How to change UEFI to accept MBR instead of GPT.

RwCCNA · Mar 7, 2014

I recently went through a PC upgrade for the Mobo and CPU. I had my HDDs set to MBR. During the change I had to switch them to GPT. I want to set my motherboard up so it accept MBR again. Can I do this and how?

This is my MoBo

danny2000 · Mar 7, 2014

You have to re-format your partitions to use MBR. Go into Disk Managment and you'll see that a GPT-formatted hard drive creates, I think 4 partitions.

EasyLover · Mar 7, 2014

Simple way of doing it is to clear the CMOS (restore the BIOS settings). By default mobo operates with mbr most of the times. What is your mobo? Also you would need to format your GPT drives again to MBR

danny2000 · Mar 7, 2014

Of course, you would have to reinstall Windows and it would have wiped out any files that you had saved on the hard drive.

If you are using Windows 8 or 8.1, you should be using GPT if your motherboard supports Windows 8 SecureBoot.

EasyLover · Mar 7, 2014

RwCCNA · Mar 7, 2014

danny2000 :

My old HDDs were already MBR. I didn't see an option to keep it that way when I had to reinstall windows because of the new MoBo. Now they are GPT.

EasyLover :

My MoBo is linked in the OP. I appears to be GPT by default. If it is default, then resetting it isn't an option. Roughly, what settings should I search for to have my MoBo accept MBR.

danny2000 · Mar 7, 2014

If the hard drive is formatted MBR, it will boot mbr; If the hard drive is formatted with GPT, it will boot GPT. Your motherboard will accept MBR if the hard drive is formatted as a MBR partition.

Turn off windows 8 features/boot in the bios, and change the boot settings to use legacy mode instead of UEFI (I wouldn't, but you said that you want this) however, that won't change the hard disk to mbr; it will still be GPT until you delete all partitions on it, and re-install Windows as MBR. You have to install Windows as either MBR or GPT (UEFI)

RwCCNA · Mar 7, 2014

It sounds like, to me, that I didn't choose MBR when I partitioned my drives during my Windows install. Is this what you are telling me?

It has been two weeks and I can't recall exactly why I formatted it as GPT other than I remember trying to do MBR, but couldn't.

danny2000 · Mar 7, 2014

WEll if you chose to install Windows via UEFI

VD-Rom in your boot options when booting with the DVD, it would install it as UEFI and in a GPT format.

Why do you want it to be MBR? Are you using Windows 7 or Windows 8?

RwCCNA · Mar 10, 2014

Win7. It makes it easier to obtain the files on all my MBR partitions that I have sitting on the shelf. Plus, I don't like change. I also barely have 1TB so I don't need it.

EasyLover · Mar 10, 2014

You can change the secure boot setting to enable mbr

danny2000 · Mar 10, 2014

his drive is formatted GPT so in order to enable mbr, he would also have to delete partitons and reinstall Windows.

EasyLover · Mar 10, 2014

Yes I read that ealier. In above posts he asked how he would change mobo setting. I posted in reply of that

read my first reply I've mentioned formatting again with mbr

danny2000 · Mar 10, 2014

RwCCNA :

It should not make a difference in the situations that you describe, but like we've said, you would have to turn off Secure Boot in the bios, and also change the UEFI section to use Legacy mode. Then you would have to delete all partitions and reinstall Windows.

When you buy a new motherboard now-a-days, UEFI and Widnows 8 Secure Boot are usually enabled, so that is how Windows installs, using GPT instead of the MBR.

RwCCNA · Mar 11, 2014

danny2000 :

I did some research on doing this, but I couldn't find the answer to one question: Do I run any risk of harming my MoBo by doing this? Worse case scenario is that I just turn secure boot back on and reinstall windows, right?

EasyLover · Mar 11, 2014

RwCCNA :

danny2000 :

I did some research on doing this, but I couldn't find the answer to one question: Do I run any risk of harming my MoBo by doing this? Worse case scenario is that I just turn secure boot back on and reinstall windows, right?

There is no risk of harming mobo associated with changing these settings.

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How to change UEFI to accept MBR instead of GPT.

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