Does not convert to mbr. What are MBR and GPT

In one of the previous articles in the section with instructions for Windows 10, we discussed which of these markup standards is best to use on a modern computer with a modern operating system. In short, it is better to use GPT, as it is a newer and more convenient standard for hard drive partitioning. If after reading the article you set out to convert MBR to GPT on your wonderful computer, this article is exactly what you need. Here you will find instructions on how to convert MBR to GPT without third-party programs (system tools), as well as how to convert MBR to GPT without data loss.

For reference: All procedures described in this article must be performed on behalf of the Administrator. Therefore, your account must have the appropriate rights. If there are none, you will need to enter the computer administrator password.

How to convert MBR to GPT without third party programs

To begin with, we must immediately note that changing the layout of a hard drive inside the system is only possible if it No sections in general. In other words, you need to completely delete all existing sections and then convert. This in turn equals deleting information from the disk. Make sure to back up all the data you need.

Also note that this method cannot change the markup system disk on which the operating system is installed. If you need to change the MBR to GPT of the system disk, you will have to reinstall Windows and change the partition during the installation process. This procedure is described a little below.

Once the backups are created, proceed with the procedure:

By the way, so as not to return to the interface Disk Management, you can complete the conversion procedure directly on the command line.

  1. Enter again listdisk, and then selectdisk X. Traditionally, X is responsible for the number of the disk to be changed.
  2. Now enter the command convertmbr. Click Enter and wait for the procedure to complete.

After this, you can mark. This procedure can be performed in the Command Line, but the interface will be much simpler and clearer Disk Management.

How to Convert MBR to GPT During Windows 10 Installation

This procedure must be done not only at the moment when you purposefully change the layout of the system disk, but also when you encounter the error Installing Windows on this disk is impossible. The selected disk contains an MBR partition table. On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed on a GPT disk. In other words, when you try to install Windows on a UEFI system, you will have to change the markup from MBR to GPT. And yes, you will lose all information on this disk.

The process of converting MBR to GPT during Windows installation is essentially the same as in the case of conversion “from under Windows”. Its essence is to call the command line and enter a couple of commands. This is all done very simply:

  1. When the Windows installation interface has loaded (or when the above error appears on the screen), press Shift+F10 to launch the command line.
  2. In the window that appears, enter the command diskpart.
  3. Then comes the command Listdisk to display all connected drives. Look for the drive on which you want to install the operating system. Eg, Disk 0.
  4. Enter the command selectdissk X. Replace X with the disk number. For example, the command might look like this: select disk 3.
  5. The following command will erase the MBR table. Enter clean and press Enter.
  6. Now all that remains is to convert the blank disk to GPT. To do this use the command convertgpt.
  7. After the successful conversion message, enter the command exit to exit the command line. Then continue installing Windows as usual. When the computer is ready for use, you will see the utility in the interface Disk Management that the system partition now uses GPT format markup.

If the disk is not partitioned and you are installing the system on an EFI computer, Windows will automatically select GPT partitioning during installation.

How to Convert MBR to GPT without Data Loss

As you probably already understood, Windows does not have built-in mechanisms that allow you to convert Master Boot Record to GPT without first completely wiping the disk. Luckily, there are a large number of free apps that do a great job of this. One of them is called AOMEI Partition Assistant.

Warning: There is always a risk of losing information on your hard drive during such procedures. It's best to always back up your important data to the cloud or other storage. And remember that only you are responsible for the safety of your information.


As you can see, the whole procedure is quite simple and is much easier to do than it might seem to a novice user or simply an inexperienced user.

Nowadays, most laptops and computers are sold with the Windows 8 operating system pre-installed. But not all users like it. Many people uninstall the new operating system and install the familiar Windows 7 instead.

However, during the installation process, the following message appears: “Windows cannot be installed on this drive. The selected disk has a GPT partition style."

The thing is that new computers have hard drives with a GPT partition table, instead of the usual MBR. This is a new standard developed by Intel, which is part of UEFI BIOSa. Unlike the MBR table, which supported drives with a capacity of no more than 2 TB, the GPT partition table supports hard drives with a much larger capacity.

But, despite all the advantages, sometimes you need to install an operating system on a disk with an MBR partition table. Let's look at how you can convert your hard drive from GPT to MBR.

During Windows installation

Delete all partitions

ATTENTION!!! All information stored on the hard drive will be deleted.

During installation of the operating system, in the window where you need to select the partition to install, click on the button "Disk Setup". Then delete everything and create them again. If the volume of your hard drive is less than 2.2 TB, then the new disk will be created with an MBR partition table.

Converting via the command line

This method also involves completely deleting data from all partitions. That is, if you had partitions C:, D:, E:, then the information will be deleted not only from C: on which the system was installed, but also from D: and E:.

In the window where you need to select a partition to install the operating system, press Shift+F10.

A command prompt window will open. We will convert GPT to MBR using a special utility built into Windows. Enter the command diskpart and press “Enter”.

The list disk command will open a list from which you can select the one you need. Please note that if the disk has a GPT partition table, it will have a “*” next to it.

The select disk 0 command will allow you to select the desired disk. Here, instead of “0”, there should be the number of your hard drive, which was determined by the previous command - it can be 0, 1, or 2, depending on how many of them are installed on the computer.

The clean command will completely clear it - remove all partitions and information from them.

The convert mbr command converts hard drive to MBR.

Type exit once to exit the DiskPart console utility, and exit again to close the command prompt.

Now on the hard MBR partition table, you can continue installing the operating system.

Conversion without data loss

If you do not want to lose the information that is on the hard drive, but convert it to MBR as needed, then we will use the Paragon Hard Disk Manager program. You can download it from the official website. The only thing is that this program is paid. Of course, there is a Demo version, but the GPT to MBR converter is not active in it. Therefore, you only need to install the full version.

We launch the program on the computer using a Live CD or bootable USB flash drive. Then select with the mouse the hard one that needs to be converted. Here you can see what partition table is on it.

If such a list does not open for you, find the item in the program window "List of disks and partitions" and click on the small black arrow opposite it.

Right-click on the one you want and select "Convert basic GPT to basic MBR disk".

In the next window, click on the button "Convert".

To apply the changes, click on the green checkmark in the upper left corner.

A confirmation window will pop up, click “Yes”.

After the process is completed, click “Close”.

Now the name in the list will change - "Basic MBR hard drive".

We open the disk through Explorer and see that all the files remain in place.

Conversion on a computer with two hard drives

Let's consider this option. The computer has two hard drives, divided into partitions. Your main OS is on the first, you want to install a new system on the second. In this case, you can convert GPT to MBR using Windows itself, or using Paragon Hard Disk Manager.

With information removed

Let's consider the first option. In this case, information from the selected hard drive will be deleted. To do this we go to "Disk Management": press the Win+R combination and in the “Open” field type diskmgmt.msc, click “OK”.

The window we need will open. I only have one hard drive installed. You will have “Disk 0” and “Disk 1”. Select the one on which you are going to install the new OS. Now right-click on any partition and select “Delete Volume” from the context menu. Repeat this for all others on this hard drive.

Now right-click on the hardest one and select "Convert to MBR disk"(You will have it).

After this, the partition table will be MBR. You can split the disk into the necessary partitions.

With preservation of information

The second option is to use the Paragon Hard Disk Manager program. Run it on your computer in a working operating system. All information will be saved. Then select the hard drive that needs to be converted, the main thing is not the one on which the working OS is installed, and repeat all the steps with the program that were described in the paragraph above.

As you can see, there are various ways to convert a disk with a GPT partition table to MBR. You can convert the disk to MBR when installing the operating system, or use the Paragon Hard Disk Manager program and save all the data.

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Good day everyone! The topic of today's article is dedicated to all those who like to tinker with their computers. First of all, this concerns issues of installing and reinstalling the operating system. As for the installation, everything is clear here, we updated the device and decided to install a new “top ten”. But sometimes there are times when you simply need to return to a proven, old system.

For example, few people now prefer to work in Windows 8. Not everyone still likes Windows 8 because of compatibility problems. And a significant part of users prefer to return the familiar Windows 7 to their new computer or (laptop).

And here we can expect problems, because the factory most likely already installed a partition style that supports new capacious devices - style GPT. After all, they expected that when you bought a laptop, you would use the new operating system. And if you install “seven”, you most likely have a 2009 distribution. And then all systems worked in style MBR.

But, before explaining the options for converting a hard drive from GPT V MBR, we need to figure out a little what it is. GPT And MBR– these are the styles of partitions on your computer’s hard drive. Before our hard drive can start working, it needs to have partitions. The earliest (and therefore already outdated version of the disk) was the standard MBR. Translated from English this means “Master Boot Record”. Until recently, we worked precisely on this standard, creating sections, expanding them, using both the system itself and special programs.

Concerning GPT(partition table with support for unique identification number) is a new style. Moreover, it is part of a system such as UEFI, which replaced the old one on new computers BIOS. We will not go into special technical characteristics; I would like to note only one thing. All necessary service information on disk MBR be stored in one place.


This can lead to boot problems if the disk sectors on which the file is written are damaged. MBR. On GPT— two or more copies of the boot sector are created on the disk, which are usually stored at the beginning and end. It's much more convenient and safer. Detailed information on how these section styles differ from each other is in the article

Thus, if you install another system (or in some other cases), it may not install because the disk has a new partition style. Therefore, we have to resort to the conversion process GPT V MBR. Today we will introduce two methods:

  1. Using standard Windows tools - this is mainly done during Windows installation;
  2. Using special programs.

How to convert a disk from GPT to MBR using Windows and the command line

The operating system allows you to convert one disk format to another. However, this only applies to those disks on which the operating system is naturally not installed. You need to start by going to the control panel, where we select the “Administration” item.


Here, also at the very end, we find the “Disk Management” item. By selecting it, we will see the following window:


In Windows 10, Disk Management is accessed by right-clicking on the Start menu and selecting Disk Management.

Now you can begin the formatting process itself. To do this, select the desired disk and right-click on it. In the menu that opens, select “Delete volume”

After the volume deletion procedure has been completed, right-click again and select “Convert to MBR disk.”


After the conversion is complete, you can create the necessary partition structure on your hard drive. However, it is worth noting here that before performing these operations, you must somewhere in advance save all data, if any. This method may be suitable when you have connected a new drive and are partitioning it. When installing Windows, we will do the same but by entering special commands

How to convert a GPT disk to MBR using the command line

The command line method is necessary first of all if, when installing 7, a message appears that installing Windows on this disk is impossible due to the partition style GPT. The picture shows the message:

During Windows installation, we get to the partition selection stage. If you receive a message, click OK. Press the keys Shift + F10 and we will see the command line window in which we will work.



Enter the following command - select disk and put the number of the disk that needs to be converted, for example, select disk 0.

Attention! It is necessary to select the desired disk correctly; at the next stage, the information on it will be lost.

Now we need to completely clean the disk. To do this, enter the command clean, as a result, all partitions will be deleted. You can carry out this operation individually, deleting partitions individually or in parts using the commands detail disk, select volume And delete volume. We will now delete all partitions, i.e. clear the entire disk:

When the uninstallation process is complete, enter the last command convert mbr. After this, the disk is converted to the required system. And you can close the command prompt window and continue installing Windows.

Both considered options result in data loss, unless of course they are copied in advance. It would be possible. However, there are times when data needs to be saved. There are special programs for this, and one of them is Acronis Disk Director,

Converting a disk to MVR via Acronis Disk Director without data loss

To fully use the program, you must first create a bootable emergency flash drive, which may include it. An image of it can be downloaded. After this, we reboot our computer and specify booting from a flash drive. After downloading, the program itself will open with all the disks that are available on the computer.


A window will open where you need to confirm the operation. The process has begun.

It is not always possible to repartition a disk in this way. Try the latest versions of Acronis or similar programs. On devices with factory partitioning, where there are two active disks, you will still have to delete all partitions, reinitialize and re-partition the disk.


Upon completion, we will receive a hard drive converted to the required standard, and the data will be saved on it. Powerful thing - Acronis. Besides this, there are several other similar programs that work the same way. The main thing is that you have a newer version. Very old versions do not support section styles GPT. And of course, in this way you can safely return the new section style ( GPT) back when the need arises. If you figure it out, it's not that difficult. That's basically all for today. Good luck with your computer endeavors!

Convert a GPT partition table to the old MBR format for various reasons. For example, due to a common error, Windows cannot be installed on this disk..
It doesn’t matter why you needed this transformation, we will tell you how to do it using accessible methods. Conversion occurs using standard system tools (this can also be done during its installation) or specialized software methods. So, we will tell you how to convert the new format standard used to host partition tables to the old one, if such a need arises. We will show you several conversion methods, and you are free to choose the most optimal one for yourself. At the end of the article there is a video that clearly shows how you can convert a disk to MBR format without losing data on it.

Converting to MBR when installing Windows via command line

If, when installing the seventh version of Windows OS, the system notifies you of errors, you can convert to MBR immediately using the command line. This method is applicable not only if there is a problem with the installation of the operating system.

Important information! When converting formats, all information from the hard drive will be erased.

The old GPT format can be changed to the new one, MBR, using the standard tool - the command line. To convert, follow these six steps:

Step 1 When you install the operating system and select partitions (not necessarily in this location), open the command line with the key combination: Shift + F10. If the operating system is already installed, the command line can be launched as an administrator.

Step 2 Execute two commands: first - diskpart, second - list disk. These commands will show all the physical drives that are connected to this computer.

Step 3 Run the command select disk N(instead of N, enter the number of the disk being converted).

Action 4This action can be performed in two ways. Method 1: Run the command clean(all data on the disk will be completely deleted, including volumes). The second method is that partitions can be deleted not entirely, but separately. This method takes time. If you have nowhere to rush, run the following commands one by one: detail disk, select volume, delete volume.

Action 5Command convert mbr will start the format conversion.

Step 6To exit Diskpart, enter Exit. When the command line closes, the installation of the operating system will continue, but without error notifications. And to create partitions, select “Disk Settings”.


This is how you can convert the disk partition table by switching to the old format. Performing all six steps step by step should not cause difficulties or errors.

Convert GPT to MBR disk using Windows Disk Management

GPT to MBR can be converted, and if the operating system (“seven” or “eight”) works. This conversion method is useful for a physical hard drive, but not a system drive.

To convert using this method (with the OS running), we will use a disk management program. It can be opened using the command line by running diskmgmt.msc


In this program, find the hard drive you are looking for that you want to convert. Now you need to erase all volumes from it. Partitions are deleted one by one by right-clicking. So delete all volumes on your hard drive.


Now the final procedure is disk conversion. This can be done using the special “Convert to MBR disk” item.


When the disk is converted to the required format, its partitions can be created again, but with the required structure.

Programs for converting between GPT and MBR, including without data loss

We talked about standard tools using the operating system itself. But conversion is also possible using software methods. There are special applications with which you can manage the hard drive and its partitions, for example, however, it is paid and does not cost a penny.


But you can also try the free application. The developer claims that with its help you can quickly convert your hard drive to MBR format without losing data. We haven't tested this free app, but we've seen positive reviews online. The program also has other useful functions that allow you to conveniently work with hard disk volumes. With Aomei Partition Assistant, you can create a bootable USB flash drive to record an OS image, convert NTFS to FAT32, and much more.

For many users, converting GPT to MBR when installing Windows 7 is a necessary procedure.

Recently, it has not been as easy to reinstall a hard drive as it used to be.

The fact is that simultaneously with the start of production, hard drives with a new style of partitions began to appear on the market.

The difficulty is that to install such a disk, the style must be converted to the usual MBR.

This can be done quite simply in several ways.

general information

In fact, this conversion procedure can be useful in various situations. But – the most common and popular of them.

Often, having purchased a laptop with a pre-installed G8, the user wants to exchange the updated and changed OS for the familiar G7.

And he is faced with the fact that it is impossible to do this.

How are these formats different?

  • MBR– standard and familiar hard disk format. All users worked with it until the Windows 8 operating system was released, which became fundamentally different. Therefore, previously there were no problems with reinstallation;
  • GPT– a fundamentally new and unusual format for placing partition tables on a hard drive. For the first time, disks of this style appeared during the transition to a new type of BIOS - UEFI. The format is used on relatively new operating systems - “eight”, “ten”. Therefore, reinstalling and replacing with an older OS can be difficult.

The need for such a conversion arises at several stages of working with a hard drive. But during reinstallation - most often.

The GPT format is much preferable in work. If it is present, the operating system loads faster, and even very large external and internal drives can be supported. The system works faster. However, some users still need to convert the disk format. It should be taken into account that all the positive aspects of GPT will be lost.

Problem

What is the essence of the problem? At the initial stages of installation, the user does not detect any differences from the standard procedure.

He inserts a disk into the drive or inserts a memory card, and boots from them. After this, the language selection menu appears, where you can also freely select the system language.

The user then specifies the partition where he wants to install.

The standard user reaction to such a notification is to delete partitions and format the disk. But these actions do not bring results.

The essence of the problem

This problem can be solved only in one way - by converting the outdated format to a new one. This is not difficult to do. No additional software or special abilities are required. The only thing you need for this is an installation disk with a new operating system.

Command line

One of the easiest conversion methods. In order to carry it out, follow the following algorithm:

  1. Run the installer again;
  2. Insert the installation disc;
  3. Boot from it;
  4. Select the system language;
  5. When the window for selecting partitions for installing a new OS opens, hold down Shift and F10 at the same time (without selecting a partition);
  6. This action launches the command line;
  7. Enter the command diskpart, this utility helps to cope with many problems that arise during OS installation;
  8. Enter the command list disk, as a result of which a list of disks will open, each of which will be assigned a number;
  9. Remember the number of the disk you want to convert;
  10. Now enter the command into the command line select disk#, where # is the number of the hard drive (according to the list) that will be converted;
  11. The next step will delete all existing data on the hard drive - something to keep in mind!
  12. Type into the command line clean command, which will completely clear the specified disk of any information;
  13. You can save data from the disk only on an external drive, but if they are moved, for example, to disk D, this will not bring results (they will still be deleted);
  14. Wait a while for the cleaning to complete and proceed directly to the conversion;
  15. Dial convert mbr on the command line;
  16. The process of converting the outdated format to the updated one will start;
  17. Wait for the notification about the end of the process (usually it appears almost instantly).

As soon as this process was completed, the hard drive acquired its usual format. You need to exit the converter utility. To do this, type exit on the command line. It is not advisable to go out in another way, for example, by turning off the computer.

After that, connect the installation disk again. Complete the installation as usual. Now there will be no problems at the partition selection stage.

Working with the command line

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No data loss

In some cases, losing data stored on your hard drive is unacceptable. At the same time, transferring them to removable media and then back to the computer takes a long time.

Sometimes data volumes do not allow this, or removable storage of a suitable size is not available at all.

  1. Buy Bootable Live CD|DVD. Carefully study its assembly, since conversion will require the Paragon Hard Disk Manager utility. Not every disk assembly has it, but without it it is not possible to convert partition formats;
  2. Install a boot disk or memory card into your computer. Download and run the system from it. Wait until the desktop appears in front of you;
  3. In the standard way, open the Start menu and find the section there HDD and USB utilities. Click on it and select Paragon HDM 2010 Pro from the list;
  4. Launch the program;
  5. After launch, a program window will open, which will display all hard drives. Select the base GPT and click on it once with the left key;
  6. Now click on the “Hard disk” button, which is located at the top, in the header of the program window;
  7. A small menu will open in which you need to select a section "Convert to MBR". Click on the command. After this, we confirm the process by clicking on the green checkmark in the pop-up window;
  8. A window with parameters and settings will open conversion. You cannot change anything in it (sometimes this option is present). Just click on the button "Convert" at the bottom of the window;
  9. The conversion process has now started. In the window that opens, you can observe the progress of the process by filling the gray bar with green. The process is not as fast as in the first case. Typically, this type of conversion takes a few minutes.
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