Should I reinstall my computer to boot with UEFI?

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  1. Posts : 1,660
    Windows 8 Pro (32-bit)
       #1

    Should I reinstall my computer to boot with UEFI?


    I'm still trying to get a hang of how UEFI works. I did take a look at it when I went to install my OS (And again when i got a SSD), but I couldn't make heads or tails of it and used BIOS.

    does UEFI make a drastic difference over BIOS, and can I convert without having to do a complete wipe and install? or how would go about switching to EFI, or is it worth it?

    thanks.
      My Computer

  2.    #2

    You can always save a Win7 backup image of the MBR disk to reconvert and restore if you don't like what you find:

    Convert MBR Disk to GPT Disk

    UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - Install Windows 7 with - Windows 7 Forums
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 1,660
    Windows 8 Pro (32-bit)
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thanks, but I guess what I'm asking is: is it worth it? I don't want to do a complete nuke&reinstall just to find out it acts exactly the same.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 2,606
    Windows 7 Pro X64 SP1
       #4

    gregrocker said:
    You can always save a Win7 backup image of the MBR disk to reconvert and restore if you don't like what you find:

    Convert MBR Disk to GPT Disk

    UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - Install Windows 7 with - Windows 7 Forums
    Other than the limitations of MBR (like not being able to use a boot disk larger than 2GB), is there any functional difference?
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 7,730
    Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-Bit
       #5

    You might want to download and read this Microsoft document before you make a decision: UEFI and Windows
      My Computer

  6.    #6

    FuturDreamz said:
    Thanks, but I guess what I'm asking is: is it worth it? I don't want to do a complete nuke&reinstall just to find out it acts exactly the same.
    bobkn said:
    Other than the limitations of MBR (like not being able to use a boot disk larger than 2GB), is there any functional difference?

    I don't have any EFI mobos yet and haven't heard of any performance advantage. We only see installation problems here as EFI mobos start coming to the fore. So, like RAID, it is problematic with WIn7 installation.

    If you choose to test this, please let us know what you find.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 1,660
    Windows 8 Pro (32-bit)
    Thread Starter
       #7

    I was hoping for something along the lines of improved performance and stability. So far it seems like dad-to-day usage will be unnoticeably different, so i'll just say with BIOS for now.

    I may try it next time I reinstall, but that most likely won't be until I upgrade to Windows 8 or build a new computer.
      My Computer

  8.    #8

    Are you saying you have an EFI BIOS and are still using MBR disk? Have you installed this way?
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 1,660
    Windows 8 Pro (32-bit)
    Thread Starter
       #9

    gregrocker said:
    Are you saying you have an EFI BIOS and are still using MBR disk? Have you installed this way?
    pretty much. I can boot up using EFI, but my MOBO is set to use BIOS.

    Oddly enough, the interface it completely text driven. if it wasn't for EFI compatibility, I'd be positive that it's a normal BIOS.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 2,606
    Windows 7 Pro X64 SP1
       #10

    gregrocker said:
    I don't have any EFI mobos yet and haven't heard of any performance advantage. We only see installation problems here as EFI mobos start coming to the fore. So, like RAID, it is problematic with WIn7 installation.

    If you choose to test this, please let us know what you find.
    I've installed Win7 on a few UEFI motherboards. They were from Asus, and offered UEFI and non-UEFI mode boots for the install media (in my case, a USB flash drive). I chose non-UEFI, and the installation always proceeeded normally. (My boot drive was a 120GB SSD in all cases, and the largest data drive was 1.5TB.)

    I definitely get a full mouse driven GUI for the CMOS settings, on all systems.

    FuturDreamz seems to think that there's something different in the two installations, beyond GPT vs MBR. I thought that they were the same, excepting GPT. What's correct?
      My Computer


 
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