BIOS is the important part of the computer which is mainly the code that sits on a chip of the motherboard. The BIOS in your computer is used to link the software and the hardware. BIOS is being used on the computer for a long period of time but it has some limitations with the today’s advanced hardware such as it limits you to partition less than 2TB, limits the drive support and more. UEFI is the latest firmware which has the capability to support the latest hardware and is what replaces BIOS.
UEFI is the latest firmware which has the capability to support the latest hardware and is what replaces the old time and long run BIOS which was the default software for Windows for a long time.
The UEFI add a various number of benefits such as faster startup, resume, sleep and shutdown times. With the new MBR2GPT conversion tool included with the creator updates, it is now easier to switch from BIOS to UEFI in Windows 10.
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The Windows 10 creator’s update comes with a new command line utility which is known as MBR2GPT which helps you to convert a disk formatted using MBR (Master Boot Record) to GPT (GUID Partition Table) which is the important requirement to convert from BIOS to UEFI mode.
The MBR2GPT convert a disk without deleting or modifying the data which is available on the disk. In this article, I will guide with the step by step process on converting a disk from MBR to GPT onwhich will further help you to move from BIOS toUEFI.
How to convert a disk from MBR to GPT on Windows
The MBR2GPT tool helps you to change the partition style very easily without any difficulty and also this process is basically non-destructive. The conversion is done by adding the GPT (GUID Partition Table) components to an MBR (Master Boot Recorder) disk without modifying the existing partition and file system, which allows your data to remain unchanged.
One of the ideal way toWindows 10 and use the UEFI from the beginning. If you’re already running Windows 10, you’re upgrading from a previous version of Windows 10, or you’ve already deployed the OS in BIOS mode on devices with support UEFI, there are two things you need to do:
- First, you need to convert the disk using MBR to GPT-style partition, which is the main requirement to run Windows 10 in UEFI mode.
- Secondly, you must change your motherboard firmware settings to make the switch from BIOS to UEFI mode.
Checking Disk Partition Type
Step-1: First you need to open the power user menu by using the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + X button and then click on the Disk Management button.
Step-2: Now right click on the disk with the Windows 10 installation and Select the option Properties.
Step-3: Under properties click on the Volume tab and then look next to Partition style if it shows GUID Partition Table (GPT) then the disk does need to be converted but if shows Master Boot Record (MBR) then you can use the conversion tool.
How to Convert disk to GPT Partition Style
For converting the disk from MBR to GPT first you need to start your computer in the Windows PE (Preinstallation Environment) and always keep a full backup of your computer in case if anything goes wrong. Now follow the steps
Step-1: Open the Start menu ad then click on Settings
Step-2: Under setting, menu click on Update & Security option
Step-3: On the left pane of the screen click on the option Recovery.
Step-4: Now on the right side click on the Restart now button which is under the Advanced Startup option
Step-5: After that click on Troubleshoot and then click Advanced option
Step-6: Under Advanced option click on Command Prompt option to boot into the Windows PE (Pre-installation Environment)
Step-7: In the Command Prompt type the following Command and make sure that the disk meets the requirement
mbr2gpt /validate
after typing this command press the Enter button
If the validation checks out successfully you can now continue to the next step but its also possible that you can also get an error when the disk did not meet the requirement.
Step-8: Now to convert the disk from MBR to GPT you need to type the following command
mbr2gpt /convert
after typing this command press the Enter button
After the command is successfully executed the tool will validate the disk properly.
Return Codes for MBR2GPT
During the conversion process, you can get eleven different return codes from 1 to 10 and code 100 where each one of this code is indicating a particular problem that can occur.
| Return Code | Description |
| 1 | User canceled the conversion |
| 2 | Internal error |
| 3 | Initialization error. |
| 4 | Invalid command-line parameters |
| 5 | Error on the geometry and layout of the selected disk |
| 6 | One or more volumes on the disk is encrypted |
| 7 | Geometry and layout of the disk don’t meet requirements |
| 8 | Error while creating the EFI system partition |
| 9 | Error installing boot files |
| 10 | Error while applying GPT layout |
| 100 | Successful conversion, but some boot configuration data didn’t restore |
How to change the firmware mode from BIOS to UEFI
Once you have successfully completed the steps and you have switched to the GPT style partition now you have to access the motherboard firmware to change from the BIOS to UEFI otherwise your Windows PC will not boot.
In order to do this process, you can change the setting manually or you can use the tool which is provided by your computer manufacturer.
This process requires hitting one of the function keys from the following function key including F1, F2, F3, F10, or F12, the ESC or the Delete key. Once you have successfully get the access to the firmware interface (BIOS) now you need to look for the Boot menu and always make sure that you change the legacy from BIOS to UEFI.
Now after you change the legacy, reboot your computer and use the following steps to verify that your Windows 10 is running in GPT style partition.
Step-1: First open the power user menu by using the Windows key + x and
then click on the Disk Management button.
Step-2: Now right click on the disk with the Windows 10 installation and Select the option Properties.
Step-3: Under properties click on the Volume tab and then look next to Partition style it should read GUID Partition Table (GPT)
Now if you want to check that your device is using UEFI then do the following steps
1. Open the Start menu
2. Now in the search box search for msinfo32 or system information and then press the Enter button
The system information summary will be open on the screen and there you can see that the “Bios Mode is now set to “UEFI Mode”. The NBR2GPT tool can also be used to convert hard drive and SSD (Solid State Drives) with an earlier version of the Windows 10. This tool not only comes in handy for anyone who wants to make their computer a bit more secure and faster, but it will also reduce the time and the cost to move to a more advanced firmware.
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This is all for this article, I hope these steps helps you a lot on converting a disk from MBR to GPT on Windows 10 which will further help you to move from BIOS to UEFI. If you liked the article, then please share it on social media. And if you want to ask any question or you want to suggest any update regarding this article, then comment below in the comment section.