With compatibility problems plaguing the creation of a PC, there are always ways to make your old hardware new again. One way is by converting an existing disk into GPT format for Windows 11 installation purposes.
If you are installing Windows 11 on a computer that has an MBR partition table, you will need to convert the mbr to GPT before installation. The “how to convert mbr to gpt without losing data during installation” is a guide for doing this.
With Windows 11, Microsoft set a number of restrictions on the minimum requirements for running the operating system on current computers. One of these restrictions is the use of UEFI as the computer boot mechanism, which necessitates the usage of a partitioned hard drive in GPT and non-MBR format (as often used so far).
Because MBR is related to the previous BIOS but is still accessible as a partitioning scheme on UEFI, upgrading a Windows 10 PC or any other operating system to Windows 11 might be difficult, at least until the disk conversion is completed.
Having a disk with GPT partitioning is possibly the only genuinely critical need for installing Windows 11 on a machine that cannot be circumvented in any manner.
In the following instruction, we’ll teach you how to convert a Windows 10 disk to GPT so you may install Windows 11 without difficulties, as long as you meet the other system requirements!
READ ALSO -> Find out whether your computer is ready for Windows 11 and what the system requirements are.
Why does Windows 11 insist on using a GPT disk?
UEFI replaces the previous BIOS as the PC boot mechanism on new PCs, bringing several improvements in terms of security and support for new technologies (such as drives with capacities more than 2 TB), as well as making the machine start up considerably faster. All hard drives attached to a PC with UEFI are controlled by a new partitioning method called GPT, which is required to fully use all of Windows 11’s performance and security capabilities.
Because many PCs were still running Windows 7 or even earlier systems when UEFI was released, there is an unique legacy mode on the system that enables you to handle disks partitioned in MBR, but it causes a major difficulty if we need to update to Windows 11 today.
It is possible to convert the drive to GPT without deleting anything on the disk, preserving all data and files while preserving the present operating system installation and therefore continuing with Windows 10.
READ ALSO: MBRP vs. GPT: What’s the Difference?
On Windows 10, how do I change a drive from MBR to GPT?
Up until a year ago, a full data backup and a fresh reinstall of Windows were necessary to perform this delicate procedure on the PC drive. MBR2GPT, a command-line utility, now streamlines this procedure and enables you to change partition styles in minutes. The GPT components are added to the MBR partition without altering the current partition, preserving the data.
Examine the MBR or GPT partition’s style.
Before altering the system configuration, make sure it’s configured to MBR or GPT by following these steps:
- Right-click the Start menu and choose Disk Management.
- Right-click on the box labeled Disco 0 (or the disk where Windows 10 is installed) in Disk management and pick the option Property.
- Check the MBR O GPT partition style under the Volumes tab. If it’s GPT, go to step 2 of this instruction; if it’s not, continue with the conversion.
- to hit the Cancel button
NOTE: Before changing the partition style, you should verify the computer or motherboard manufacturer’s support page to see whether the hardware supports UEFI (if it is a recent model it certainly supports it, otherwise better check carefully ).
GPT to MBR Partition Style Conversion (Recommended)
Follow these procedures to convert an MBR drive to a GPT disk in Windows 10:
- Open the Options menu.
- Go to Security and Updates.
- Restoration is progressing.
- Under the section “Advanced startup,” press the button Restart now.
- When the computer restarts, go to Troubleshooting.
- Select Advanced settings from the drop-down menu.
- Select Command Prompt from the drop-down menu.
- Then log in using the administrator account.
To test that the drive fits the criteria, type the following command and press Enter:
verify mbr2gpt
If you get a message like “Disk layout validation failed for disk 0” after running this command, the conversion isn’t feasible (see below on possible problems).
The mbr2gpt.exe command may be found in the “System32” subdirectory of the “Windows” folder. Use the command mbr2gpt /? to examine all of the possible choices.
Now type the following command and hit Enter to convert the drive from MBR to GPT:
/convert mbr2gpt
Close the computer by pressing the close button in the top right corner of the console.
Several events will occur after you complete the instructions, including verifying the disk and establishing an EFI system partition (ESP). The partition will be updated with UEFI boot files and GPT components, after which the MBR2GPT utility will update the boot configuration data (BCD) and the prior letter will be added to the disk.
From the Windows 10 desktop, convert MBR to GPT.
Although the MBR2GPT utility was meant to function in an offline recovery environment, it may be used even when Windows 10 is completely installed, but this is not advised.
Open the Start menu and type command prompt to convert an MBR to GPT disk in Windows 10. To launch the prompt as administrator, right-click it.
To verify the drive, type the following command and click Enter:
mbr2gpt /validate /allowFullOS mbr2gpt /validate /allowFullOS mbr2gpt
Write and execute the following commands to convert the disk from MBR to GPT:
mbr2gpt /allowFullOS /convert
After you’ve completed the procedures, the utility will attempt to reduce the primary partition and convert it from MBR to GPT.
MBR2GPT MBR2GPT MBR2GPT MBR2GPT M
If everything went smoothly during the conversion, the return code must be 0. In the case of a mistake, depending on the kind of error, a different number shows. The following is a list of codes and errors:
- The conversion was canceled by one user.
- 2 There was an internal mistake.
- 3 An problem occurred during the initialization process.
- 4 Command-line arguments are invalid.
- 5 Geometry and layout errors on the chosen disk.
- 6 On the disk, one or more volumes are encrypted.
- 7 The disk’s geometry and arrangement do not fulfill the standards.
- 8 An error occurred during the creation of the EFI system partition.
- 9 An error occurred while installing boot files.
- During the application of the GPT layout, there was a 10 error.
- 100 Although the conversion was successful, certain boot configuration data was not restored.
Important information about MBR2GPT as well as potential issues
MBR2GPT’s command line tool works with any version of Windows 10 to convert a regular hard drive (HDD), solid state drive (SSD), or even an M.2 disk, but it must be launched from a computer running Windows 10 version 1703 or later (version 1809 recommended). You can’t convert Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 disks with this program; only Windows 10 drives may be converted.
If you’re converting files from a disk that employs BitLocker file encryption, you’ll need to disable it first. Finally, whereas MBR drives may have up to four main partitions, the disk you intend to convert can only have three partitions since the UEFI system partition requires extra allocation.
If you upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or 8, you’ll need to erase at least one of the recovery partitions before proceeding with the MBR to GPT conversion. A partition manager, such as AOMEI Partition Assistant, makes this simple.
Using a software, convert an MBR disk to a GPT disk.
We’ll need to utilize a third-party partitioning tool like EaseUS Partition Master Free, which can be downloaded for free, to convert the disk from MBR to GPT without having to open the PC, without having to act from a second PC, and without having to erase or lose personal data.
After installing this application on our computer, we can quickly do GPT partitioning by opening the software interface, right-clicking on the disk to be converted, selecting Converti in GPT, and then hitting the key Come on. The conversion will take place in real time, without the loss of any personal data or the need to reinstall the currently installed system.
Following the modification, we must go to the UEFI screen and activate CSM, UEFI only, and UEFI driver first, as shown on the screen.
Convert an MBR disk to a GPT disk (deleting everything)
If we have a disk that we wish to format, we may do a complete erasure of the MBR-formatted disk so that we can convert it to GPT rapidly. This obviously results in the loss of data and apps installed on the computer up to that point, but there’s no reason you can’t keep a backup of your most critical information and start over with Windows 11, free of needless programs and previous optimizations.
Get another PC with Windows installed, purchase a SATA-USB adapter, unplug the MBR-formatted hard drive from the computer, and connect it via USB to the PC we’ll be using for the procedure.
We enter the Start menu after connecting, look for Disk management, and launch the corresponding software. Make sure the MBR hard drive that we connected before is properly identified in the box that appears, then select all of the partitions and click the CANC key to wipe everything. After deleting the disk, we push the right button on the disk’s name and use the voice to convert the disk to GPT to begin the procedure.
If the item displays gray (inaccessible), make sure you’ve removed all disk partitions; otherwise, the Microsoft integrated program won’t let you convert.
With disk formatting, you may convert an MBR disk to a GPT disk.
We may rapidly format the drive using the instructions from the console if we are already installing Windows 11 and have a backup of crucial data. To install on Windows 11 (from a USB pendrive through boot device change), use the keys SHIFT + F10 on the keyboard and enter diskpart in the prompt to launch the disk manager from the terminal.
Then we run the command list disk, pick disk 1 (if the disk formats, it will be the first in the list; otherwise, we will alter the number), clean, and convert gpt to format the disk in GPT right away.
We exit the prompt box and continue with Windows 11 installation, which should go easily this time thanks to the availability of an MBR drive (now formatted).
Conclusions
We can now transition from BIOS to UEFI after booting the disk in GPT, as mentioned in previous thread.
It is now feasible to install Windows 11 without issue, particularly provided other fundamental minimum criteria are met, such as Secure Boot and TPM chip activation.
Even without these criteria, we’ve seen ways to install Windows 11 on older PCs that don’t have TPM, Secure Boot, or much RAM.
We may install Windows 11 as an upgrade to Windows 10 on any PC that satisfies all of the criteria.
The “how to convert mbr to gpt during windows installation” is a guide that explains how to convert the Master Boot Record (MBR) of a disk into the GUID Partition Table (GPT) when installing Windows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GPT required for Windows 11?
A: No, not at all. One of the first things a user should do after installing Windows 11 is to check for updates and install any update that comes up. This will ensure that your system has been updated to the latest version available on Microsofts website as soon as possible, leaving you ready for anything new or exciting.
How do I convert GPT to installation?
A: I dont know.
Can a GPT disk be bootable?
A: A GPT disk is a partition that can be bootable.
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