Some users have reported that when they try to install Windows OS on their hard disk, the installation process is interrupted. As soon as they press the Install now button in the Windows Setup process, the Windows installation fails, and the Windows Setup shows Windows cannot be installed to this disk, The selected disk has an MBR partition table error instead. If you also face this problem, then there are a couple of solutions that you can use to solve it.
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.
The main cause of this problem is when the BIOS type is not supported by your hard drive partition style. If your computer has a UEFI BIOS, then it supports GPT partition-style disks. Thus, only the GPT partition or GUID style disk can be used to install Windows on an EFI system. On the other hand, if you have a Legacy BIOS, then it supports MBR partition-style disks to install Windows.
Fix The selected disk has an MBR partition table
Here are the solutions to fix The selected disk has an MBR partition table problem:
- Disable EFI Boot Sources
- Convert MBR partition to GPT.
Let’s check both options.
1] Disable EFI Boot Sources
This fix worked for some users and it might also be helpful to solve your problem. So, first check if you can disable EFI Boot Sources or UEFI Boot Sources, if possible.
Here’s an example of how you can do this on an HP device. The steps would be similar for other devices. First, enter the BIOS setup using the F10 hotkey. After that, access the Boot Order menu from the Storage menu. Now you will see UEFI Boot Sources that you can disable using the F5 hotkey.
Finally, in the File menu, use the Save changes option, and restart your system. Run the Windows Installation process, and see if it shows the same error or continues the setup for the installation.
Related: Windows cannot be installed to this disk, The selected disk is of the GPT partition style
2] Convert MBR partition to GPT
As mentioned in starting, if your system has a UEFI BIOS, then in order to install Windows on it, you will need to have a GPT partition-style disk. But, if the MBR partition is there, then you have to convert the MBR partition to GPT first. To do this, you can use the built-in DISKPART utility.
Before proceeding further, do note that this action will result in data loss as the hard disk is wiped. So, you must first backup data stored on your hard drive. Though there are a few options to convert MBR to GPT without data loss, you might end up with some errors. So, it is advised to back up all of your data. After that, follow these steps:
- Connect the Windows Installation media to your system
- Begin the Windows installation process
- When the Windows Setup screen appears, press the Shift+F10 hotkey
- This will open a Command Prompt window as the administrator
- Now execute the
diskpartcommand - Enter
list diskcommand and execute it. This will show the list of hard disks connected to your PC - Select the hard disk for which you face this problem. For example, if the disk number is 0, then execute
select disk 0command - Now the disk is selected, execute the
cleancommand to wipe it - Finally, execute
convert GPTcommand. This will convert your hard disk from MBR to GPT - Exit the CMD window
- Continue the Windows installation process. The problem should be gone now.
Hope these solutions will help.
Now read: Windows cannot be installed to this disk, The disk may fail soon
How do I remove a MBR Partition table?
To remove an MBR partition-style disk, you need to convert it to a GUID Partition Table disk that uses UEFI. For this purpose, you can use DISKPART command-line utility, Disk Management, or a third-party tool. This operation deletes all the partitions on your disk and all the data of course. So, you should back up your data before deleting or cleaning an MBR partition disk.
How do I fix MBR to GPT error without losing data?
If you use the MBR2GPT utility and the conversion is failed, then there shouldn’t be data loss. But, if the conversion fails with some error and you need to fix it, then use the solutions depending on the error that appeared. For example, if you face MBR2GPT cannot find room for the EFI system partition error, then you should check if the disk is encrypted. If yes, unlock it. Along with that, you should also defrag the C drive and shrink it, run MBR2GPT in WinPE, etc.