I can't install windows 8.1 pro n x64 - different - "windows cannot be installed to this disk gpt"

Cody555

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Mar 3, 2015
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4,510
Hi,
when i've bought my laptop last summer (lenovo ideapad g510 intel 4200M 2.5GHz 4 GB RAM and AMD Radeon HD 8570m -if you want more specs just ask-) i installed windows 8.1 or 8 i don't know anymore... and then i made it dual boot with a windows 7 ultimate. Everything worked fine. In October or November i uninstalled windows 7 and windows 8.1 x86 and i have installed only windows 8.1 pro n x64.Everything worked fine, since Ianuary when i have got blue screen ( i forgot what was the problem but i belive i fixed it) in Febryary, i forgot what was the problem but i have uninstalled my windows 8.1 pro n x64 and tried to reinstall it, but at the installation advance options, it sayed something like "the disk is a mbr and on efi systems windows can be installed on gpt disks" so i installed my windows 7 again and run a partition program and i converted my disk from mbr to gpt (and i belive i had to make it dynamic or something like that) WITHOUT FORMATING the other partition (with 850+ GB with important stuff). then i reinstalled my windows 8.1 again. worked fine at the beginning then i got a blue screen "system_service_exception (from the file) atikmpag.sys" on startup and even when i shutdown it... i tried to fix it, but i managed to unsintall my graphics drivers, both and i couldn't installed my intel driver and the amd wasn't installing the switchable thing... Today i run again the setup, i got to the partition manage screen, and i deleted my partition where was installed windows 8.1 and now i can't make a new one, or if a make one with diskpart, it says "windows cannot be installed to this disk gpt"

PLEASE HELP ME, i want to make a new partition where i can install the windows fine, without formating the big one (with 850+ GB) i want to put my windows on this 100 GB partition. I searched, and i didn't find anything useful for me, i know, is much more easyly by formating the whole disk, but i have a lot of important stuff on that 800+GB partition and i don't want to lose it. i mean i can't. The big partition is "primary" and if i do another one with disk part it is primary too...i belive my computer hardware is fine, just tell me a windows or a method how i can install a working windows. AND TELL ME WHY ARE THOSE "ERRORS".

Thanks.

P.S. If you want more info about my pc or anything else that could help you to determinate the cause, just ask.
P.S.S. Sorry for my bad english.
 
Solution
tl;dr
1>Change BIOS from UEFI to Legacy Emulation mode, and try installing again.
2> If (1) fails or cannot be done, download a live linux on another computer, make a bootable USB stick, boot to linux live, and convert the disk to GPT using Gdisk.
READ
CAUTION: This requires some level of familiarity with UNIX commands, a CL interface, and knowledge of partition schemes-in short, it's NOT a simple Windows-like point-and-click operation. Failure to understand what you're doing, and entering wrong commands, can delete the whole HDD. Be extremely careful. If you're not used to Linux, BSD, UNIX like things, better stay away from this and ask someone who has more experience- Windows experience doesn't count while using a *NIX system...

Lumia925

Reputable
Oct 16, 2014
403
1
4,860
tl;dr
1>Change BIOS from UEFI to Legacy Emulation mode, and try installing again.
2> If (1) fails or cannot be done, download a live linux on another computer, make a bootable USB stick, boot to linux live, and convert the disk to GPT using Gdisk.
READ
CAUTION: This requires some level of familiarity with UNIX commands, a CL interface, and knowledge of partition schemes-in short, it's NOT a simple Windows-like point-and-click operation. Failure to understand what you're doing, and entering wrong commands, can delete the whole HDD. Be extremely careful. If you're not used to Linux, BSD, UNIX like things, better stay away from this and ask someone who has more experience- Windows experience doesn't count while using a *NIX system, if anything, it just makes things worse, as the average user feels he knows everything and enters commands which should not be entered.
NOTE:If your live Linux does not come with Gdisk, you should make a "persistent" live USB stick and install Gdisk from an online repository before proceeding.
 
Solution

Lumia925

Reputable
Oct 16, 2014
403
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Reckoning155, your solution will unfortunately erase all the partitions on the HDD. That's not what the OP wants, he wants to convert to GPT without data loss. I'm not aware of a Windows based tool that can achieve this. Linux looks like the only available option.
 

Wahaj Nayyar

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Feb 25, 2014
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4,510
Try using Gparted, its free, you can download this software then transfer it to a CD/DVD or a USB. then Boot from it. Choose your Hard Drive and shrink the Size you want (ex: 100GB), Gparted will then create a separate partition for you. Click that new Partition and format it to NTFS, then go ahead and install the Windows 8. Note: Be careful using Gparted though. Download Gparted : http://gparted.org/index.php
 

Wahaj Nayyar

Reputable
Feb 25, 2014
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4,510
Or You can use AOMEI Partition Assistant, its free and in few seconds it can convert your GPT Drive to MBR or vice versa. I Use this one a lot, its a good one, you wont be disappointed.
 

trouble8me

Honorable
Nov 3, 2013
4
0
10,510




First of all, take your hard drive out of the laptop . Put it in an external enclosure ( walmart has them) hook it up to a different computer as an external drive. Put all the stuff you want to save on an alternate disk, usb stick, etc;... Now put that hard drive back in your laptop. You will need windows 8.1 copied to a bootable usb stick. The usb stick has to be formatted as fat32 because of the EFI partition you mention. (instructions for formatting usb stick below ):

To create a bootable USB flash drive
Insert a USB flash drive into a running computer.
Open a Command Prompt window as an administrator.
Type diskpart.
In the new command line window that opens,

to determine the USB flash drive number or drive letter, at the command prompt, type list disk, and then click ENTER.

The list disk command displays all the disks on the computer. Note the drive number or drive letter of the USB flash drive.

At the command prompt, type select disk <X>, where X is the drive number or drive letter of the USB flash drive, and then click ENTER.


Type clean, and the click ENTER. This command deletes all data from the USB flash drive.

Now you must choose a volume .


********To select the volume that points to the flash drive, type: list volume , then hit "Enter".
type: select volume ____ ( ___= the volume number) press ENTER.

You must create a partition now.

To create a new primary partition on the USB flash drive, type create part pri, and then click ENTER.

To select the partition that you just created, type select part 1, and then click ENTER

Now you must format this partition.

Format that partition by typing: format fs=ntfs quick or type: format fs=fat32 quick, then press ENTER.******* in your case its going to be: "format fs=fat32 quick" then press enter.


Type active, and then click ENTER.
Type exit, and then click ENTER.

When you finish preparing your custom image, save it to the root of the USB flash drive.

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your laptop should boot to this flash drive so long as you have it in the right boot order in the bios.


 

Yo Cody

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Jun 18, 2015
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4,510


Thank you anyway i figured it out as you said ;)