Windows 10: Two Windows installations - one for MBR and one for GPT

I have 1 SSD and 2 PCs I want to test things on: One is new with UEFI and GPT, and one is very old with MBR

Is it possible to make 2 partitions on the SSD, and install Windows on one partition on the GPT system(then the installation will automatically crate the necessary Windows partitions), and then switch to the other PC and again Windows will automatically create the MBR installation partitions?

Will I be able to swap this SSD between PCs without issues? Will it "know" to boot? I am ordering another SSD but until it arrives *Zip

Thanks

:)

 

GPT vs MBR for SSD OS Disk ? (win7 install)

If I have UEFI BIOS, I'm going to use GPT. Only reason why I wouldn't is because the drive is shared between new and old computers (MBR has broader compatibility support). I wrote a guide how to install Windows on GPT here:
Installing Windows Vista/7 on a GUID Partition Table

No. Either you install on GPT via EFI boot or you intall MBR via BIOS boot. You can't install Windows and change it later.


Not only does GPT support booting to partitions larger than 2 TB, it also means the computer is booted using EFI which means it has a lot more memory to work with during startup. It should theoretically mean startup is quicker on EFI/GPT than BIOS/MBR.

 

GPT vs MBR for SSD OS Disk ? (win7 install)

So I cannot use all the new bios UI and fancy pre-boot evironiment if i don't use UEFI-boot ? With or without GPT?


I just want to use the UEFI without GPT: so can I UEFI-boot and install win7 with MBR?

Now I actually asked the correct question I wanted. Sorry it took time to figure out.

 

GPT vs MBR for SSD OS Disk ? (win7 install)

Sigh.

BIOS is being replaced with UEFI. Both BIOS and UEFI tell the hardware how to communicate, turn it on, and generally make your system start-up. As such, you could theoretically have a set of hardware that runs Linux, Windows 98, and Windows 8 while still getting UEFI support during the boot-up (assuming you've got a hardware CSM).

So yes, you can go MBR and get the UEFI visual boot-up options. The visual cues will be determined by your motherboard manufacturer. GPT is not a necessity, unless you are using a boot disk larger than 2TB.


In short, because every time it seems there's more information you raise a different question:
Yes, you can have UEFI on a Windows 7 install with MBR partitioning.
No, UEFI does not require GPT partitioning.
You should install windows 7 with the default settings (MBR) for compatibility and ease of install.
Yes, GPT will unlock some new features, but they are unlikely to benefit you.
A search of wikipedia might help with other questions: Unified Extensible Firmware Interface - Wikipedia