How to install 7 on gpt partition. Installing Windows on a GPT disk. GPT disk - what is it?

Sometimes when installing a new operating system, in particular Windows 7, the question arises of how to install Windows 7 on a GPT disk.

Often during installation an error appears that informs the user that it is impossible to complete this task.

Installing Windows on a GPT disk in the installer window - The easiest way

Below in the video you can see the entire process of formatting GPT described above into a system-readable format right during installation of the operating system.

Convert GPT to MBR directly during installation - Command line method

Despite the harsh review of this installation method in the video of the previous section, we will present below the algorithm for converting a file to MBR.

So, the error itself looks like it is shown in Figure 1. It occurs at the stage when the user selects the disk where the operating system will be installed.

And to solve this problem, you need to perform a number of these simple steps:

Launch command line. Most often this is done by simultaneously pressing keys Shift And F10. In some computer models, you will also need to press Fn.
On the command line, you first need to run the utility, intended for conversion and other similar operations with disks. It's called DiskPart. Actually, to run it, you need to write on the command line “ diskpart" and press Enter on keyboard . After this, the utility will be launched - this can be seen from the inscription DISKPART at the beginning of the input line.

Next we need to select the disk with which we will work. To see the entire list of available drives, use the command " list disk". There you need to remember the number of the disk on which we are going to install the system. The disk is selected using the command “select disk [disk number]”. An example can be seen in Figure 3. In this example, there is only one disk in the list. Most likely, you will have the same situation.

The selected disk should be cleaned. To do this, enter the command “ clean".
Now, actually, we enter the command to convert the GPT disk to MBR. This is a simple command " convert mbr".
Next, you need to re-create the partition, because we previously deleted it. To do this, enter the command “ create partition primary size [size in MB]". An example can also be seen in Figure 6.

Note: The size must be specified as real, that is, no more than what is physically on the selected disk. You can find out how much a disk can hold in the table shown after entering the command “ list disk". There is a column for this called “ Size ". In our example, Disk 0 has a size of 20 GB, so in the command “ create partition primary" we enter a size of 20000 MB.

Next selected and converted disk needed format. This is done to avoid problems associated with the fact that there may be some residual data on the disk in the future.

This is done with the command “ format fs [file system] label “[drive name]” quick ». In this case, you can come up with the name of the disc yourself.

Parameter " quick" is responsible for the quick formatting method.

That's all - the conversion process is completed, and Windows 7 can be safely installed on the selected disk.

Now all that remains is to go to our installation window and update the list of disks. To do this, there is usually a button “Update” below it.

Click on it and see the disk we created with the MBR format.

Then calmly click on this disk, then the “ Further"at the bottom of the open window and continue installing the new operating system.

Installation errors

In principle, the option described above is absolutely optimal for most users and it works in the vast majority of cases.

But it cannot be ruled out that something could still go wrong.

In addition, when installing Windows 10 and 8, the problem described above and the method with transformation it may not work there either right during installation.

It is also worth saying that the error with the inability to install something on a GPT disk may appear not during the installation of the operating system.

Although then you can also go to the command line and perform all the operations described above, there are other ways to solve this problem.

One of them is to set the BIOS to boot from UEFI mode.

The second is only suitable for users of 32-bit Windows: you need to install a 64-bit operating system.

Setting UEFI mode

To complete this task, you must enter the BIOS. In most cases, login is accomplished by pressing the F2 button on laptops and Del on personal computers during system boot.

After this you need to do the following:

Find the “BIOS Features”, “BIOS Setup”, “BIOS Settings” or “Advanced” section. There you need to find the item that is responsible for the boot mode (most likely it’s “ boot mode"). In it you need to set the option in which the word “ UEFI" or simply " EFI". On older computers it will look like shown in Figure 10.

Set the SATA controller configuration - we need AHCI (usually is installed IDE). Usually this parameter is located in the sections “Peripherals", “Advanced", “SATA Config” or simply “Main”. An example of the latter is shown in Figure 11. By clicking on this option, you can select AHCI.

If you currently have Windows 7 installed on your computer, you must disable Secure boot.

This parameter can be found in BIOS tabs such as “Authentication”, “System configuration”, “Main” or “Boot”.

You need to click on it and select “ Disabled". An example can be seen in Figure No. 12.

Actually, the three steps described above can help in solving installation problems.

Many users when installing Windows encounter a problem when the installation operating system on this disk is not possible because the selected volume has a GPT partition style. In this article, we will teach you how to get out of this situation in several ways at once, and at the end we will even present a video in which we will show the entire process in as much detail as possible. Without delay, let's get started.

MBR (Master Boot Record) is the so-called main boot record. An area of memory that occupies the first 512 bytes of any drive. It can be traditional HDD, and solid state storage media SSD. The main disadvantage of this technology is the maximum volume (2.2 TB) of supported devices. In addition, their number is limited to 4 units.

GPT (GUID Partition Table) - more advanced and new technology, which is part of the UEFI mode ( full replacement BIOS). GPT is located at the very beginning of the drive, but unlike an MBR-protected partition, it is in its second sector. The first sector contains the same MBR for compatibility with older PCs. This technology Not only does it have no restrictions on the size and number of disks, but it also has a number of additional useful functions.

Some computers and laptops do not support UEFI and GPT, as a result the operating system “refuses” to install, and we see an error related to the inability to install Windows.

Backing up data

In the window that opens, select the disk management section and click right click mouse over the desired media and select “Properties”.

Switch to the “Volumes” tab and in the place marked with the number “2”, look at the type of boot record. In our case, this is just GUID or GPT.

If this line says “MBR”, it means the disk is formatted in in the required format and that is not the problem.

Using the command line

You can also find out whether GPT is used on our drive via command line. This is done like this:

Taking advantage Windows search, we find the command line itself by entering the characters “CMD” in the line indicated by the number “2”. After that, select the desired result in the search results.

On the command line itself, write “diskpart” and press Enter.

Next, enter the command “list disk” and press Enter again.

Let's look at the result. If there is an asterisk icon next to the partition, it means the disk uses GPT technology. Accordingly, on the contrary, if it is not there, you have MBR.

If you are convinced of the presence of GPT, proceed to the instructions for solving the problem of the inability to install Windows by converting the master boot record of the selected disk to MBR.

How to convert GPT to MBR?

Due to constant updates to the operating system itself and UEFI technology (GPT), the options below may vary or may not work at all. If you encounter such difficulty, simply move on to the next method.

Attention: some algorithms for solving the problem described in this article provide complete removal all data. Only one way leaves them in place. Therefore, read the description carefully before getting started!

Windows tools

This option involves changing the type of only the drive that is secondary. That is, if you are trying to transfer a partition on which Windows is installed and running, nothing will work.

In other cases we do this:

Using the search, we find a tool called “Administration”. To do this, simply enter a search query and select the desired option from the results.

Go to the “Computer Management” item.

In order to convert the disk type from GPT to “MBR” using Windows, you need to initially delete all partitions. To do this, right-click on each of them and select the appropriate action.

Attention: all data on the selected partition will be permanently deleted!

Right-click on the unallocated area and select the option to convert the master boot record to MBR format.

After this, the conversion will begin and the disk will switch to MBR mode. If for some reason this option it won't work for you or the conversion menu item will be unavailable, just move on to the next option.

Third party software

This method compares favorably with the others in that all the data on the converted partition will remain completely intact, as will its markup. Nevertheless, if we were you, we would still make a backup, since the software sometimes also crashes.

We proceed to our instructions:

Download the Acronis Disk Director application from its official website and begin installation. To do this we launch installation file and click “Yes”.

We are waiting for the data to be unpacked.

At the next stage, simply click the “Next” button.

We accept the license software and click on the button marked in the screenshot.

We refuse to participate in the improvement program and continue with the installation.

Specify or leave the default installation path, then move on.

Select the installation mode that suits you.

Everything is ready, all we have to do is click on the “Continue” button.

We are waiting for the installation to complete.

We complete the installation by clicking on the indicated button.

When the program is launched, select the desired disk and select the button to convert it. Since in our case the partition is already in MBR mode, we see the option to convert it to a dynamic disk (GPT). If you have the second type of boot record, the button will do the opposite operation, that is, install an “MBR” record on the drive.

To confirm the operation, click the button marked below.

All changes made in the program must be confirmed by clicking on the button with the image of the start flag. Let's press it.

We confirm our intentions once again by clicking on the “Continue” button.

The progress of the conversion operation is displayed in this window. Usually the process does not take much time, but it greatly depends on the size of the disk and its speed.

If this option does not solve your problem and you still see the message “Windows cannot be installed on this disk because it has a GPT structure,” proceed to the next method.

Using a bootable USB flash drive

Using bootable media, we can convert the disk type directly through the Windows Installer. Naturally, all data will be irretrievably lost.

Important: these instructions are suitable for Windows 10. In earlier operating systems, you need to create a bootable drive in this way: for and for .

Ready? We do the following:

Download a utility from Microsoft called Media Creation Tools from its official website and run the file.

We are waiting for the preparation to complete.

We accept license agreement Windows installer.

Selecting the creation mode bootable media, rather than updating the current system. After that, click on “Next”.

We select the user interface language, Windows release and its architecture.

Here we indicate direct download and installation on a flash drive, which you should already have installed on your computer by this time.

Do not forget that all data from the external drive will be deleted.

We see that our media is detected and click the “Next” button.

The download will begin Windows distribution to a temporary folder on your computer. We are waiting for the process to complete, the duration of which depends entirely on the speed of your connection to the network.

The second stage is writing the downloaded image to our flash drive.

When everything is ready, you will see a window like this. Here you just need to press a single button.

Quite often, when trying to install modern modifications of Windows 7, the following error began to appear: “The disk has an MBR partition table.” It is because of this that it is impossible to install Windows 7 using the usual method.

In earlier modifications of “Seven” such a problem simply did not exist, and the current “Seven” began to be equipped with an interface connecting the OS with the computer hardware, called “Extensible Firmware Interface” (EFI), which replaced the old and more friendly BIOS.

Therefore, such OS modifications are susceptible to this unpleasant error. It should be noted that the instructions below can be successfully used to solve a similar problem in new operating systems with indexes “8” and “10”.

The main causes of the error

Computers with an EFI interface use a method for storing partition tables on a hard drive called GPT. This distinguishes them from PCs with BIOS, which use "MBR". For example, in the case where previously the computer was running Windows XP with a regular BIOS with MBR tables, then after switching to “Seven” they were also left without transformation.

Replacing the BIOS with “EFI” simply won’t work; this will not be possible due to the insufficient functionality of the original BIOS itself. Subsequently, a notification about the problem appears on the screen.

To eliminate it, you can use 2 different methods. Both work successfully, but most experts recommend using the method of converting a disk from MBR to GPT, so we will consider this method first.

Error resolution procedure

To fix the problem and install Windows 7 on a PC normally, you can use the following two methods:

Preliminary disk conversion from MBR to GPT;
Switching boot type from “EFI” to “Legacy”.

Method 1: conversion

Here, a more advanced type of “EFI” boot is used with the disk being converted to “GPT” and then a problem-free installation of “Windows 7”. In turn, this procedure can be performed in 2 different ways:

An accelerated method with accompanying complete cleaning of the disk from the data and files stored on it;
Longer to execute, but without erasing information from the hard drive.

Fast way: by deleting the disk contents

You need to do the following:

Execute six commands in sequence.

First you need to call the console; to do this, in the Windows 7 installation window, simultaneously click “Shift” and “F10”;

Note: sometimes after following step 4 of the above instructions, the disk does not appear. If this happens, then you just need to restart the PC using bootable external media and repeat the system installation procedure again.

A longer method, but without deleting information

If you need to save files on disk, you will have to use the second method. Wherein the most important condition is the use of special third party program: "Minitool Partition Wizard Bootable" It is freely distributed on the World Wide Web, and downloading its image is not difficult.

The sequence of actions consists of several steps:

Using official resource application developer “www.partitionwizard.com”, download ISO with the utility;
Create bootable optical disk or a USB drive with this program;

Note: if you use a flash drive, you must first format it in the FAT32 standard.

Solving Related Difficulties

Sometimes during the conversion procedure, a notification appears stating that the partition is a system partition, and therefore the process cannot be carried out. In order to successfully resolve the difficulty that has arisen, it is recommended to perform just a few of the following actions:

Method 2: without conversion

The following sequential steps will be required:

When booting a PC from a USB drive via " Boot Menu» specify a flash drive without “UEFI”, in this case it will start in “Legacy” mode;
If booting from a CD, then in the “UEFI” parameters turn off “EFI” startup and specify “CSM”;
Ready. The error will now simply be ignored.

On computers and laptops of previous generations, the installation of Windows 7, as a rule, went smoothly and without any problems. In relatively new devices, especially with pre-installed Windows version When reinstalling, you can often get an error “Installation to disk is not possible. The selected disk has a GPT partition style". Next, we will look at how to convert GPT to MBR right during the installation of Windows.

How to convert GPT to MBR when installing windows 7?

Converting GPT to MBR is done using standard Windows tools(even at the time of installation). If necessary, you can convert the disk back, even without losing data, but we'll talk about that another time. Now let's figure out how working with the command line allows you to quickly convert our disk from GPT to MBR in 6 simple steps.

Convert GPT to MBR during OS installation

At the stage of selecting a disk for installing windows, press the key combination Shift + F10;
This will open a command prompt window. To display all connected hard drives, run special utility team diskpart ;
Next we enter list disk and all connected hard drives will be displayed on the screen;
Now you need to select the disk to convert using the command select disk N. Here N is the disk number from the list displayed above. It is easy to determine by size. This list may also display your flash drive with which you are going to install Windows. But we choose the hard drive. That is, on the team select disk N instead of N we put the number opposite the desired disk;
The next action will be the command clean. Attention! This command deletes all hard drive partitions. Accordingly, all the data from the entire hard drive. Therefore, save everything important in advance to a flash drive, hard drive, cloud, etc.;
And finally, the GPT to MBR conversion command itself - convert mbr.
That's all. Enter twice exit to stop working with the utility diskpart and exit the command line.

how to convert a disk from GPT to MBR when installing windows 7

Sometimes when installing Windows, including version 10, an error message is displayed on the screen. The text of the message is: “Windows cannot be installed on this disk.” In this case, the hard drive is displayed in the BIOS. It is also visible at the stage of installation of the operating system, where it could be divided into sections.

This problem occurs for two reasons:

the controller is disabled in the BIOS (AHCI mode);
The hard drive has a GPT volume.

Problem with AHCI mode

In addition to an error message informing that it is impossible to install Windows 7 or 10 on this disk, if there are difficulties with AHCI mode The computer cannot boot from the selected disk. The reason is that the controller may be disabled in the BIOS.

The problem is solved as follows:

Problem with GPT format

Another reason for the impossibility of installing Windows 7 or 10 versions with the display of a similar message may be GPT - the hard drive partition format.

Until recently, all hard drives were the same type. The only partition style was MBR. Over the past few years, manufacturers have been gradually switching to producing hard drives with the GPT format. But the boot files from the OS are not modified for the new formats, and as a result, the error described above appears during installation.

The MBR (master boot record) is the program code and data required to pre-start the computer. They are located in the initial marked sector of the hard drive. The MBR starts after the initial BIOS analysis of the performance of all devices. Its main function is to determine the location of the files that are needed to boot the OS.

GPT is a new standard for the volume table layout format. It was also developed standard interface embedded software for computers that replaces BIOS. It is called UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface).

The problem occurs because the OS installer cannot install Windows on the specified partition due to the fact that the partition table does not suit it.

There are 2 methods to solve the problem:

installing the system on a similar disk;
Converting a partition to MBR.

The choice of method should be determined by the following rules:

if your computer supports the UEFI interface and you need to install a 64-bit OS (for example, Windows 10), then it is recommended to use the first option. Checking the presence of a UEFI interface is very simple. Graphics mode with the ability to control the mouse indicates the presence of UEFI;
If the computer was manufactured several years ago, has a BIOS and requires installing a 32-bit operating system from MicroSoft, then you should convert GPT to MBR.

Using MBR limits some features, such as:

their volume cannot exceed 4 TB;
The maximum number of volumes on the HDD is limited to 4.

Installation of Windows 7, 8 and 10 on GPT

Problems when installing an OS on a GPT volume usually arise for those who want to install Windows 7, 8 and 10.

To install the OS on a GPT volume, you must meet 2 conditions:

install a 64-bit system (for example, Windows 10);
boot in EFI mode.

If the first condition is not met, what should be prepared bootable UEFI storage device.

But in most cases, only the second condition is not met. Therefore, it is better to immediately go into the BIOS and check the settings.

There are two parameters to set in the BIOS:

enable UEFI boot;
switch the operating mode from SATA to AHCI.

After saving the settings, you can install the OS on your computer. The mistake will not happen again.

Converting GPT volumes to MBR

There are several options for converting volume style. Let's look at them in more detail.

Converting to MBR when installing Windows via the command line

This method is optimal for use in situations where installing an OS such as Windows 7, 8, 10 is not feasible due to the GPT volume type. It can also be useful not only when installing the OS, but also during the normal operation of the OS for converting non-system partitions.

It should be remembered that when converting partitions, all information from them will be lost. Therefore, it is recommended to save everything important on an external storage device in advance.

To change the style of volumes from GPT to MBR via the command line:

run the command line in Windows as a user with administrator rights;
to display the list hard drives connected to the computer, enter the commands “diskpart” and “list disk” in sequence;
select the disk to change the style with the command “select disk D”, where D is the disk number;
Then two scenarios are possible.
1. execute complete cleaning disk with the “clean” command. In this case, all HDD volumes will be deleted;
2. You can delete HDD volumes one at a time using the commands “detail disk”, “select volume” and “delete volume”;
start converting the disk to MBR with the “convert mbr” command;
exit Diskpart by selecting “Exit”. Close the command prompt. After this, it is recommended to continue installing the operating system. This error message will no longer appear.

You can create volumes on the HDD by selecting “ Set up disk».

The volume style change is complete.

Changing partition style from GPT to MBR using Windows Disk Management

The alternative volume conversion method requires a properly functioning Windows 7, 8 or 10 operating system on personal computer. You can only convert a disk volume that is not a system one.

The sequence of steps to convert a HDD volume is as follows:

Utilities for changing partition style

Except standard methods converting HDD volumes provided by Microsoft developers, you can use third-party hard drive volume management utilities, such as