Question Issues with the MBR2GPT tool ?

[amccormick318]

So I recently upgraded my GPU/CPU and am trying to make use of ReBar on my AsRock B450m Pro4.

I've done the leg work and my Win 10 is running in Legacy mode. I attempted to use the MBR2GPT tool the traditional way offline but it cannot locate my OS partition, cannot convert disk 0. I noticed however under disk management that disk 0 is set to my Crucial 1 tb SSD, not my Sabrent 512 m.2.

Disk 1 does have the ability to 'Mark as Active Partition" but I am very hesitant to go messing with all that and lose my ability to boot. I know enough to navigate around my mobo and do entry level changes like this but I'm not too advanced.

Can anyone help me get this fixed up so I can make the most of my new gpu?

For clarification, my 512 gb set as my C drive is my boot drive, so Disk 1 should be the one being recognized, not 0. Disk 1 aka C is labeled as Boot, Crash, Dump, Primary Partition., w/499 MB of recover partition.

Drive 0 has one partition of System Reserved, 50 MB (System, Active), with a separate partition as E, 931 gb, page file, primary partition.

 

[dwd999]

So I recently upgraded my GPU/CPU and am trying to make use of ReBar on my AsRock B450m Pro4.

I've done the leg work and my Win 10 is running in Legacy mode. I attempted to use the tool the traditional way offline but it cannot locate my OS partition, cannot convert disk 0. I noticed however under disk management that disk 0 is set to my Crucial 1 tb SSD, not my Sabrent 512 m.2.

Disk 1 does have the ability to 'Mark as Active Partition" but I am very hesitant to go messing with all that and lose my ability to boot. I know enough to navigate around my mobo and do entry level changes like this but I'm not too advanced.

Can anyone help me get this fixed up so I can make the most of my new gpu?

For clarification, my 512 gb set as my C drive is my boot drive, so Disk 1 should be the one being recognized, not 0. Disk 1 aka C is labeled as Boot, Crash, Dump, Primary Partition., w/499 MB of recover partition.

Drive 0 has one partition of System Reserved, 50 MB (System, Active), with a separate partition as E, 931 gb, page file, primary partition.

The first thing I would try is disconnecting the Crucial so that the m.2 is the only drive seen by the bios and windows.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Can anyone help me get this fixed up so I can make the most of my new gpu?

Show screenshot from Disk Management.
(upload to imgur.com and post link)

 

[SkyNetRising]

The first thing I would try is disconnecting the Crucial so that the m.2 is the only drive seen by the bios and windows.

That can make system unbootable, if bootloader is located on drive, you remove.

 

[amccormick318]

Show screenshot from Disk Management.
(upload to imgur.com and post link)

https://imgur.com/a/OsT38we

View: https://imgur.com/a/OsT38we

 

[SkyNetRising]

Bootloader is on 1TB drive (50MB System Active partition).
If you remove 1TB drive, your pc becomes unbootable.
Mbr2gpt doesn't support this type of configuration - bootloader and OS have to be on the same drive.

Execute following from elevated command prompt. Regular command prompt will give error on last step.
If you get any errors, then stop immediately and show screenshot with command output.

diskpart​

list disk​

select disk 1​

(select 476GB disk)​

list partition​

select partition 2​

(select 499MB partition)​

delete partition override​

create partition primary​

format fs=ntfs quick​

active​

assign letter=H​

exit​

bcdboot C:\windows /s H:​

Last message should be "Boot files created successfully".
If there were no errors, then
reboot into BIOS,
change boot priority and set 500GB drive to be first in boot order.

Try to boot into windows, check Disk Management.
Bootloader (System,Active partition) should now be on 500GB disk.

After that you can try doing mbr2gpt conversion. Validate first.

mbr2gpt /validate /disk:1 /allowFullOS​

If validation passes, then convert.

mbr2gpt /convert /disk:1 /allowFullOS​

Then go into BIOS.
Make sure UEFI boot is enabled and
set first boot device to "Windows Boot Manager" on 500GB drive.

https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/e/elevated.htm

 

[amccormick318]

Bootloader is on 1TB drive (50MB System Active partition).
If you remove 1TB drive, your pc becomes unbootable.
Mbr2gpt doesn't support this type of configuration - bootloader and OS have to be on the same drive.

Execute following from elevated command prompt. Regular command prompt will give error on last step.
If you get any errors, then stop immediately and show screenshot with command output.

diskpart​

list disk​

select disk 1​

(select 476GB disk)​

list partition​

select partition 2​

(select 499MB partition)​

delete partition override​

create partition primary​

format fs=ntfs quick​

active​

assign letter=H​

exit​

bcdboot C:\windows /s H:​

Last message should be "Boot files created successfully".
If there were no errors, then
reboot into BIOS,
change boot priority and set 500GB drive to be first in boot order.

Try to boot into windows, check Disk Management.
Bootloader (System,Active partition) should now be on 500GB disk.

After that you can try doing mbr2gpt conversion. Validate first.

mbr2gpt /validate /disk:1 /allowFullOS​

If validation passes, then convert.

mbr2gpt /convert /disk:1 /allowFullOS​

Then go into BIOS.
Make sure UEFI boot is enabled and
set first boot device to "Windows Boot Manager" on 500GB drive.

https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/e/elevated.htm

I can attempt to try that, but to be frank I've never even heard of an elevated command prompt. I've ran command in the base command prompt on occasion but working to that degree seems a bit challenging to me.

I can disable CSM and enable secure boot in my bios, doing so will cause a boot loop. However, what if i just put a copy of Windows 11 on a USB C flash drive using the media creation too, boot into BIOS, set boot 1 to the USB C drive and do a install of Windows 11 over my current copy of Win 10? Would this essentially be an easier/side method that would in turn update my bios to UEFI and then allow for regular use of the Rebar function that I wanted?

Or will the split bootloader on the 1 TB drive cause issues with a overlapping Windows install?

 

[SkyNetRising]

I can disable CSM and enable secure boot in my bios, doing so will cause a boot loop.

That's because your system is installed in legacy mode.
You can not disable CSM before drive is converted from MBR to GPT and made UEFI compatible.

However, what if i just put a copy of Windows 11 on a USB C flash drive using the media creation too, boot into BIOS, set boot 1 to the USB C drive and do a install of Windows 11 over my current copy of Win 10?

You will loose all info on OS drive.
Drive conversion from MBR to GPT will be done by erasing everything and then repartitioning the drive.

Would this essentially be an easier/side method that would in turn update my bios to UEFI and then allow for regular use of the Rebar function that I wanted?

Installation of windows do not cause any updates of BIOS and
do not cause any settings change in BIOS.

Or will the split bootloader on the 1 TB drive cause issues with a overlapping Windows install?

Did not understand that. This question doesn't make sense to me.

 

[amccormick318]

That's because your system is installed in legacy mode.
You can not disable CSM before drive is converted from MBR to GPT and made UEFI compatible.

You will loose all info on OS drive.
Drive conversion from MBR to GPT will be done by erasing everything and then repartitioning the drive.

Installation of windows do not cause any updates of BIOS and
do not cause any settings change in BIOS.

Did not understand that. This question doesn't make sense to me.

You said part of my windows, the bootloader part, is on the 1 tb drive. I was asking will it being partitioned in that drive cause issues if I just upgrade to windows 11.

By upgrading my bios to UEFI i meant my system will be in UEFI, rather the legacy, allowing me to disable CSM etc and use Rebar.

I don't mind potentially losing data, I have my data backed up and its just some video games and old college papers nothing worth getting bent out of shape over. I am just more worried about making sure Win 11 installs fine enough and at worst I have to recall my backed up data if it doesn't just carry over.

 

[SkyNetRising]

You said part of my windows, the bootloader part, is on the 1 tb drive. I was asking will it being partitioned in that drive cause issues if I just upgrade to windows 11.

You currently can not upgrade.

I don't mind potentially losing data, I have my data backed up and its just some video games and old college papers nothing worth getting bent out of shape over. I am just more worried about making sure Win 11 installs fine enough and at worst I have to recall my backed up data if it doesn't just carry over.

Try steps in post #6 first.
If that doesn't work, then go nuclear, erase everything and reinstall from scratch ( I understand, you're ok with that).

 

[amccormick318]

You currently can not upgrade.

Try steps in post #6 first.
If that doesn't work, then go nuclear, erase everything and reinstall from scratch ( I understand, you're ok with that).

Why can't I upgrade?

I have a MOBO capable of secure boot. The keys for it are set up and secure boot can be turn on. CSM can be turned off, so both settings can be enabled/disabled which are needed for Windows 11. So why can't they, in theory when set to Windows 11 standards, not have Windows 11 install from my USB C flash drive with Windows 11 on it? It would meet the qualifications.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Why can't I upgrade?

Because upgrade from windows 10 to windows 11 requires
windows 10 to be installed in UEFI mode.
You have windows 10 installed in legacy mode. Therefore you can not upgrade.

That's why you have to use mbr2gpt tool to convert your windows to UEFI compatible.
But to use mbr2gpt , you need bootloader and OS to be installed on the same drive.

Clean install of windows 11 on empty drive is not an upgrade. That is clean install.