• The selected disk is not a basic mbr disk. Methods to convert a GPT disk to MBR and back without data loss

    Even if you belong to the category of those users who prefer not to interfere in any processes, life itself may still force you to join the study of some technical issues. The fact is that manufacturers of computer equipment and components direct their actions towards constant improvement, so now it is not surprising to find hard drives, the total volume of which reaches completely unprecedented values.

    How the conversion is performed GPT disk to MBR and vice versa

    In addition, the style of the hard drive partitions is also surprising. If previously you could only encounter MBR, now many people purchase hard drives with the GPT style. Everything would be fine; one would not be able to recognize at all what each of these styles represents if they did not interfere with the performance of certain tasks.

    In particular, hard drives with MBR style are not welcomed by owners of huge hard drives, since it will not be able to ensure optimal use of everything disk space. This style involves dividing the disks into no more than four partitions, each of which should not exceed 2 TB.

    You probably already felt that an MBR style hard drive will be able to use about 8 TB, but unless you purchased a PC with a large number disk space, then the rest will not be easily used. Of course, this is wrong, so the manufacturer developed this new style. By the way, GPT allows you to split your hard drive into hundreds of partitions, which impresses many users.

    However, it is also difficult for many to agree to this style, since when trying to install the desired operating system, problems will arise. system error. The BIOS version that is installed on your PC can also prevent the introduction of a new style on the hard drive. Considering this, it is not at all surprising that many users are willing to find information on how to convert GPT to MBR, so as not to infringe on their interests when installing their preferred “seven”.

    Conversion methods

    There are several options that can be used to successfully convert a hard drive from GPT to MBR. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with all the options to figure out for yourself which method will be preferable. And also, before choosing the appropriate option, we recommend that you set priorities and decide how tragic the consequences of losing content stored on your PC will be for you. We offer you two options, one of which allows you to save everything that you previously placed on your hard drive, and the second, on the contrary, is accompanied by their irreversible destruction.

    No erasing files

    If you have set a goal for yourself that involves changing your style hard drive, and also be sure to ensure the complete preservation of all existing documents, video recordings, audio materials on your hard drive, you will have to use additional software. Excellent options for such programs are:

    • Paragon Hard Disk Manager 15 Professional;
    • AOMEI Partition Assistant.

    The program that comes first on this short list is not free product, so if it inspires confidence in you, you will have to fork out the cash to become its owner. For training or practical evaluation of the capabilities of the Paragon Hard Disk program, you can download a demo version.

    We invite you to familiarize yourself with the operating principles of this program. Open the Disk Management option on your computer. In this window you can see how many partitions you have, as well as estimate their size.

    If not one hard drive is installed, but two at once, you will also immediately notice this from the open program window. By right-clicking on each one and going to the “Properties” line, it’s easy to once again make sure which style your hard drive supports.

    Now run the Paragon Hard Disk program, in the window that opens you will again be able to find all the disks that your computer is equipped with. The supported style will be indicated next to each one. Hover your mouse cursor over the disk with GPT style, right-click, calling additional menu with the necessary options. In it you will easily find such an option as “Convert basic GPT to basic MBR disk”, feel free to choose it. After this, a new window will appear on the screen, in which you will again need to click the “Convert” button, confirming your desire.

    This is not the end of your agreement; now in the main program window you need to click on the “Apply” button, and then once again confirm your consent to make such changes. Next, the program will perform all the actions itself, you just have to wait a little. After an entry appears on the screen confirming the completion of the process, you can check your disk to make sure that you managed to make it different, now accompanied by the MBR style.

    ADVICE. If you really want to make, on the contrary, a disk with the GPT style, this program can again act as an ideal assistant. To achieve what you want, you will have to convert your disk in the same way, only this time you will have to select the “Convert to GPT disk” option.

    With file deletions

    If you wish to use the command line, which also allows you to make your disk with the style that you prefer, you must note that all content stored on the hard drive will be permanently deleted. Of course, taking this into account, you need to analyze what value the stored files represent to you, and if necessary, first transfer them to new drives.

    We initially write diskpart on the command line, then we recommend that you write the list disc command, which will allow you to display all available disks.

    At the end of the line followed by the disk, you may notice an asterisk or note its absence. It is this asterisk that indicates that a particular disk is accompanied by the GPT style. Opposite each disk there is a numerical indicator; find out which specific disk you would like to convert now. Only then enter the following command sel dis 1, specifying the correct numeric indicator.

    Next, to clean up this disk space, you will only need to enter the clean command. This completes the preparatory part, you can start converting by entering the convert mbr command. Finally, all that remains is to enter the traditional exit command.

    Now you can make sure that everything worked out perfectly for you, but only in this case will your disk sparkle with its “purity”, since during the process all information was deleted from it.

    So, the process of converting disk space from one style to another is quite doable and anyone can do it. To eliminate any worries, read the instructions, theoretically master the basics, and then proceed to their practical implementation.

    It's no secret that in order to write and read files on a hard drive, the latter must be marked up. Partitioning is a standard for placing partition tables on physical media. It determines the structure of the disk, thanks to which the user can create logical partitions on it, format them into the desired file system, write and read data. There are two markup standards - MBR And GPT. The first is usually used on computers with a regular BIOS and relatively small disks, the second is more common on PCs with modern interface BIOS UEFI.

    Compared to MBR disks, GPT disks have a number of advantages; in particular, GPT partitioning allows you to work with media larger than 2 TB. On such disks, the boot record and partition table information are backed up, which increases OS fault tolerance; in addition, a GPT disk can contain as many logical volumes as desired. Currently discs with GPT markup are actively replacing MBR media, which often causes various problems for users, the most common of which is the inability to install Windows on a GPT disk. The cause of the error is usually a discrepancy between the HDD layout standard and the requirements. software, V in this case operating system. The error is not fatal; it can be resolved by converting GPT to MBR.

    Changing markup when installing Windows 7/10

    There are several ways to convert GPT to MBR, including saving it on the target storage medium. First we will consider the option of converting markup to initial stage Windows installations with loss of data on the disk.

    The first option is simpler, but in this case the “System Reserved” partition will not be created on the disk, which will reduce the fault tolerance of Windows. If this scenario does not suit you or the installation still fails, change the markup manually. Click on your keyboard Shift+F10 and sequentially execute the following commands in the console that opens:

    diskpart
    list disk
    select disk 0
    clean
    convert mbr
    exit

    The first command is to launch the utility Diskpart, the second we get a list of physical disks (GPT media will be marked with an asterisk), the third we select the desired disk (if there is only one, leave 0), the fourth command we clean it up, the fifth we convert the partitioning style from GPT to MBR. The sixth command terminates Diskpart. Done, now close the console and continue installing Windows in normal mode. We remind you once again that when using the described method, all data on the disk, including logical partitions, will be deleted. If there is important data on it, it must be copied to removable media, or you should use third-party programs to convert the disk from GPT to MBR.

    If you are going to install 32-bit Windows, before converting GPT to MBR you need to enable BIOS mode Legacy mode and disable Security protection boot.

    Converting GPT to MBR using Windows

    Above, we looked at how to convert GPT partitions to MBR at the initial stage of installing Windows 7/10, now let's try to change the partition using system tools from running Windows. True, this method is only suitable for non-system physical hard drives. As in the previous case, partitions and data written to the disk will be lost. To transfer a disk from GPT to MBR, you can again use the command line, but in this case it will be much easier to resort to the standard disk management snap-in.

    Run it with the command diskmgmt.msc either through context menu Start buttons.

    Then click on the section diagram convertible disk RMB and select "Delete Volume".

    If there are several logical partitions, delete them too to get a single unallocated space. Now bring up the menu for the disk and select the “Convert to MBR disk” option.

    Done, now you can create partitions on the disk, install a second operating system on it, and so on.

    Using third party programs

    Both of the above methods have one significant drawback, namely the inevitable loss of data stored on the disk. Fortunately, there are programs that allow you to convert a GPT disk to MBR without losing data. The most well-known commercial software are applications Acronis Disk Director And Paragon Hard Disk Manager Professional, among the free ones - AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition. The sequence of actions in all these programs is approximately the same.

    In the case of working with non-system physical disks, just select the media with the mouse and select in the menu the option to convert the disk from GPT to MBR, and all this while running Windows.

    You can also convert a disk from GPT to MBR using the programs created in these programs bootable media. Their advantage is the ability to convert markup style on a PC with one physical disk, since the program needs exclusive access to it to perform the operation.

    Let's take an example of how to convert GPT to MBR without losing data using the AOMEI Partition Assistant boot disk. After the computer is booted from it, select the desired disk and select “Convert to MBR” from the menu on the left.

    Good day everyone!

    It sometimes happens that when you try to install Windows OS on your computer, you may see an error like: "Windows cannot be installed on this disk because the disk uses an MBR partition table. On systems EFI Windows can only be installed on a GPT disk" . Or it is possible that your system simply does not see a disk larger than 2 TB.

    In these cases, you need to convert MBR to GPT partition table to fix this problem. This can be done in different ways and ways, in this article I will look at how this can be done no data loss (see method 1 and 2)!

    As a remark!

    Difference between MBR and GPT. MBR supports partitions up to 2 TB. If your disk is, say, 4 TB (which is no longer uncommon), then when using MBR- 2 TB on such a disk will be listed as unallocated area (and will not be used).

    How to convert MBR to GPT

    Method No. 1: step by step in the AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition program

    AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition

    Excellent and free program to work with hard drives. Allows you to literally change the file system, partition sizes, clone, etc. in just 2-3 clicks. Moreover, many operations are performed without loss of information (which is so lacking in the tools built into Windows).

    Addition (from 11/10/18): option for MBR conversion in GPT in the 7th version of the program it became paid (in the 6.6th version it was free, and it was on it that I relied when writing the article).

    I don’t consider downloading and installing the program - it’s standard. After launching, in the main window of the program you can immediately find out which of the available disks in the system are in GPT and which are in MBR (see screenshot below).

    As you noticed, "Disk 3" is MBR and I am converting it to GPT.

    To do this, just right-click on the disk itself. (where it is directly written that this is “Disk 3”, see screenshot below), and select “Convert to GPT disk” in the menu that appears.

    After that, in the left corner of the screen you need to confirm all the commands that we gave to the program in the current session: click the “Apply” button.

    A reboot will be required to complete the current operation. Therefore, first of all, save all your open documents, and then click the “Go” button in the program window (see example below).

    The final touch: we agree to reboot...

    After rebooting the device, instead of Windows boot special will be launched. conversion utility (see example below). Literally within a few seconds, my 1 TB disk was converted to GPT (I note again: without data loss).

    That, in fact, is all the action.

    Addition!

    If you want to convert your system drive (that is, the drive on which you have Windows installed and from which you are at the moment loaded) - then you won’t succeed. In this case there are two options:

    1) remove the disk from the PC/laptop, connect it to another device and perform the conversion operation;

    2) create bootable USB flash drive(can be done in the same AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard), and after booting from it, carry out the operation.

    Make bootable CD, master

    Method No. 2: using the MiniTool Partition Wizard utility

    Multifunctional program for working with hard drives. Allows you to split, format, resize partitions hard drives. Free version The program supports conversion from MBR to GPT (which is what we need).

    Perhaps one of the significant disadvantages for the majority will be the lack of Russian language.

    Note: the screenshots in the article were made from version 10.3.

    After starting the program, you will see a list of all drives connected to the system (HDD, SSD, USB flash drives etc.). Please note that next to the disk name its partition table (MBR, GPT) is indicated.

    To convert from one to the other: just right-click on to the desired disk and from the menu select " Convert MBR Disk to GPT Disk" (example in the screenshot below).

    Then another warning will pop up, after confirming the operation - the disk will be converted. If you are converting a non-system disk (that is, not the one on which you have Windows installed), then the operation takes 1-2 minutes. (see screenshot below).

    Method number 3. From the command line or disk management

    Important! This method will delete all your data on the disk!

    If you encounter an error "IN EFI systems Windows can only be installed on a GPT disk" when installing Windows: then in order to open the command line, press the button combination Shift+F10.

    In other cases, to start command line, open task manager (key combination Ctrl+Shift+Esc) , press "file/new task" and enter the command CMD(check the box that the task must be completed as an administrator!).


    Windows also has another good tool for working with disks. That's exactly what it's called - disk management .

    To open it, you need:

    1. press a combination of buttons Win+R ;
    2. enter the command diskmgmt.msc and press Enter.

    To find out what partition is on the disk (MBR or GPT), just right-click on the disk (in the place where it says “Disk 0”, “Disk 1”, etc., see the example below), and open properties .

    • "Partition table with GUID..." is GPT;
    • MBR markup will be explicitly stated.

    For MBR conversions to GPT - you must first completely delete all partitions on the disk (important! when deleting a partition, you will lose all data on the disk!) . If the partitions are not deleted, then the “Convert to GPT” button will simply not be active (as in the screenshot below).

    That's all for me today.

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

    I'll start my story with a short introductory information.

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

    To carry out such a division, the main format was created at one time boot entry(master boot record) MBR, which determined the disk layout parameters, the location of volumes and the order in which they were loaded.

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

    Thus, the GUID Partition Table or GPT appeared, actively supported by modern disks and motherboards. But the point is that not everything operating systems, know how to work with such information, and when installing them a problematic situation arises, accompanied by the message: “ Windows installation on this disk impossible. The selected disk has a GPT partition style."

    In this situation, you just need to change the markup type from GPT to the understandable 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, then turn to the help of the command line by calling it by pressing the combination Shift keys+ F10. Now follow the simple instructions:

    • activate the disk utility by entering the command “diskpart”;
    • Using “list disk” you will display a list of connected physical disks and determine the number (Nd) of the hard drive of interest. 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 working with this particular media by entering “select disk Nd”;
    • then you can immediately clean the entire HDD with the “clean” command or perform this operation with each volume separately by following the following steps;
    • enter “detail disk” to view detailed information and pay attention to the layout and numbering of sections (Nv);
    • select a separate volume with the command “select volume Nv” and delete it using “delete volume”;
    • when the disk is cleared, we convert it to an MBR by specifying the “convert mbr” command;

    All we have to do is exit Diskpart by entering “Exit” and close the command line window. You can continue installing the operating system and partitioning the disk as usual.

    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, using which you should delete existing logical partitions and create them again. In this case, the system itself will partition the HDD in MBR format.

    We work with a native utility from Microsoft

    Of course, getting to know the problem of GPT non-recognition during the OS installation process does not give us the best emotions. So I suggest being one step ahead and preparing in advance new system partitions on your HDD. This can be done using the built-in Windows tools and I will show you the procedure using the example of “ten”:

    • in the search system window or in the “Run” utility, called up by the “Win ​​+ R” button combination, enter “diskmgmt.msc” and go to the “Disk Management” window;
    • now we find the one physical media, which we are going to work with. Please note that we are talking about additional HDD. The system drive C:\ should not be touched;

    • on the selected hard drive, it will delete logical partitions by right-clicking on each of them and selecting “Delete volume” in the context menu;
    • Now, when the disk remains without partitions, call up its context menu and activate the “Convert to MBR disk” item.

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

    Programs that save information

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

    Their operating algorithm and interface are largely similar:

    • the list displays the format in which you have marked up;
    • 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(shutdown Secure Boot Eneble and install Legacy boot mode).

    We can stop here, my dear friends.

    The listed methods for switching to MBR are reliable, effective and easy to use.

    I hope there will be no problems with their implementation.

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

    In this tutorial, I will talk about how you can convert a GPT disk to MBR without losing data. Most often, this may be needed if you decided to reinstall Windows, but when you tried to start the installation, instead of starting the installation of the system, you received a notification that says “It will not be possible to install Windows on this disk because the disk has a GPT partition style.”

    In principle, I have already published instructions on how to convert a disk from GPT to MBR on our website, it is located here. I won’t tell you what GPT and MBR are separately; you can read it in the same instructions, the link to which I left above.

    In the previous guide, I gave an example of conversion with complete removal and saving data on the hard drive. So, the method of converting a GPT disk with saving data in Paragon seemed somehow outdated to me and I decided to update this information.

    Well, the update will be that I will show you a few more options for converting a disk from GPT to MBR without losing data, which I myself use.

    Converting disk partition style from GPT to MBR in MiniTool Partition Wizard

    There are very, very many programs that can work with hard drives, including converting their partition table. In principle, in essence they are all the same and can perform all the tasks you need, they probably only differ appearance interface and that some of them are freely available, while others are paid.

    Today, my favorite program for converting disks from GPT to MBR and vice versa is MiniTool Partition Wizard. I like it for its simplicity, convenience and quality of performing the assigned tasks, and the most important thing is that you can download it absolutely free.

    This program is distributed in two versions, for working in the normal Windows interface and boot image, which can be burned to a flash drive like a LiveCD. In this case, to convert a disk from GPT to MBR without losing data, we will use bootable version which you can download from this link.

    While the program is downloading, start copying necessary information With system disk"C:\" to drive "D:\".

    Converting a GPT disk to MBR in Acronis Disk Director

    In the second method we will use Acronis. I chose it not because I have some incredible sympathy for it, no, most likely because it can be found on almost every LuveCD disc.

    You can download it without problems on the Internet by indicating search query like "download" boot disk with Acronis Disk Director" or simply "Boot CD Acronis Disk Direcror". In general, let's load ISO image we write it to a flash drive, reboot the computer and boot from the drive.

    Don't forget to move the data you need from drive "C" to drive "D".

    IN boot menu select the version of the program we need, for me it looks like this.

    In general, in order for us to be able to convert GPT to MBR or vice versa, we will have to delete the reserved partition (which is 100 Mb) and the system partition, that is, drive C.

    To do this, select the partition and click on the “Delete Volume” button, and do the same with the “C” drive.

    Now click " Apply expected operations" and wait until the utility finally gets rid of the volumes you have selected.

    Let's return directly to the transformation. So, right-click on the disk, open the context menu and select “”.

    After we have chosen the conversion, we confirm the execution and in the window that appears, click “Continue”.

    After a few moments, you will receive a full-fledged disk on which you can install anything you want.

    But despite this, my favorite way to convert GPT to MBR is normal conversion using the command line. Reset necessary files onto a flash drive, quickly converted and installed, the same . In general, in my opinion, much less time is spent on this.

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