Can't do a fresh install of Windows 7 - 64 Bit (MBR Part Table)

This solution was so simple that I didn't believe it - but it WORKED!!!

Thank you so much, Richman1 !!!

Richman1 said:

Easy fix to this problem:

I also got the message: "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. The EFI systems, Windows can only be installed to GPT disks"

My system BIOS as well as some others may have a boot order that has 1st Your DVD drive (possibly stating manufacturers name) as legacy or IDE and 2nd Your same DVD drive in UEFI mode as the second boot device (or visa versa). Some other forums ( I can't remember which one works between legacy or UEFI) suggest changing your 1st boot device from the one DVD mode type to the other or reversing them.

While this may work there may be a more simple method if you can notice or detect the mode switch during the boot sequence.

Simple Fix Before realizing this I noticed that durring the boot process you can (maybe just on some systems and not all), at least on the Biostar I was building, see the switch from the one DVD mode type to the other by means of seeing the words "Press any key to boot from DVD" move to another location on the screen. I simply ignored the first flash of those words and clicked a key to boot from the DVD when I noticed the words flash again a second time in a different location. The Windows 7 then installed as before without problem.

Kri said:

This solution was so simple that I didn't believe it - but it WORKED!!!

Thank you so much, Richman1 !!!

Richman1 said:

Easy fix to this problem:

I also got the message: "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. The EFI systems, Windows can only be installed to GPT disks"

My system BIOS as well as some others may have a boot order that has 1st Your DVD drive (possibly stating manufacturers name) as legacy or IDE and 2nd Your same DVD drive in UEFI mode as the second boot device (or visa versa). Some other forums ( I can't remember which one works between legacy or UEFI) suggest changing your 1st boot device from the one DVD mode type to the other or reversing them.

While this may work there may be a more simple method if you can notice or detect the mode switch during the boot sequence.

Simple Fix Before realizing this I noticed that durring the boot process you can (maybe just on some systems and not all), at least on the Biostar I was building, see the switch from the one DVD mode type to the other by means of seeing the words "Press any key to boot from DVD" move to another location on the screen. I simply ignored the first flash of those words and clicked a key to boot from the DVD when I noticed the words flash again a second time in a different location. The Windows 7 then installed as before without problem.

Your very welcome Kri and welcome to SevenForums. This UEFI thing has introduced a whole pile of other considerations and behaviors of the BIOS and system hardware especially in regard to installing OS's and hardware drivers and getting things to work together. I think very few of us are comfortable working with it aside from being a computer engineer and even some of them are not comfortable with it. I simply refused to install with this enabled until I feel I can install OS's and hardware as easy as before and understand it completely. I think I read where MS has certain control over the standards implementation and has made it rough for the Linux community.

Worked perfectly . Thank you bro :) :)

Richman1 said:

Easy fix to this problem:

Simple Fix Before realizing this I noticed that durring the boot process you can (maybe just on some systems and not all), at least on the Biostar I was building, see the switch from the one DVD mode type to the other by means of seeing the words "Press any key to boot from DVD" move to another location on the screen. I simply ignored the first flash of those words and clicked a key to boot from the DVD when I noticed the words flash again a second time in a different location. The Windows 7 then installed as before without problem.

Worked perfectly.Thank you bro :) :)

I consider UEFI as added crapware. If it truly increases boot time then it might be worth it, but an SSD does that anyway. For this reason I like to stick with the tried and true which doesn't require relearning all of the standard repair and installation Best Practices.

For those who are in doubt by all mean try UEFI to see the benefits of UEFI BIOS vs. Legacy BIOS - YouTube but for those who are having installation problems what works every time is to Bypass UEFI to Install WIn7

Richman1 said:

But then, for the sake of argument, Don't you need UEFI for GPT? In other words to be able to use HDD's larger than 2TB? Or can you use GPT without UEFI? I would have to check to be sure. maybe I am wrong about this. I think support for 3TB HDD's could have or can be implemeted without tying the BIOS to the Partition table and boot sectors.

If I've got it figured out:

Booting from a partition greater than 2.2 TB requires GPT partitioning and UEFI, not BIOS.

A system with BIOS cannot boot a GPT disk. You must use UEFI instead of BIOS, for a GPT boot disk, regardless of size.

Non-bootable partitions above 2.2 TB require initialization via GPT, but apparently can still use BIOS. MBR partitions are limited to 2.2 TB, whether they are system or data partitions.

I think with MBR, you can’t even split a 3 TB drive into 2 smaller partitions. You have to use GPT to get Windows to even acknowledge the portion above 2.2 GB. With MBR, you’d see 2 unallocated spaces: one of 2.048 GB and the other of the remainder, but you couldn’t format the smaller space.

You can use an MBR boot disk of 2.2 TB or less and a separate GPT data disc on the same system.

You can convert a GPT disk to MBR and vice versa only if the disk has no partitions.

If I'm wrong about any of that, someone please correct me. I will be entering large-disk-land within a few months.

All of that sounds right to me.


Keep us posted on results working with those larger disks.

ignatzatsonic said:

Richman1 said:

But then, for the sake of argument, Don't you need UEFI for GPT? In other words to be able to use HDD's larger than 2TB? Or can you use GPT without UEFI? I would have to check to be sure. maybe I am wrong about this. I think support for 3TB HDD's could have or can be implemeted without tying the BIOS to the Partition table and boot sectors.

If I've got it figured out:

Booting from a partition greater than 2.2 TB requires GPT partitioning and UEFI, not BIOS.
........................

Non-bootable partitions above 2.2 TB require initialization via GPT, but apparently can still use BIOS. MBR partitions are limited to 2.2 TB, whether they are system or data partitions.

I think with MBR, you can’t even split a 3 TB drive into 2 smaller partitions. You have to use GPT to get Windows to even acknowledge the portion above 2.2 GB. ...............

I noticed you said, "You have to use GPT to get Windows to even acknowledge the portion above 2.2 GB.........". Is this just a windows thing as I remember reading Linux developers were all up-in-arms about MS pushing the UEFI thing and wanting MB manufacturers to all implement it across the boar. The article I read was saying it would hurt Linux users and made it sound like it wasn't necessary for the Linux community even for for use of 2.2TB or larger disks. Of course as I am typing this is sounds like a dumb question as I understand that the 2.2TB ceiling and all the other limitations of disk space all stem from way back in the beginning where 8 bits=1 byte....... which makes sense that it should effect Linux, OX10, OS2, Itanium or any other type of system all the same.