Question Converting to GPT with Diskpart automatically creates MSR partition?

[Pimpom]

I've just finished partitioning a new SSD for someone else using Diskpart. This is not my first time and all went well except that, when I checked the partitions with a third-party tool, namely MiniTool Partition Wizard, I noticed something I don't remember seeing before (maybe my memory is faulty).

That is, converting the disk to GPT had automatically created an unformatted 16MB partition at the beginning of the disk.

Is this normal? Will installing Windows recognize this as the MSR partition without any further input from the user?

 

[USAFRet]

Screencap is your Disk Management window would be nice.

But generally, a Windows install will do what it needs.
There is little reason to create partitions before.

 

[Pimpom]

Screencap is your Disk Management window would be nice.

[/quote]
Windows Disk Management doesn't show the MSR partition and, AFAIK it never does. Here's a screenshot of the display by Partition Wizard. This is after I deleted the partitions I'd made and started afresh, just to verify that converting to GPT automatically created the 16MB partition.

But generally, a Windows install will do what it needs.
There is little reason to create partitions before.

I know, and I've done it that way too. But that's not the issue. I just like to do things manually and understand what's going on.

 

[evermorex76]

It's created automatically for "compatibility" when you initialize a drive as GPT with Windows. Other OSes won't create it. You may just never have noticed because you didn't look at it with a third-party utility immediately after initialization and before installing Windows. Windows doesn't display it with Disk Management or diskpart because MS considers the MSR a "required" block that should not be accessible or modifiable by the user. They don't seem to actually USE the MSR in reality. I've never tried to delete it or use a GPT disk created on another OS without the MSR, but Windows supposedly uses it for partition management in some way.