Convert an MBR disk to GPT and vice versa
Before continuing, we indicate that this process will erase all the data on the hard drive, so we must make a copy of them if we want to go from one format to another.
Taking advantage of the “diskpart” tool that we have seen in the previous point, it is possible to convert a hard disk from MBR to GPT and vice versa. To do this, after having executed “list disk”, we will write down the number of the disk that we want to convert (Disk X) and we will type “select disk X” (where X is the disk number).
From now on we are working with this specific album.
We type "clean" to erase all the data from the disk partitions and leave it as new, fresh from the factory. Once the cleaning is finished, we type:
To convert a disk from MBR to GPT:
convert gpt
To convert a disk from GPT to MBR:
convert mbr
After the partition table conversion process completes, the disk will be raw. We must use the "diskpart" tool itself or any other partition manager to create them again, at least one of them, so that everything continues to function normally.
There are third-party tools to go from one type to another without losing data, at least in theory. Despite this, and the risks that this entails, we recommend that you always make a backup copy of all the data on the disk, so that it may happen.
MBR and GPT, all about these two styles of disk partitions
When formatting a hard disk, the most popular style of partition tables is MBR. This style of format has been working in most operating systems for more than 30 years, however, with the latest versions of Windows, especially coinciding with the rise of UEFI systems, MBR is being replaced by a new style of partitions, GPT , more reliable, modern and ready to eliminate the main limitations of the MBR structure.
With Windows 8, Microsoft began to set GPT as the default partition table when reformatting the disk. Little by little, GPT will replace MBR as the default partition style. Both are two different ways to create and manage partition tables on a hard drive.
MBR, an acronym for Master Boot Record, is the standard that began to work in 1983 and that to this day is still fully functional, however, the years begin to weigh on it as technology advances. One of the main limitations of this style of partitions is the maximum size with which it can work: 2 TB (although by software it is possible to overcome it, although not recommended). Another limitation, although not very important, is that MBR can only work with 4 primary partitions, so to create more than 4 we must resort to extended partitions.
GPT, an acronym for GUID Partition Table, is the new standard that is replacing MBR and is associated with new UEFI systems. Its name comes from the fact that each partition is associated with a unique global identifier (GUID), a random identifier so long that every partition in the world could have its unique ID. To date, GPT does not have any limits beyond those established by the operating systems themselves, both in size and number of partitions (for example, Windows has a limit of 128 partitions).
The reliability of GPT disks is much higher than that of MBR. While in this second the partition table is stored only in the first sectors of the disk, being in trouble in case it is lost, corrupted or overwritten, GPT creates multiple redundant copies throughout the entire disk so that In case of failure, problem or error, the partition table is automatically recovered from any of these copies.
In terms of compatibility, when creating or editing partitions, the partitioning tool must be compatible with this new format, otherwise, a kind of protection will be activated to prevent the incompatible tool from confusing the GPT partition table with a MBR "raw" and partitions can be overwritten.
Regarding operating systems, Windows can only boot from GPT disks in its 64-bit versions from Vista onwards. 32-bit systems, although they cannot boot from these disks, they are able to read and write to them without problems. Modern versions of Linux are also compatible with these types of disks, and even Apple has started to use GPT as the default partition table instead of its own APT (Apple Partition Table).
