It is no secret that sometimes when installing Windows 7 on modern computers or laptops at the stage of selecting a partition, the installer gives an error message stating that installation into the selected partition is not possible, since it has the GPT style. For many users, this situation puzzles quite a lot. And immediately the question arises of how to change the style of the GPT partitions so that the system installs as it should. To do this, you can apply three options for action, which will be further discussed in more detail.
Installing Windows 7 GPT partition style does not recognize: what is the reason?
Without going into technical details, it is worth saying that when installing an OS of a rank higher than seventh on hard drives having a volume of more than 2 TB and a primary UEFI input / output system, it is not recommended to change partition styles.
And for Windows 7, the installation does not recognize the GPT partition style, since it can only work with the MBR style (boot record). But then you have to think about where to install the system. Changing the GPT with a volume of more than 2 TB is not recommended, because after the conversion only the space that does not exceed this limit will be recognized, and everything else will remain unused. Therefore, it is better to choose a different section.
On the other hand, the problem is observed precisely with UEFI if the computer does not have an outdated BIOS. At the same time, regardless of volume, the GPT style can be assigned to the system partition.
How to change the style of GPT partitions using the OS installer?
But how then to change the style to install Windows 7? In the simplest case, you can use the tools of the system installer itself.
How to change the style of GPT partitions? Everything is simple. If a message suddenly appears about the impossibility of installation, you must first select the desired partition from the list (usually a zero disk with the first partition) and click the disk settings button below.
Next, a window appears with a complete list of partitions contained on the disk. The essence of the issue is to combine them at the first stage. To do this, you just need to delete all partitions except the one reserved by the system.
After that, unallocated space will appear in the partition list. We press the button to continue the installation, after which the installer will choose in which style the section should be converted, perform all the necessary actions automatically and continue the installation process.
Convert via command line in a running system
Now consider the question of how to change the style of GPT partitions through the command console in the OS with a rank higher than the seventh one, if it needs to be installed in the future. Using the command console is the best solution, since even the disk administration system does not always allow such operations to be performed correctly.
So, first we run the console as an administrator, in which the DISKPART tool is used, and first we write down the list disk command, after which a list of all available partitions will be displayed. The GPT section can be recognized even not by size, but by the presence of an asterisk on the right opposite the description.
Next, select the desired section (usually 0). To do this, enter the command select disk 0.
The next step is to clean the partition, which is done by entering the clean command (this is necessary in order for the conversion to MBR to proceed without errors).
Upon completion of the cleaning operation, you can convert the style of the selected partition, which is done through the string convert mbr.
At the next stage, you need to create a boot partition and associate it with the system by sequentially entering the create partition primary and assign command (you can also add formatting, but in most cases this is not necessary for subsequent installation of the system).
Upon completion of all processes, we exit by entering the exit command. All. Now you can restart your computer or laptop and install the desired operating system from any removable media.
Using third-party utilities
Finally, a few words about how to change the style of GPT partitions using third-party disk utilities, which have been developed to date.
One of the simplest and most convenient is the Minitool Partition Wizard program, whose interface almost completely repeats the appearance of the Windows disk administration window, but differs in tools. Actually, its use is to select the desired section and call the conversion command through the PCM menu. After that, it remains only to follow the instructions and agree with the proposals for amendments.
Please note that it is not possible to use this program on a loaded system (the OS simply will not allow such transformations). But since the utility itself has its own bootloader, it must first be written to removable media, making it bootable (for example, using UltraISO or Daemon Tools), set the device as the first to boot, start from it and only then perform all the above steps.
Which tool to use?
That's all for the question of how to change the style of GPT partitions. Which of these would you prefer? For the most lazy, of course, the above utility or actions at the stage of installing the system will do. But here it should be noted that the conversion in both cases may be performed somewhat incorrectly due to some features of the Windows installer and the program engine. But the command line is guaranteed to change the style without errors. So it is better to give preference to this particular technique, although to many it may seem more complex and time consuming.