GPT is short for GUID Partition Table, which is limited to 128 partitions and 9.4 zettabytes of disk size. But in order to boot the OS from the GPT disk, the computer must work in the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) mode, which replaced the BIOS.

Why convert MBR and GPT on Windows 10?

From the above, it is clear that MBR supports partitions up to 2 TB. What does this mean? For example, if the logical disk size is 3 TB, then 1 TB will be detected as an unallocated area in Windows 10 and you will not be able to use it. To overcome this limitation, users need to convert MBR to GPT.

Besides hardware limitation, 32-bit operating systems (Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows 2000, Windows NT4) also do not support GPT disks. On these operating systems, the GPT disk will be shown as protected, and you will not have access to the data on it until you convert it to MBR.

However, progress does not stand still and many Windows 10 users will be able to convert MBR to GPT and vice versa, depending on their needs.

How to convert MBR and GPT in Windows 10?

For Windows 10 users, there are two ways to convert MBR to GPT and vice versa. Let's consider in detail.

Disk management

Disk Management is a built-in Windows 10 tool that gives you the ability to modify (create, delete, grow, shrink) partitions, convert them to GPT or MBR.

Use this tool:

• Open the window by clicking "This PC"> "Management"> "Disk Management";
• Select the disk to be converted with the right mouse button (for example, "Disk 0"). In the pop-up window, you will see an inactive option "Convert to GPT disk".

With this tool, you can convert to MBR or GPT only if there are no partitions on the disk. You need to delete all partitions on Disk 0 and after that convert MBR to GPT and vice versa.

Command line

Command Prompt is a built-in Windows 10 tool that can arrange partitions and convert MBR to GPT. The command line allows you to convert MBR to GPT and vice versa only if the disk you plan to work with has no partitions.

So, we do the following:

• Click "Start"> enter "Command line" and run it as administrator;
• Enter "Diskpart" and press "Enter";
• Enter "List disk" and press "Enter";
• Enter "Select disk N" and press "Enter". "N" Is the number of the disk you want to convert (for example, "Disc 0");
• Enter "Clean" and press "Enter" to delete all partitions or volumes on the selected disk;
• Enter "Convert mbr" and press "Enter" to complete the conversion with GPT v MBR format.

Both of these methods make it possible to convert an MBR disk to GPT and vice versa. But both methods require deleting all partitions from the disk, and you are at risk of data loss. Therefore, before starting the conversion process, make a backup copy of all data that will be deleted and then restore it.

Reasons for data loss

There are a number of programs from different manufacturers that allow such conversions without data loss. They do not require you to delete all partitions. But nevertheless, the risk of data loss still exists, and you need to be prepared for it. After all, there is a chance of losing information during any operations with partitions and / or disks. For this, as indicated above, you must at least make a backup copy of your data.

But if you are unable to use such programs, or you later realized that you made a mistake by not using them, you can restore your files using special data recovery software. And in this case, Hetman Partition Recovery is perfect for you! After all, this program finds all previously created disk partitions and displays them to the user for further analysis and search for deleted information.

Reasons why your data will be inaccessible after converting from MBR to GPT:

• You need to install a 32-bit OS, which will not install on a GPT disk;
• The computer uses "old hardware" with the BIOS, and you plan to install a 64-bit OS on this hard drive;
• You are planning to use an external USB drive as a boot drive for computers with a BIOS system;
• You have several OS installed on the disk with a bootloader that does not support GPT;
• You are planning to use the USB drive as a file storage with a router, TV, car radio, etc .;

Reasons why your data will be lost after converting from GPT to MBR:

• Partitions larger than 2 TB cannot be described in MBR;
• If the disk is divided into more than 4 logical partitions, it will not work to convert it to MBR;

Therefore, our advice is to approach the issue of converting disks from MBR to GPT and vice versa, thoughtfully and with understanding.

On computers and laptops of previous generations, installing Windows 7 generally went smoothly and without much hassle. In relatively new devices, especially with a preinstalled version of Windows, when reinstalling, you can very often get the error “Installation to disk is not possible. The selected disk has a GPT partition style "... Next, we will look at how to convert GPT to MBR right during the installation of windows.

How to convert GPT to MBR when installing windows 7?

Converting GPT to MBR is performed using standard Windows tools (even at the time of installation). If necessary, you can convert the disk back, even without losing data, but we'll talk about that another time. Now let's figure out how working with the command line allows you to quickly convert our disk from GPT to MBR in 6 simple steps.

Convert GPT to MBR during OS installation

1. At the stage of selecting a drive for installing windows, press the key combination Shift + F10;
2. This will open a command prompt window. To display all connected hard drives, run a special utility with the command diskpart;
3. Then we introduce list disk and the screen will display all connected hard drives;
4. Now you need to select the disk for conversion, with the command select disk N. Here N is the disk number from the displayed list above. It is easy to define it by its size. Also, this list may display your flash drive from which you are going to install windows. But we choose exactly the hard drive. That is, in the team select disk N instead of N, put the number opposite the desired disk;
5. The next action will be the command clean. Attention! This command removes all partitions on the hard drive. Accordingly, all data from the entire hard drive. Therefore, in advance, save everything important to a USB flash drive, hard drive, cloud, etc .;
6. And finally, the command to convert GPT to MBR itself - convert mbr.
7. That's all. Enter twice exit to stop working with the utility diskpart and exit the command line.

how to convert disk from GPT to MBR when installing windows 7

Nowadays most laptops and computers are sold with Windows 8 preinstalled. But not all users like it. Many people uninstall the new operating system and install the familiar Windows 7 instead.

However, during the installation process, the following message appears: “Windows cannot be installed on this disc. The selected disk has a GPT partition style. "

The thing is that new computers have hard drives with a GPT partition table instead of the usual MBR. This is a new standard developed by Intel and is part of the UEFI BIOSa. Unlike the MBR table, which supported drives with a maximum capacity of 2 TB, the GPT partition table supports much larger hard drives.

But, despite all the advantages, sometimes you need to install the operating system on a disk with the MBR partition table. Let's take a look at how you can convert your hard drive from GPT to MBR.

During Windows installation

Delete all sections

ATTENTION!!! All information stored on the hard drive will be deleted.

During the installation of the operating system, in the window where you need to select the partition for installation, click on the button "Disk setup"... Then delete everything and recreate them. If the volume of your hard drive is less than 2.2 TB, then a new disk will be created with the MBR partition table.

Converting via the command line

This method also implies complete deletion of data from all partitions. That is, if you had partitions C :, D :, E :, then the information will be deleted not only from C: where the system was installed, but also from D: and from E :.

In the window where you need to select the partition for installing the operating system, press Shift + F10.

A command prompt window will open. We will convert GPT to MBR using a special utility built into Windows. Enter the command diskpart and press "Enter".

The list disk command will open a list in which you can select the one you want. Please note that if the disk contains the GPT partition table, there will be "*" in front of it.

The select disk 0 command will allow you to select the desired disk. Here, instead of "0", there should be the number of your hard drive, which was determined by the previous command - it can be 0, or 1, or 2, depending on how many of them are installed on the computer.

The clean command will completely clean it up - remove all sections and information from them.

The convert mbr command converts hard to MBR.

Enter exit once to exit the DiskPart console utility, and exit again to close the command prompt.

Now on the hard partition table MBR, you can proceed with the installation of the operating system.

Conversion without data loss

If you do not want to lose the information that is on the hard drive, but convert it to MBR as needed, then we will use the Paragon Hard Disk Manager program. You can download it from the official website. The only thing is that this program is paid. Of course, there is a Demo version, but the GPT to MBR converter is not active in it. Therefore, you only need to install the full version.

We launch the program on a computer using a Live CD or a bootable USB flash drive. Then select the hard one to be converted with the mouse. Here you can also see which partition table is on it.

If such a list does not open for you, find the item in the program window "List of disks and partitions" and click on the black small arrow opposite it.

Click on the desired one with the right mouse button and select the item "Convert basic GPT to basic MBR disk".

In the next window, click on the button "Convert".

To apply the changes, click on the green checkmark in the upper left corner.

A confirmation window will pop up, click "Yes".

After the process is complete, click "Close".

Now the name will change in the list - "Basic MBR hard drive".

We open the disk through the explorer and see that all the files have remained in place.

Convert on a computer with two hard drives

Consider this option as well. The computer has two hard drives, divided into partitions. Your main OS is on the first, on the second you want to install a new system. In this case, you can convert GPT to MBR using Windows itself, or using Paragon Hard Disk Manager.

With the removal of information

Let's consider the first option. In this case, the information from the selected hard disk will be deleted. To do this, go to "Disk Management": press the combination Win + R and in the "Open" field type diskmgmt.msc, click "OK".

The window we need will open. I have only one hard drive installed. You will have "Disk 0" and "Disk 1". Select the one on which you are going to install the new OS. Now right-click on any partition and select "Delete volume" from the context menu. Repeat this for everyone else on this hard drive.

Now right-click on the hardest one and select "Convert to MBR Disk"(you will have it).

After that, the partition table will be MBR. You can partition the disk into the necessary partitions.

With the preservation of information

The second option is to use the Paragon Hard Disk Manager program. Run it on a computer with a working operating system. All information will be saved. Then select the hard one that you want to convert, the main thing is not the one on which the working OS is installed, and repeat all the steps with the program that were described in the paragraph above.

As you can see, there are various ways to convert a disk with a GPT partition table to MBR. You can convert the disk to MBR when installing the operating system, or use Paragon Hard Disk Manager and save all the data.

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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 a more modern standard.

Whereas in the presence of more or a PC, the choice can be made in favor of an almost outdated MBR - and it may turn out to be the only option at all.

Content:

What do these abbreviations mean?

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

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

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

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

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

If it was necessary to create more than 4 partitions, it was required to use a 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 the UEFI technology, which in turn replaces the legacy BIOS interface.

Each section has its own unique identificator- a very long string of characters. The advantage of GPT over the legacy standard is:

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

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

Another difference of 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 using MBR, you get to know about the problem after the system has stopped booting and its partitions have disappeared.

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

Compatibility

Attempting to configure a GPT disk using MBR-only technologies will fail- thus, the protective variant of the master boot record prevents accidental overwriting and markup according to the old standard.

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

If the firmware of the motherboard contains, the partitions will be read, but the download will most likely fail.

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

You should know: The GPT standard is 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, their capabilities, drives and boot interface, it is worth creating a small comparison table.

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

Problems of working with the new standard and their solution

The existence of two standards can lead to certain problems. Especially if the computer is prohibited from downloading in any other way, except for using the hard disk.

The situation can be corrected by switching to, which does not allow working with the new standard - and when trying to boot, an error appears on the screen, informing about the presence of the GPT partition style.

It is not so difficult to solve the problem - for this you need to take a regular boot disk with Windows OS and do the following:

• Start booting from disk;
• Reach until you select a section on which the problem appears;
• Launch console(pressing Shift and F10 at the same time);
• Get started with a special utility by entering the diskpart command.

After the program is launched, type "list disk", which will lead to a list of numbered disks on the screen.

Now all you have to do is enter "clean" at the command line, clearing up the unnecessary information, and proceed to converting the standards.

In order for the GPT disk to be converted to an obsolete format, 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, introducing the command "Create partition primary size = X" creates a partition X GB in size, "Format fs = ntfs label =" System "quick" does formatting to NTFS, and "active" allows the partition to become active.

I am glad to meet you again, my dear readers. I know for sure that many of you are constantly improving their skills, and, for example, reinstalling the OS is not particularly difficult for you. But, as practice shows, even experienced users sometimes face a problem caused by a mismatch in disk layout. Therefore, today's our conversation is about how to convert GPT to MBR.

I'll start my story with a short introduction.

Most of you have one hard drive at home or at work, a slightly smaller percentage have several separate volumes on it: C: \ - for the system and, for example, D: \ - for storing documents, media files and work programs.

To carry out such a division, the MBR master boot record format was created at one time, which determined the disk partitioning parameters, the location of the volumes and the order of their loading.

But with the advent of the extensible firmware interface and computers using UEFI instead of BIOS, it was decided to improve the partitioning system using a new identifier GUID.

Thus, the GUID Partition Table or GPT appeared, actively supported by modern disks and motherboards. But the fact is that not all operating systems know how to work with such information, and during their installation a problem situation arises, accompanied by the message: “It is impossible to install Windows on this disk. The selected disk has a GPT partition style. "

In this situation, you just need to change the partitioning type from GPT to human readable MBR. And this can be done in several ways.

Another proof of the wide capabilities of the command line

First, let's look at a typical situation when installing a new OS. As follows from the above, problems begin at the stage of working with HDD partitions, therefore, as soon as you reach this stage, refer to the command line help by calling it by pressing the Shift + F10 key combination. Now follow the simple instructions:

• activate the utility for working with disks by entering the command "diskpart";
• with the help of "list disk" you will display a list of connected physical disks and determine the number (Nd) of the hard drive you are interested in. By the way, pay attention to the information in the last column of the table: an asterisk indicates that the disk supports GPT, and its absence indicates MBR;
• switch to work with this particular medium by entering "select disk Nd";
• then it is fashionable to immediately clear the entire HDD with the "clean" command or perform this operation with each volume separately by following the steps below;
• enter "detail disk" to view detailed information and pay attention to the markup and numbering of sections (Nv);
• select a separate volume with the "select volume Nv" command and delete it using "delete volume";
• when the disk is cleaned up, we convert it to MBR by specifying the command "convert mbr";

All that remains is to exit Diskpart by typing "Exit" and close the Command Prompt window. You can continue installing the operating system and partitioning the disk in your usual mode.

If the disk is less than 2 TB, then you can do without the command line. During the installation process, you will reach the "Disk settings" item, with the help of which you should delete the existing logical partitions and create them anew. In this case, the system itself will partition the HDD according to the MBR format.

We work with a native utility from Microsoft

Of course, acquaintance with the problem of GPT unrecognition during the OS installation process does not give us the best emotions. Therefore, I propose to be one step ahead and prepare a new partitioning system on your HDD in advance. This can be done using the built-in Windows tools and I will show you the procedure using the example of "tens":

• in the search system window or in the "run" utility, called by the "Win + R" button combination, enter "diskmgmt.msc" and go to the "Disk Management" window;
• now we find the physical medium with which we are going to work. I draw your attention to the fact that we are talking about an additional HDD. The system drive C: \ should not be touched;

• on the selected hard drive, it will delete logical partitions by clicking on each of them with the right mouse button and selecting "Delete volume" in the context menu;
• now, when the disk is left without partitions, call its context menu and activate the "Convert to MBR disk" item.

That's it, now you can re-create the structure on it with new markup, or use it to install the OS.

Information preserving programs

The described methods have one significant drawback: the discs are completely erased. But there are technologies that allow you to switch to MBR without data loss. To do this, you need special programs. There are several paid ones, such as Paragon Hard Disk Manager (you can download it via torrent) and less free ones. Among them, I recommend Aomei Partition Assistant.

The algorithm of their work and the interface are very similar:

• the list shows in which format your markup is carried out;
• in the context menu of the selected disk, select “Convert to MBR;
• confirm your actions and restart your computer.

Usually, everything should work right away, but sometimes you need to make simple changes to the UEFI settings (disabling Secure Boot Eneble and setting Legacy boot mode).

On this, my dear friends, we can stop.

The listed ways to migrate to MBR are reliable, efficient and easy to use.

I hope there will be no problems with their implementation.

And I say goodbye to new articles and wish you all the best.