[jds63]

About a few weeks back i bought a SSD it is a 512GB and i did a clean installl of Windows 8.1 Pro 64bit on it.

Recently i noticed my BIOS Mode is UEFI. Before this upgrade to the SSD i had a 2 WD 1TB HDD and it was in Legacy Mode then.

I know i made no changes to my BIOS, before or during this upgrade to the SSD.

Just wondering what made this automatically do this, change to UEFI.

I know the BIOS shows EFI, when accessing it.

 

If i go into the BIOS my boot order is UEFI BOOT MANAGER, Crucual SSD, External HDD and then DVD Drive.

 

Somone else told me this.

If your BIOS is set to work for both: UEFI+MBR then you can install in either style.

When you did a fresh install. From the Installation disk, you have the choice to install using GPT style or MBR style and apparently you selected GPT style.

 

I attached an image from Disk Management that shows 3 partitions, usually only 2 for Windows 8.1, one for recovery one primary.

 

What i want to know is, that it is o.k. to leave it this way or not, most benefits for this is faster boots, secure boot (which mine does not support) HDD over 2TB.

Although from the screen image it does noy say the type is GPT,as another person told me it would be.

 

This is something i read about Windows detecting UEFI, possibly doing a GPT style later. Similar to how i did mine with just a DVD of Win8.1, but mine was originally set to Legacy mode.

 

To wipe and convert the drive by using Windows Setup

    Turn off the PC, and put in the Windows installation DVD or USB key.

    Boot the PC to the DVD or USB key in UEFI mode.

    When choosing an installation type, select Custom.

    On the Where do you want to install Windows? screen, select each of the partitions on the drive, and select Delete. The drive will show a single area of unallocated space.

    Select the unallocated space and click Next. Windows detects that the PC was booted into UEFI mode, and reformats the drive using the GPT drive format, and begins the installation.
 

This obviously explains PC need to be in this Mode i believe before the clean install to become UEFI .

 

 

 

 

Attached Thumbnails

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Update shows i have 2 choices in boot order when i press F8 on restart, for a disc. (dvd)

 

DVD Drive

Boot Manager

Multi card

Crucial SSD

UEFI: DVD Drive

 

When i did this install i must of chose the UEFI:DVD

That put me in that BIOS MODE - UEFI

Then partitions my drive according to GPT style, which i checked i ndisk properties, volume tab.

 

Here are some advantages:

 

GPT was developed by Intel to overcome the limitations of MBR, which amongst other things limits the largest partition you can create to just 2 TB. Here is a list of its key benefits :

    GPT uses 64-bit addresses, which increases the maximum partition size from 2 TB to 9.4 ZB with 512-byte sectors, or 75.2 ZB with 4K sectors (see Advanced Format Technology). A zettabyte (ZB) is a billion terabytes (TB), so GPT is future-proofed for the next 40-50 years.

    GPT supports unlimited number of partitions, but most operating systems impose a limit of 128 partitions per drive. MBR, on the other hand, supports only 3 primary partitions and 1 extended partition, although the extended partition can be further divided into multiple logical partitions.

    GPT has two partition tables which allows it to "self-heal" if one of them becomes corrupt. MBR only has a single partition table, so if that table gets corrupted, the entire drive will be rendered unreadable.
    GPT uses CRC32 (32-bit cyclic redundancy check) to ensure the integrity of the GPT header and partition tables. MBR has no such integrity checks.

 

Nothing in the BIOS to switch this mode on or off, as said my BIOS is UEFI.

 

Do not care to make extra partitions, motherboard does not support Secure Boot.

 

There is some other good advantages to this, newest way, protects the master boot record.

Although i did not see a great difference in boot and shutdown time.

 

I wanted to know is it best for me to stay this way, i know now i can go back to MBR. And with Windows 8.1 Pro 64bit.

 

Some will say i was lucky to be able to get it done, have it work.

[jds63]

Update shows i have 2 choices in boot order when i press F8 on restart, for a disc. (dvd)

 

DVD Drive

Boot Manager

Multi card

Crucial SSD

UEFI: DVD Drive

 

When i did this install i must of chose the UEFI:DVD

That put me in that BIOS MODE - UEFI

Then partitions my drive according to GPT style, which i checked i ndisk properties, volume tab.

 

Here are some advantages:

 

GPT was developed by Intel to overcome the limitations of MBR, which amongst other things limits the largest partition you can create to just 2 TB. Here is a list of its key benefits :

    GPT uses 64-bit addresses, which increases the maximum partition size from 2 TB to 9.4 ZB with 512-byte sectors, or 75.2 ZB with 4K sectors (see Advanced Format Technology). A zettabyte (ZB) is a billion terabytes (TB), so GPT is future-proofed for the next 40-50 years.

    GPT supports unlimited number of partitions, but most operating systems impose a limit of 128 partitions per drive. MBR, on the other hand, supports only 3 primary partitions and 1 extended partition, although the extended partition can be further divided into multiple logical partitions.

    GPT has two partition tables which allows it to "self-heal" if one of them becomes corrupt. MBR only has a single partition table, so if that table gets corrupted, the entire drive will be rendered unreadable.
    GPT uses CRC32 (32-bit cyclic redundancy check) to ensure the integrity of the GPT header and partition tables. MBR has no such integrity checks.

 

Nothing in the BIOS to switch this mode on or off, as said my BIOS is UEFI.

 

Do not care to make extra partitions, motherboard does not support Secure Boot.

 

There is some other good advantages to this, newest way, protects the master boot record.

Although i did not see a great difference in boot and shutdown time.

 

I wanted to know is it best for me to stay this way, i know now i can go back to MBR. And with Windows 8.1 Pro 64bit.

 

Some will say i was lucky to be able to get it done, have it work.

[Macboatmaster]

 

I wanted to know is it best for me to stay this way, i know now i can go back to MBR. And with Windows 8.1 Pro 64bit

 

Yes stay with GPT and UEFI

MBR cannot boot from a GPT partitioned drive

As you have found UEFI boots from the FAT partition on a GPT disc

that is the UEFI Boot Manager

 

To go back now to MBR you would have to re-install you cannot simply enter UEFI and change to MBR - legacy mode - if you did Windows as it is now installed will not boot

 

Even without secure boot,  and I am surprised if the motherboard is UEFI firmware that secure boot is not supported, UEFI still enables ELAM - early launch anti malware, which is inherent in the included Windows Defender but is also possible in all the major 3rd party antivirus providers. 

 

This means in simple terms that the AV is active in the boot process rather than only on the completion of windows loading

 

The rest of the benefits have been well covered by your goodself

[jds63]

Thanks for the response, i do appreciate it.

 

Yes when i first installed Windows 8.1 on this system i wanted secure boot, but could not use it because it did not support it, if i recall correctly was due to my motherboard Revision number, there was something else too, i can't remember.

 

But i have went to many knowledged people who knew more, that this was impossible for me, so i never pursued even installing in UEFI, used MBR.

 

I kind of accidently stumbled upon it this time, when i recently installed a SSD, probably rushed it and clicked the choice for UEFI DVD Drive, just never recalled seeing it when i did this the first ime, even though my BIOS is EFI.

 

During the install i did not choose to format or partition the drives i just chose delete till i only had one unallocated space. Never saw were it had 4 and most GPT style has 4 partitions, i only had 3.

 

See step 7, i never did this, http://www.eightforu...indows-8-a.html

 

Part that baffles me a bit, although seeing GPT Style, by checking the volume tab of the drive in properties in Windows Disk Management. Though some are saying leave it your better off, some say you were lucky to be able to do it. Just wonder am i, should i keep it this way ?

 

As you were saying i can't switch it back, won't boot, but i see no way to in BIOS anyway, now the only way i could is to do a clean custom reinstall and not choose UEFI, then it would go back to MBR.

Edited by jds63, 18 August 2014 - 05:51 PM.

[Macboatmaster]

_{As I said}

 Yes stay with GPT and UEFI

 

 

When I said you cannot switch back to MBR, I mean you cannot now enter UEFI and enable legacy boot as windows 8.1 will not then load

I did not mean that you could not if you wish start again with a clean install to MBR

 

This as you so correctly say is the reason it installed UEFI  - GPT disk

 

When i did this install i must of chose the UEFI:DVD

 

The fact you missed a step is of no importance providing the full capacity of the SSD disk at 512GB is being seen by Windows

Edited by Macboatmaster, 19 August 2014 - 01:00 PM.

[jds63]

I understood what you told me that i just can't go back and change back to MBR (LEGACY), because the system won't boot, i was just trying to clarify with you i have nothing in the BIOS of my system that i can switch back and forth from Legacy or UEFI.

 

So i would have to redo the install to be able to go back to it. Think either i worded it wrong or you misunderstood me.

 

Yes this was another reason i was concerned and asked questions, you were saying i missed parts, i saw this too afterwards, i did not select NEW and APPLY during custom install in UEFI.

Only disadvantage is more partitions, possibly more suited for either a larger HDD which it will take less time accessing smaller partitions then larger ones.

 

 

How about any system changes needed like pagefile, Windows search and write caching, buffering.

Edited by jds63, 19 August 2014 - 04:37 PM.

[Macboatmaster]

I think with respect you are confused as to who has told you what

I never said

 

Yes this was another reason i was concerned and asked questions, you were saying i missed parts

 

 

It was you who raised the issue with me and included the link in your post 4.

As I said providing the full capacity of the drive is seen, it does not now matter

 

On UEFI the difference between legacy boot and the UEFI boot is the boot medium.

 

You are correct you cannot make this legacy boot for Windows and use MBR without reinstalling Windows

 

Re the management of the SSD - Windows should recognise it is an SSD and disable defrag which you should not use and Windows will automatically use TRIM

For further details including the options on the page file and the other details please see this

 

http://www.eightforu...indows-8-a.html

 

and this under system setup and optimization

http://www.overclock...e-for-ssds-hdds

[jds63]

O.k. i made a mistake saying you were the one who said i missed doing parts in the installation for GPT, this was someone on Eight-Forums i belong to that forum too.

 

The part that was and had me confused was in post # 3 you said :

 

"To go back now to MBR you would have to re-install you cannot simply enter UEFI and change to MBR - legacy mode - if you did Windows as it is now installed will not boot"

 

Then in post  #5 you said : "    When I said you cannot switch back to MBR, I mean you cannot now enter UEFI and enable legacy boot as windows 8.1 will not then load I did not mean that you could not if you wish start again with a clean install to MBR"

 

All i was saying is there was no setting in my BIOS to change modes..........period

 

 

This is what i was confused from that's all.

 

Now i know about Defrag situation, very familiar with Brink and his tutorials, seen that one in my research.

Other one is similar to what i have seen, i guess in time i waited for a response here, this is not the only post i have on this subject i have educated myself and found this too.TY for your time.

Edited by jds63, 20 August 2014 - 03:03 PM.

[Macboatmaster]

You are welcome good luck with it

[jds63]

TY, By the way this article was very good, very informative  http://www.overclock...e-for-ssds-hdds

 

Although 3 years old, some technology may have changed it's opinions on some of his optimizations.

Edited by jds63, 20 August 2014 - 04:23 PM.