Question 2TB SSD Windows drive for Laptop

[sirhawkeye]

I have a Lenovo Ideapad 3 that I got recently (new) and it came with only a 512GB SSD. I purchased a new Samsung 2TB Evo drive SSD and was hoping to use this drive to replace the one that came with the laptop.

My questions relates to using MBR vs GPT and partition sizes. I seem to remember a 1.8TB limit for either MBR or NTFs but can't remember. I know that GPT disks can't boot and that Windows needs to be on an MBR partition.

Ideally I would like to image the original 512GB SSD that came with the computer so that I have the original OS that came with the computer, and then just format the remaining free space but want to make sure that the partitions and drive is properly cloned in a way that I won't run into corruption issues as the drive fills (so basically I would have a 500GB Windows OS partition and then a 1.5TB data partition in the end).

Is this the correct way to do this, or maybe increase the 512GB partitions to 1TB and then format the remaining as a 1TB? The actual partitioning doesn't matter as I just need the space itself, how it's split up isn't a huge issue, but I don't want to introduce any possible corruption issues due to partitions being too large, the drive not being set up correctly (ie. MBR vs GPT), etc?

I ran across this article and since I will be using Windows 11 Home,, it seems to imply that I should be able to use GPT:

MBR or GPT for SSD, Which Is Better and How to Choose?

Should I choose MBR or GPT for SSD? If you are confused about selecting partition type for a second or larger SSD, there are a few tips to decide gpt or MBR for SSD.

www.easeus.com

The computer does use UEFI and not the traditional older-style BIOS (since the laptop is new and is based on a newer chipset which uses UEFI, but I"ll have to make sure it's actually using UEFI and not a combination of some legacy BIOS and UEFI).

 

[Lafong]

I know that GPT disks can't boot and that Windows needs to be on an MBR partition.

Where did you learn that?

 

[CountMike]

I have a Lenovo Ideapad 3 that I got recently (new) and it came with only a 512GB SSD. I purchased a new Samsung 2TB Evo drive SSD and was hoping to use this drive to replace the one that came with the laptop.

My questions relates to using MBR vs GPT and partition sizes. I seem to remember a 1.8TB limit for either MBR or NTFs but can't remember. I know that GPT disks can't boot and that Windows needs to be on an MBR partition.

Ideally I would like to image the original 512GB SSD that came with the computer so that I have the original OS that came with the computer, and then just format the remaining free space but want to make sure that the partitions and drive is properly cloned in a way that I won't run into corruption issues as the drive fills (so basically I would have a 500GB Windows OS partition and then a 1.5TB data partition in the end).

Is this the correct way to do this, or maybe increase the 512GB partitions to 1TB and then format the remaining as a 1TB? The actual partitioning doesn't matter as I just need the space itself, how it's split up isn't a huge issue, but I don't want to introduce any possible corruption issues due to partitions being too large, the drive not being set up correctly (ie. MBR vs GPT), etc?

I ran across this article and since I will be using Windows 11 Home,, it seems to imply that I should be able to use GPT:

MBR or GPT for SSD, Which Is Better and How to Choose?

Should I choose MBR or GPT for SSD? If you are confused about selecting partition type for a second or larger SSD, there are a few tips to decide gpt or MBR for SSD.

www.easeus.com

The computer does use UEFI and not the traditional older-style BIOS (since the laptop is new and is based on a newer chipset which uses UEFI, but I"ll have to make sure it's actually using UEFI and not a combination of some legacy BIOS and UEFI).

For W11 you need UEFI mode BIOS and that means disk in GPT and NTFS. If you are doing clean W11 installation just let it format disk as it needs to and all will be fine.

 

[SkyNetRising]

My questions relates to using MBR vs GPT and partition sizes.
I seem to remember a 1.8TB limit for either MBR or NTFs but can't remember.

On MBR partitioned drives you can not use more than 2TB of capacity. Any extra capacity becomes unavailable.

I know that GPT disks can't boot and that Windows needs to be on an MBR partition.

Wrong.
In UEFI mode you can boot from GPT partitioned drive only.
In legacy boot/CSM mode you can boot from MBR drive only.

so basically I would have a 500GB Windows OS partition and then a 1.5TB data partition in the end

or maybe increase the 512GB partitions to 1TB and then format the remaining as a 1TB?

When cloning, source and target drives need to have same partitioning (MBR or GPT) or result will not be bootable.

You can divide space, as you see fit.
Or just clone and then extend OS partition to remaining full unused capacity.

 

[sirhawkeye]

On MBR partitioned drives you can not use more than 2TB of capacity. Any extra capacity becomes unavailable.

Wrong.
In UEFI mode you can boot from GPT partitioned drive only.
In legacy boot/CSM mode you can boot from MBR drive only.

Thanks I was going based off info I had for Windows 7, which I don't think could boot from GPT drives, but newer OSes (I found out later after making my initial post) and BIOSes that use UEFI can boot to GPT partitions. I've never built a machine with large drives (and nothing wit ha 2TB boot drive to date, this is the first one). All of my previous machines only had 1TB boot drives (or smaller mainly because of the cost of a 2TB SSD was expensive, but they have come down in price significantly over the past few years).

When cloning, source and target drives need to have same partitioning (MBR or GPT) or result will not be bootable.

You can divide space, as you see fit.
Or just clone and then extend OS partition to remaining full unused capacity.

OK yes I found this as an option using Acronis (and I also found -- and is likely widely known -- that if there is nothing after the main Windows partition, and thus contiguous free space -- then you can expand it in Windows using the Desk Management system, so that part was easy

Although I did notice that on this particular Lenovo, the original SSD layout has the recovery partition (used by the Lenovo recovery system) is AFTER the Windows partition, so I had to delete that and then expand the drive in Windows. Which is fine, because since I made a full system image with Acronis, I won't use the recovery partition anyway (and i imaged the original SSD and have that stored away in case I ever sell it, it can have all of it's original OS and recovery partitions as i would just put the original SSD back in the computer).

 

[sirhawkeye]

For W11 you need UEFI mode BIOS and that means disk in GPT and NTFS. If you are doing clean W11 installation just let it format disk as it needs to and all will be fine.

Thanks. I'm actually cloning the install from the OEM SSD (which is only 512GB) but I figured it out and got it to work (I did the round-about away and had Acornis first create a full image of the original OEM SSD, and then had it restore that image to the 2TB SSD and then I booted the 2TB ssd and adjusted the free space to fill the drive). Seems to work fine, plus I now have a spare back up image of the original OS.