GPT UEFI HDD's

[krit86lr]

Is anyone here familiar with this new HDD filesystem?  I think that Derek has a GPT HDD.

 

So far I've learned that this new filesystem allows for tons of partitions, yet MS still recommends keeping partition limits conservative.

 

It removes the F8 safe mode boot option.  Bleeping computer has a good tutorial on the extra steps needed to access Safe Mode now.

 

Bleeping Computer also recommends switching to legacy mode which restores the F8 safe mode functionality which I have tested but need to test again. 

 

Currently, I am running GPT UEFI and something that seems odd is that small new system partitions keep magically appearing.  I started off by default with 4 partitions and now I'm up to 8 but I am not creating them.  I have a partition ghost or something, lol.

[eL_PuSHeR]

Some time ago I got a friend's pc with wih8 installed and it used those gpt partitions. My friend wanted Win7 back because there was no way on Earth to make his printer running. It took me a hell of a time to remove those F***ng GUID partitions. So yes, they can be annoying. The hard disk was 1TB in size, so why use them? (needed for more than 2GB though). And who would make a partition that big?

[Winapp2.ini]

I know that if you're using GPT you need to have U/EFI on your motherboard or windows wont boot into a GPT partition. I think if you use MBR, it should still work with U/EFI.

 

I have GPT partitions and, aside from the 3 created when i installed windows (system reserved, the main system, and one other windows 8 thing that was like system reserved but does something different) I haven't had any others created.

[Derek891]

With MBR partitioning, you are limited to either 4 primary partitions, or 3 primary partitions and 1 extended partition containing additional logical partitions. Not hard to set up and manage if you only have one operating system installed, or two different versions of Windows, but complicated if you are trying to install a multi-boot system, let's say Windows and two different Linux OS's on the same disk.

 

The two big advantages with GPT partitioning are the number of partitions available (up to 128) and the simplicity (all can be primary, no need to create extended or logical partitions). This makes it possible to have 4, 5, or 6 operating systems on a 1TB drive (or more if need be). The only problem early on was that Microsoft had the implementation of UEFI and Secure Boot all figured out, while the Linux camp was slow to adapt. Multibooting on a disk with Windows 8 installed was problematic at best and impossible for some of the Linux distros. In the last six months or so, Fedora, openSUSE, Ubuntu (along with it's derivatives), and others have made great strides forward and are much easier to install on a UEFI system, even getting the signing keys for Secure Boot incorporated into the Grub installer. A good resource for trying to understand GPT partitions and UEFI booting is Roderick W. Smith's website:  http://www.rodsbooks.com/

[krit86lr]

I know that if you're using GPT you need to have U/EFI on your motherboard or windows wont boot into a GPT partition. I think if you use MBR, it should still work with U/EFI.

 

I have GPT partitions and, aside from the 3 created when i installed windows (system reserved, the main system, and one other windows 8 thing that was like system reserved but does something different) I haven't had any others created.

 

Yeah, I threw in my Win7 HDD and had to switch my BIOS from UEFI to Legacy Mode to access it.

 

The new gremlin partitions are not visible from Disk Management, but they are visible using EASEUS Partition Master.  They also showed up on a RogueKiller scan which prompted for a deletion of the additional partitions.  I went ahead and posted it on bleepingcomputer because I have no idea what any of it means.

 

The only thing that has changed is that I have been downloading and installing new software from portableapps.com onto my jump drive.

[krit86lr]

With MBR partitioning, you are limited to either 4 primary partitions, or 3 primary partitions and 1 extended partition containing additional logical partitions. Not hard to set up and manage if you only have one operating system installed, or two different versions of Windows, but complicated if you are trying to install a multi-boot system, let's say Windows and two different Linux OS's on the same disk.

 

The two big advantages with GPT partitioning are the number of partitions available (up to 128) and the simplicity (all can be primary, no need to create extended or logical partitions). This makes it possible to have 4, 5, or 6 operating systems on a 1TB drive (or more if need be). The only problem early on was that Microsoft had the implementation of UEFI and Secure Boot all figured out, while the Linux camp was slow to adapt. Multibooting on a disk with Windows 8 installed was problematic at best and impossible for some of the Linux distros. In the last six months or so, Fedora, openSUSE, Ubuntu (along with it's derivatives), and others have made great strides forward and are much easier to install on a UEFI system, even getting the signing keys for Secure Boot incorporated into the Grub installer. A good resource for trying to understand GPT partitions and UEFI booting is Roderick W. Smith's website:  http://www.rodsbooks.com/

 

I have to admit partitioning, cloning, etc... has been really easy.  It only took any hour to clone my OS onto a new HDD and setup.  When I used Win7 I also ran a virtual XP OS (30 minute setup), so I tried to setup a virtual 7 OS with Win8 but no dice.  I tried Hyper-V and VMWare; next I am going to try using EaseUs.  With the virtual being so oddly complicated I can't imagine pulling off a multi-boot, LOL. Thanks for the link!  Looks like a lot of good information.

[krit86lr]

I am beginning to seriously consider the possibility that there is something inherently defective with the computer itself.

[login123]

I have a an HP desktop with UEFI BIOS.  2 SATA hard drives 1 tb each.  

The factory drive is GPT formatted runs win 7 64 bit, the other is MBR formatted runs win xp 32 bit. 

Fwiw, all I have to do is boot straight to the BIOS and select which HDD to boot from, and there it goes. 

I guess that means that Winapp is right, UEFI will recognize an MBR drive. 

 

Couple more things I've found out.  

- After many BSODs in the win xp drive, finally found out that the hardware drivers didn't work for win xp.  Found a good one and it fixed the BSODs. 

- the conventional wisdom says you must reset your BIOS from AHCI to IDE to boot win xp, but that is not required here.

- when last I checked. EasyBCD would not work with a GPT formatted HDD.

- the entire setup was running nicely, so I tweaked it     by adding a logical partition to the win xp drive.  Wouldn't boot.  A primary partition is OK.  No Idea why, could not find any explanation, doesn't make sense, but there it is. 

 

Have you tried Oracle's Virtualbox for your VM?  I have used it on win xp (worked well) but not win 7 GPT.

Also, I think GParted will show you the whole drive, and I know MiniTool Partition Wizard free will.

http://gparted.org/

http://www.partitionwizard.com/free-partition-manager.html