Windows 10: MBR or GPT

Well I have to do my windows 10 over the right way, I thought I installed a clean install but apparently I didn't so I have instructions how to do it the right way. My question is back when I was having other issues with 10 it was mentioned about using GPT instead of the MBR. Now which is better and if it's the GPT how do I go about making the switch? I assume when I'm doing the clean install but how? I always had the MBR. Thanks

:)

 

Windows Installation

On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed to GPT disks. If you use MBR disk, you will receive this error message: Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. You can convert MBR to GPT and try it again.

 

Convert only one partition on the disk from MBR to GPT

Step 2
Convert MBR to GPT without data loss

 

Generally for modern PCs you want GPT and if you have drives over 2gb you need to use that anyway.

Main benefits of GPT over MBR are partition size, number of partitions, and resilience.

 

So how do I go about setting it up as GPT?

 

In windows 10 it's already switched to GPT.

To verify: right click your C drive, select properties, in the new window select the hardware tab, in the list of drives find your HDD, highlight and select properties, in the new window select volumes, click populate, in the new window look for partition style. It should show you: GUID Partition Table (GPT).

 

no mine is MBR. Maybe since I didn't get the install right.

 

I can't remember if it was automatic or it gave a msg suggesting I should change it to GPT. Certainly don't recall cancelling out of the install to research it, just did as recommended.

I've have noticed though after doing several clean installs it says my GPT partitions are not in the recommended order, but it allows the install. Don't know whether that affects anything.

 

Anytime I do a clean install, I configure my drives using DiskPart at the first screen after booting from the install media. You hit Shift+F10 to bring up a command prompt.

DiskPart Command-Line Options

 

ok the instructions I got before was this diskpart, select disk 0, clean, exit, exit

Now that would be the commands for using the mbr right? So would I after the clean select convert gpt?

 

What you did here is correct. Whether you want to install Windows with GPT or MBR, you should leave the partition unallocated so that Windows installation will create all necessary partitions.

There are 2 things you need to know if you want to install Windows using GPT partition scheme:

• Set your BIOS for UEFI. Some BIOS will have an option such as UEFI or MBR, some will have option as CSM. With CSM disabled, you are using UEFI, with CSM enabled, you are using MBR.
• When booting Windows installation, There are 2 options to select from DVD/USB installation disk:
  One prefixed with UEFI-USB and the other is just plain USB. Same as for DVD
  
  
  
• Once the installation USB/DVD is booted. Based on what you select from the boot menu, windows will determine what type of installation you want to install. Click Customize, select the unallocated partition, click next to let Windows installation creates all needed partitions (Do not format) and set the Partition type correctly.
  Continue with the installation.

 

I've tried initializing the drive as GPT, but the install converts it to MBR because my firmware is Legacy BIOS

You can only clean install Windows on a GPT disk if your firmware is UEFI (run msinfo32 to tell)

You can clean only install Windows on a UEFI system if the install media is a DVD or if the flash drive is formatted FAT32.

Deacon is right though, using dskpart clean before the install (Shift+F10 at the first install screen) makes sure that Windows does what it should do - create the proper disk schema for your machine

See: Windows 10 - Clean Install - Windows 10 Forums

 

Ok this is the whole instructions I got, do I still have to do the thing in the BIOS

 

@debgram
Yes. That was my post few days ago but that was for MBR installation, that means OP must have set the BIOS for MBR. In your case, select the option with UEFI prefix then Windows will install using GPT.

 

2GB drives?? do they still exist?? I have used this size at the times of Win98....
I am thinking you are talking about 2TB (tera byte).