You might want to change how your computer saves and sorts data on its hard drive or storage from time to time. This keeps your things safe and makes your computer work better. But sometimes, when you try to make these changes, you might get Fix ‘The Selected Disk Has an MBR Partition Table’ Error.
You may also see an error message that says “Windows cannot be installed to this disc MBR” when you try to install Windows on your computer. Because of that, you have nothing left. For the most part, a “partition table” is like a plan that shows your computer where all the different parts of your file are stored. You can think of it as a treasure map for your computer’s files.
Causes ‘The Selected Disk Has an MBR Partition Table’ Error
- The UEFI BIOS (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) BIOS is used by modern computers instead of the older BIOS. It is more advanced and safer. For booting, UEFI needs discs to use the GUID Partition Table (GPT) method.
- MBR Partition Table: MBR is an older way to divide up discs that has some problems, like only working with discs up to 2 TB in size. It still works, but it doesn’t work with UEFI boot mode.
- If your BIOS is set to UEFI mode but the target disc uses MBR, the system won’t see it as a bootable disc, which is what causes the problem.
- Incorrect Disc Selection: During Windows startup, make sure you pick the right disc.
- Damaged Disc or Installation Media: The problem can also be caused by damaged disc sectors or bad installation media.
Fix: ‘The Selected Disk Has an MBR Partition Table’ Error
Clean Installation
You can do a clean installation with a Windows installation USB or DVD if you don’t mind restarting the operating system. Delete all current partitions and make a new one during the installation process. Make sure the installer makes a GPT partition.
Convert to GPT Using Disk Management
- Open up the tool for managing discs. Click the Start menu, then right-click and choose “Disc Management.”
- Find the disc that has the mistake on it.
- Pick up the disc and right–click on it. Then choose “Convert to GPT Disc.”
- When asked, confirm the move.
Use DiskPart
- Open the Command Prompt as an administrator.
- Press Enter after typing diskpart.
- To see a list of all the various discs, type list disc.
- Pick out the disc that you want to turn.
- Type choose disc (use the real disc number instead of ).
- To get rid of all the divisions on the disc, type “clean.”
- To change the disc to GPT, type convert gpt.
- Put away the Command Prompt.
Perform a Clean Installation
- Start up from the Windows installation disc.
- If you are asked where you want to install Windows, pick the empty spot on the disc (which now has a GPT partition style).
Check Boot Media
Make sure that the file you’re using to install Windows supports UEFI. The installation USB you made with the Windows Media Creation Tool should work with both UEFI and Legacy boot modes.
FAQs
You already know why Windows can’t be loaded on the MBR disc from the error message. That is because the system in your computer is EFI, and an MBR disc doesn’t work with IT. It means that the hardware in your computer won’t let you start up from a disc that has the MBR partition table.
In Windows, you can delete more than one MBR disc at the same time. Either “Delete Volume” in Disc Management or “Clean” in Diskpart can be used to get rid of them. EaseUS Partition Master is a good third-party tool that you can use instead.
The MBR2GPT.EXE file changes the disk’s partition style from Master Boot Record (MBR) to GUID Partition Table (GPT), but it doesn’t change or delete any data on the disc.
