Windows 10 Install on a Single Partition.

[Michael Hagood]

I recently had to reinstall Windows 10 for the second time on my SSD since initially installing Windows to it. Now the first time I installed Windows 10 it tried to create a three (if I remember correctly) partitions. The recovery, system reserved, and primary partitions. Since I don't want any partitions on my SSD I deleted the recovery and primary partitions, expanding the reserved partition and making it the primary partition as well. Knowing what I know now it installed using the MBR style for some reason, even though I have a UEFI BIOS. Now I know GPT is newer and better etc, but for my needs I don't think it will make a difference. I hate having to have multiple partitions and want to maximize the space on my SSD.

Can anyone confirm or deny why I would or shouldn't use MBR or GPT on my SSD. I would be okay using GPT, 10MB for the MBR doesn't bother me but it won't let me allocate the extra space that the recovery partition used to use back to the primary partition. I feel like Microsoft has made the way the new OS install and work really stupidly complex. Using Linux and Windows 7 on my old 1TB HDD in a dual partition works just fine with no extra shenanigans.

SSD is a Samsung 850 EVO 1TB

 

[Colif]

normally win 10 won't do a clean install on MBR format.

I have GPT format on my pc and only have 1 partition but that isn't normal, I just deleted all the partitions when I did my fresh install in Feb and it never created any new ones.

The main benefit to GPT won't be seen for a long time. It allows 256tb partitions and you can have 128 of them on 1 drive... so until you have drives with more than 256 tb on them, it isn't going to be a problem for you.
GPT also has mutiple boot records on the disc, so if you corrupt one, it uses another... MBR has one in the MBR partition. Its not as easy to recover.

http://www.howtogeek.com/193669/whats-the-difference-between-gpt-and-mbr-when-partitioning-a-drive/

 

[Michael Hagood]

I knew what GPT allowed you to do but, again as you stated, I didn't think it would be useful for a user like me with a 1TB SSD. How'd you get it on a single partition? I thought the MBR of GPT at least had to have it's own partition. I also couldn't get it to install on a single partition as Windows kept being angry when I did and would just recreate the 18MB MBR, 500MB recovery, and 145MBish system reserved. I just gave up and reinstalled using MBR instead by launching the USB installer without UEFI tricking it to think it was a legacy motherboard. Yeah I won't be able to use any UEFI recovery options for Windows but I don't like or use them anyway. So, everything on one partition just the way I like it using MBR. I'm still interested to know how you got Windows to install everything on a single partition using GPT for future use as I intend to get a 2TB drive for storage and then turn my old 1TB HDD into a Win7/Linux dual boot drive.

 

[Colif]

The UEFI boot method is different, it doesn't look for an MBR, it looks for a file on all drives installed and boots from the partition that has that file. So it doesn't need a partition to itself.

can be a problem if you have 2 win 10 installs on 2 drives but I assume it boots from the first one in sata cable order then.

I can't tell you as my install was a pain. I didn't know anything about GPT at that stage, I went in blind. I deleted the C drive and as with every other win install until then, went to reinstall win 10 on that partition and it told me, no, cannot install it there... I deleted all the partitions on the hdd, and it still refused to install. I then turned pc off dejected as I had gone from a broken windows to none at all...

I then looked on another pc and tried to find solution. I then moved pc to kitchen and tried again and it worked when I pressed next on that part of custom install where ytou select drive (and was sure it had decided to use my 2tb drive until i finally booted and saw it was on the ssd)

I now know that all I needed to do was restart the installer and it would have worked, but i didn't know that at the time.

 

[Michael Hagood]

GPT creates a MBR on the physical drive so that it can keep track of all the partitions correct? When using the UEFI install method for Windows this is one of the partitions it makes in addition to the other three. No matter what I tried I couldn't get everything installed on a single partition.

 

[Colif]

this is what my drive looks like:

Disk management/

 

[Michael Hagood]

I have all the same things under my C drive, but I couldn't get it that way using the UEFI install.

 

[Colif]

As I said, i messed up. I don't think i could repeat it if i tried

think i ended up wiping drive twice so I may have unintentionally deleted the extra partitions it makes.

 

[Colif]

i must have somehow installed without UEFI, as per this, to get one partition: http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1950-windows-10-clean-install.html