Windows 10, MBR, GPT, UEFI 3TB Mess

[Dagonus]

So this could be more hardware than Windows 10 related. They're rather intermingled here.


Windows 10
3TB HDD
Asus 88X-Plus Mobo

So I had windows 10 installed on a 2TB drive. Drive developed the click of death. I bought a 3TB to replace it.

3TB comes and I boot the system with just the 3TB wired in and the USB Windows 10 boot that I keep on hand in the system. I don't force a choice and just let the boot order do its job. Windows 10 installer boots. I choose Drive 0 and say go. I don't bother to manually space out Partitions. I want it all in one bit batch. I'm lazy. Afterwards, I happen to be looking in My Computer and see that it's showing the drive as approximately 2TB. I double take. I load up Disk manager and see that it's 3TB but the installer only allocated 2TB to it. Noticing that I can't create a partition in the leftover space, extend the partition or convert to GPT gives me a lesson in max drive size for MBR(First HDD I've had over 2TB so I suppose the lesson time is now). Fun. I look into how to convert my HDD from MBR to GPT but discover there are some checks to make sure you have UEFI. Of course I do. The Mobo is only 3 years old. I check Panther. Bios shows "Legacy". I check Sys Info. Bios shows "Legacy". Now I'm surprised. I could have sworn I had UEFI. So Now I'm racking my brains looking at some software to fake a second MBR and trick windows into reading two hard drives. This is going to be rough, but whatever, I don't have the money to buy a SSD to use as the primary so I don't have much choice right now. Then I decide to check if I really don't have UEFI or if its possible windows is wrong.

I still have my Mobo box (good for storing stuff in my spare parts tub) and the box reads "ASUS UEFI BIOS (EZ MODE)" then I restart, open bios and theres UEFI Safeboot... turned on. And UEFI Network stack, turned off. This sure sounds like the Mobo is UEFI. Why does windows insist the Motherboard isn't though?

When I've booted from a jump drive before and had to force the boot menu, I've been presented with 2 USB choices "UEFI: SAMSUNG USB" and "SAMSUNG USB". Is it possible that the system defaulted to the non-UEFI USB and accordingly Windows 10 decided that it never needed to know what to do with UEFI and is treating my system like an older Bios than it needs to? Or did something else go on here? Does this Asus board have some half-useful hybrid UEFI that doesn't really support GPT?

Is my only solution reformating and starting the install over(I did a temporary 1TB HDD in between the 2TB and the 3TB so I'm really sick of setting windows up lately and going through all the patching and update hoops)? Can I ghost the system to a HDD that I can temporarily spare to the task, set a GPT HDD up and then ghost it back?

Thanks

 

[Colif]

Your manual: http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/SocketFM2/A88X-PLUS/E8563_A88X-PlUS.pdf

Did PC ever have Win 7 on it? on page 2-28 of the manual, is CSM set to enabled? look in advanced menu/boot tab
Is secure boot set to UEFI mode? See page 2-29
Have you got the latest BIOS version? Its definitely UEFI, it says it at top of bios home screen
have you tried resetting the defaults in the BIOS?

Win 10 should have recognised system as UEFI and insisted on using GPT otherwise.

 

[Dagonus]

Thanks for the reply.

PC did have Windows 7 on it prior to Windows 10.

CSM was Enabled. I changed CSM to Disabled and received an error about devices not being compatible. Could not boot.
Devices attached to the system right now either internally bootable or anything Via USB :
USB3.0 Samsung USB jump drive (Contains Windows 10 install files currently)
Logitech Extreme 3DPro joystick
Xbox 360 Wired Controller
Logitech G600 mouse
Logitech G510S Keyboard
Logitech Webcam (uncertain of M/N, can sort out if needed)
3TB Seagate Constellation HDD
Lite-On DVD-R

I can try for the old Unplug everything and see what happens.

Secure boot is set to UEFI mode.

Bios is not latest. Will be flashing shortly.

Reset to Defaults turned CSM back on.

I'll update the bios and try a few things here.

What could be stopping the boot with CSM disabled?

 

[Colif]

CSM enabled = MBR & GPT. This is what you would have had to allow win 7 to boot
CSM off = GPT only.
When Win 7 was installed, who ever did it turned off secure boot so they could install a non UEFI OS. Turning it on removes the Legacy choice from the boot options, and since your HDD is formatted as MBR it won't boot

 

[Dagonus]

Okay. To fix this, I suppose I could force a boot to the USB drive and format. That's a less than fun solution.

Can I ghost the contents of the 3TB drive over to another HDD, reformat the 3TB drive as GPT and then ghost the OS back to teh new GPT format or is the Windows 10 Install too picky to let the formatting type of the HDD to change?

Or could I use another system to convert the 3TB to GPT as drive 1 instead of drive 0 and then simply return the drive to this machine?

Or is the only solution here back up all data to another drive, format, start over?

 

[Colif]

An MBR disc boots looking for a particular partition on the drive, a GPT system boots by finding a file name. Win 10 on MBR only has 2 partitions I believe (its been a while) whereas GPT will create 4 partitions. I do know you have to delete all the partitions to convert the drive so what is there now won't match GPT, and cloning drive would remake an MBR which doesn't work anymore.

I think only way is to fresh install. I will have to check for sure as I know you can create an EFI partition but convincing BIOS to see it is another thing.

I would back up everything you don't want to lose now though.

If you have Steam folders they can be reused without the need to download again. Just copy folder somewhere and then move back, and once steam client reinstalled, go to settings for libraries and change the default location to the folder you kept and steam will find all your games again.

This shows how to convert: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc725671%28v=ws.11%29.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396

 

[Dragos Manea]

Also in uefi mode (GPT) it copies some supplimentary boot filles into the efi partition which your mbr install does not have. Only way to make a hdd gpt and install windows on it is a fresh install, be sure this time to have the csm disabled to be sure that it will boot in gpt mode. Also if you cannot boot from the usb stick in uefi mode try making a stick with rufus, download the windows 10 iso and use this https://rufus.akeo.ie/ and be sure after selecting the iso image to select from teh menu uefi for gpt. It is important to select uefi for gpt after you select the iso image.

 

[Dragos Manea]

An MBR disc boots looking for a particular partition on the drive, a GPT system boots by finding a file name. Win 10 on MBR only has 2 partitions I believe (its been a while) whereas GPT will create 4 partitions. I do know you have to delete all the partitions to convert the drive so what is there now won't match GPT, and cloning drive would remake an MBR which doesn't work anymore.

I think only way is to fresh install. I will have to check for sure as I know you can create an EFI partition but convincing BIOS to see it is another thing.

I would back up everything you don't want to lose now though.


If you have Steam folders they can be reused without the need to download again. Just copy folder somewhere and then move back, and once steam client reinstalled, go to settings for libraries and change the default location to the folder you kept and steam will find all your games again.

This shows how to convert: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc725671%28v=ws.11%29.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396

You can convert easilly to gpt, easus partition manager, minitools partition, acronis disk director, they all can convert any disk to gpt, the problem here is that it will not be bootable after the convertion, it will search for the efi boot filles and the disk does not have them.

 

[Colif]

Well, you can create the partition> http://www.tenforums.com/installation-setup/52837-moving-recreating-efi-partition.html

Wouldn't conversion wipe drive anyway?

 

[Dragos Manea]

I use mostly minipartition tools, and you can convert to gpt or mbr without deleting or wiping anything.