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Move Windows to partition on another drive.
- Thread starter rkd29980
- Start date
Mchart
Supreme [H]ardness
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- Aug 7, 2004
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Your question isn't presenting the data people need to help you.
Is the partition you want to move classic MBR or already GPT, and do you have a UEFI bios?
Is the partition you want to move classic MBR or already GPT, and do you have a UEFI bios?
So I have an old laptop that I am using to test out ZFS and the features of different operating systems so I can choose one for my servers. My laptop has 2 230GB drives. I partitioned the first drive 8 times to make a 30GB partition for each OS. This drive is GPT so all partitions are GPT. Windows did not want to install to a GPT formatted partition so I had to install it to the second drive which I was going to use to make virtual drives. Windows formatted it MBR. I want to move Windows from the second drive to the GPT partition on the first drive. How can I do this and will Windows boot form a GPT partition even though it would not install to one?
I don't know if it matters but the OS's I am installing alongside Windows is Ubuntu/Server with ZOL, Solaris, Free BSD, FreeNAS, ZFS guru, Open Media Vault, Openfiler and maybe Rockstor.
This laptop is an HP laptop designed for Vista that is about 10 years old so no, It does not seem to have UEFI.
I don't know if it matters but the OS's I am installing alongside Windows is Ubuntu/Server with ZOL, Solaris, Free BSD, FreeNAS, ZFS guru, Open Media Vault, Openfiler and maybe Rockstor.
This laptop is an HP laptop designed for Vista that is about 10 years old so no, It does not seem to have UEFI.
D
Deleted member 126051
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Thanks but not helpful. The drive I wanted to install to was already GPT formatted but Windows refused to used that drive also my computer does not support UEFI. So again, how do I MOVE Windows to a GPT partiton and ensure it boots or is this impossible?
You cant use a GPT partition to boot an OS without UEFI. And you need UEFI to boot. Windows uses the partition number and every GPT partition has a unique number so even an image copy wont work. There are programs like BCD edit and UEFI boot or something which allow you to point the boot pointer to the partition you want. You can use GPT drives with a none UEFI bios only to store data. The data pointer to boot and such are stored in the BIOS. Only a UEFI bios allows you to do this. So you cant use a drive larger than 2TB here to boot..
AOEMI partition assistant free will convert a GPT to an MBR disk in like 2 seconds.. Nothing is changed except the pointer..
AOEMI partition assistant free will convert a GPT to an MBR disk in like 2 seconds.. Nothing is changed except the pointer..
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