Can't install on MBR partition table, need GPT disks?

ducktapespace

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Nov 22, 2014
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I'm trying to re-install Windows 7 on my desktop because it came with 32-bit but I need 64-bit. However, when I try to install, a couple windows in I'm supposed toe choose where to install it, but neither of the options work. There's a 100 MB one with 71 MB free space that's described as "system" type, called Disk 0 Partition 1, and the second one is 931.4 GB with 836.4 GB free and described as "primary" type, called Disk 0 Partition 2. Both of them show an error message at the bottom of the window that says Windows cannot be installed to (partition name). When I click "Show Details", a box comes up that says:

Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed to GPT disks.

When I went to the Microsoft help chat, the person suggested I "format the disks" or something, but I have no idea what that means or how to do it.

This post suggested deleting all the partitions and creating new ones, but I don't even rightly know what they are, let alone how to delete or make them.

What do I do?
 


Can you elaborate on that at all? What will happen if I delete the drivers? How can I install Windows to a one of the partition things if there aren't any? By "then reinstall windows" do you mean exit the set up and start again?
 


What it's telling you is that your computer's main board has a chip on it that is not going to allow you to upgrade to 64bit from within Windows. You'll have to do a "clean install" which will completely erase your computer. You'll need to go into your computer's setup program - should say something like "F1 to enter setup" when you power on your computer, change the boot sequence so the cdrom is first, then save and exit, usually F10 but it'll say onscreen... here's a link to the complete walkthrough... http://pcsupport.about.com/od/operatingsystems/ss/windows-7-clean-install-part-1.htm