskpart.
10. Close the console and return to the Windows installation.
11. When choosing an installation type, select "Other". The disk will be a single area of ​​unallocated space.
12. Select the unallocated space and click Next. Windows will begin installation.