GPT NTFS Windows installtion

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Sagenhaft

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Sep 8, 2015
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Ok so I had corrupt files on my hard drive so I completely erased everything on it. When I try to install windows on it wont let me and under details it says it has a MBR and that it has to be a GPT but every one says online that I have read that it has to be a NTFS format and the other computer I have only lets me make NTFS hard drives. My hard drive is Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive please help I have tried reformatting through Computer Management and even through CMD and on CMD it just says that its not compatible. Its windows 7 Home Premium
 
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drtweak
If your drive isn't bigger than 2TB no need to have it GPT and if you don't have a UEFI BIOS you can't install windows to a GPT type drive.

To change thing you need to have the hard drive plugged into another PC. Then Right click on My Computer/This Computer and go to Manage. Go to Disk management. You will see your 1TB listed there. On the left side of the there should be a box that says Disk 1 or Disk 2 etc and it probably says GPT.

If there is a partition made (Bar will be blue) you want to right click on it and Delete volume. Sounds like there is nothing on there at this point so we don't have to worry about losing data. Once that is deleted you should have one big black bar at the top. now right click where it says Disk 1 and...
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Rookie_MIB

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Jul 27, 2013
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Its a bit screwed up due to Microsoft.

If your system uses UEFI, you must use GPT and use 64bit Windows.
If your system uses Legacy Bios, you must use MBR and use 32bit or 64bit Windows.

So - if it's telling you to use a GPT disk, you've probably got a newer computer, using UEFI. You have a choice here, you might be able to set in your BIOS to use a 'legacy boot mode'. This will allow a MBR partition as a boot device. Kicker? Limited partitioning options and no bootable partition over 2TB. So if you have a <2TB partition, can set the bios boot option to Legacy Mode, that should allow you to install to that device.

You could also just convert the drive to GPT in the Windows Installation. Make sure it's in UEFI mode. Put the boot device in. Start up the Windows Installtion. When you get to a stopping point, press 'Shift + F10', this will open up a command box. In the command box:

diskpart <hit enter> - this starts the diskpart tool
list disk <hit enter> - figure out which drive number is your disk to install to. Usually disk 0 if you have only one disk.
select disk number <hit enter>- where number is the disk you want to work with, again, usually 0
clean <hit enter> - this wipes all partition info from disk.
convert gpt <hit enter> - this converts the disk to a gpt disk
exit <hit enter> - exits the diskpart tool

Then - when you need to choose an installation type, select 'custom', then use the unallocated space on the c: drive which you should have just cleared....


 
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drtweak

drtweak

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Sep 17, 2012
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If your drive isn't bigger than 2TB no need to have it GPT and if you don't have a UEFI BIOS you can't install windows to a GPT type drive.

To change thing you need to have the hard drive plugged into another PC. Then Right click on My Computer/This Computer and go to Manage. Go to Disk management. You will see your 1TB listed there. On the left side of the there should be a box that says Disk 1 or Disk 2 etc and it probably says GPT.

If there is a partition made (Bar will be blue) you want to right click on it and Delete volume. Sounds like there is nothing on there at this point so we don't have to worry about losing data. Once that is deleted you should have one big black bar at the top. now right click where it says Disk 1 and Convert to MBR. Then install windows (no need to make any paritions now. Windows will do that when you install it.
 
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