SSD Setup

[Mr_Argon]

I have a brand new SS

D (Crucial BX500 250GB). I want to format it so that I can put Windows 10 onto it. What should I do? This screen came up when I entered Disk Management.

Oh, and I do know how to screenshot, I just didn't, don't ask why

[SPARTAN VI]

GPT

[Mr_Argon]

1 minute ago, spartanvi said:

GPT

What's the difference? Why should I do that?

[Mr_Argon]

I found this on a site. Its a 250GB SSD so would MBR be better?

[Constantin]

Do nothing!!!

During the installation there will be an option to format the drive! 

[SPARTAN VI]

• 1 minute ago, Mr_Argon said:

  

  I found this on a site. Its a 250GB SSD so would MBR be better?

  No, MBR is a legacy partition scheme. There may be some edge use case for it, such as dual booting to Windows XP and Win10, but I can't think of a reason for you to use MBR for a Win10 installation. 

• Quote

   

  • A GPT disk supports larger than 2 TB volumes while MBR cannot. 
  • The GPT disk partitioning style supports volumes up to 18 exabytes in size and up to 128 partitions per disk while the MBR disk partitioning style supports volumes up to 2 terabytes in size and up to 4 primary partitions per disk (or three primary partitions, one extended partition, and unlimited logical drives).  
  • GPT disk provides greater reliability due to replication and cyclical redundancy check (CRC) protection of the partition table. Unlike MBR partitioned disks, data critical to platform operation is located in partitions instead of unpartitioned or hidden sectors. 
  • GPT partitioned disks have redundant primary and backup partition tables for improved partition data structure integrity.

   

GPT also allows you to use quick boot options in your UEFI. Going with MBR will likely result in slower boot times assuming your UEFI has a compatibility support module (e.g. CSM). 

[Mr_Argon]

1 minute ago, Constantin said:

Do nothing!!!

During the installation there will be an option to format the drive! 

I also have an HDD plugged in which already has Windows 10 on it. In my BIOS it is only showing the USB and the HDD, so don't I need to format the SSD first so it's recognized?

[SPARTAN VI]

On 5/15/2019 at 10:35 PM, Constantin said:

Do nothing!!!

During the installation there will be an option to format the drive! 

While true, he will still have to choose between GPT and MBR either way.

[Constantin]

1 hour ago, Mr_Argon said:

I also have an HDD plugged in which already has Windows 10 on it. In my BIOS it is only showing the USB and the HDD, so don't I need to format the SSD first so it's recognized?

I did so many fresh install in my life, i never had to format the ssd or any thing else to it!

[Constantin]

1 hour ago, spartanvi said:

While true, he will still have to choose between GPT and MBR either way.

everything is done automatically in win 10

[Mr_Argon]

Thanks people!

[SPARTAN VI]

On 5/15/2019 at 10:41 PM, Constantin said:

everything is done automatically in win 10

I believe it will default to MBR. I recently reinstalled Win10 on my Crucial P1 and had to manually use diskpart to make it GPT, IIRC. 

 

(Correction) In essence:

• If you boot into UEFI mode, then the GPT device will self-identify and Windows 10 will build the partition using the GPT partitioning scheme.
• If you boot into legacy mode aka BIOS mode, then Windows 10 will automatically select the MBR partitioning scheme instead.
  • Even in the above scenario, you can still manually wipe then setup a GPT partition using diskpart commands. However, you will still need to boot into UEFI mode to proceed with the Win10 installation. Win10 installer will not allow you to proceed with the installation of a GPT partition while booted in legacy mode.
  • Using MBR on a GPT capable drive is suboptimal if you're capable of UEFI booting since (among other things) you cannot utilize the quick boot features UEFI + GPT allow. This is why you do NOT want Windows 10 to automatically choose for you if you're unsure of what you're doing.

[Constantin]

You dig for trouble where there is not!!!

It's 2019 windows are smart enough to see the capacity of the drive, if it is an SSD or HDD an if it is to be for an OS

[SPARTAN VI]

@Mr_Argon Easiest way to tell whether it's MBR or GPT during the Win10 installation is to check for the recovery and system reserved partitions it creates:

 

MBR will look like this:

GPT (what you WANT) will look like this:


Notice that in the screenshots above, there is only a single drive (i.e. "Drive 0") with 2 partitions in the MBR scheme and 4 partitions in the GPT scheme. Obviously, the total size of the partitions may vary for you since the example above appears to be a ~120GB SSD. 

[Constantin]

1 hour ago, spartanvi said:

@Mr_Argon Easiest way to tell whether it's MBR or GPT during the Win10 installation is to check for the recovery and system reserved partitions it creates:

 

MBR will look like this:

GPT (what you WANT) will look like this:


Notice that in the screenshots above, there is only a single drive (i.e. "Drive 0") with 2 partitions in the MBR scheme and 4 partitions in the GPT scheme.

When in this step, you deleted every thing that it aloud you to.

During the installation, it will create what it needs!!!

[191x7]

Make sure to unplug the HDD before installing the new Windows on the SSD. Plug the HDD back once you complete the install, then set the boot drive to be the SSD in Bios.

[SPARTAN VI]

On 5/15/2019 at 10:53 PM, Constantin said:

When in this step, you deleted every thing that it aloud you to.

During the installation, it will create what it needs!!!

I don't understand what you're trying to say. 

In his original post he has the option of creating the GPT or MBR partition he needs from Windows 10's "Disk Management." If he does as you originally recommended and does NOT do this here, then he will see his disk in the Windows 10 installer as "unallocated space" like below:

 

If he clicks the "New" button here, it will ask him to specify the size of the primary partition he wants to make. In my most recent clean Windows 10 installation, doing this defaulted in a MBR partition scheme, so I manually formatted and changed it to GPT in diskpart. I gave him the above screenshots to show him how to identify MBR vs GPT partitions as I suspect his installation may also automatically create a MBR partition.

• If you boot into UEFI mode, then the GPT device will self-identify and Windows 10 will build the partition using the GPT partitioning scheme.
• If you boot into legacy mode aka BIOS mode, then Windows 10 will automatically select the MBR partitioning scheme instead.
  • Even in the above scenario, you can still manually wipe then setup a GPT partition using diskpart commands. However, you will still need to boot into UEFI mode to proceed with the Win10 installation. Win10 installer will not allow you to proceed with the installation of a GPT partition while booted in legacy mode.
  • Using MBR on a GPT capable drive is suboptimal if you're capable of UEFI booting since (among other things) you cannot utilize the quick boot features UEFI + GPT allow. This is why you do NOT want Windows 10 to automatically choose for you if you're unsure of what you're doing.

[Constantin]

1 hour ago, spartanvi said:

I don't understand what you're trying to say. 

In his original post he has the option of creating the GPT or MBR partition he needs from Windows 10's "Disk Management." If he does as you originally recommended and does NOT do this here, then he will see his disk in the Windows 10 installer as "unallocated space" like below:

 

If he clicks the "New" button here, it will ask him to specify the size of the primary partition he wants to make. In my most recent clean Windows 10 installation, doing this defaulted in a MBR partition scheme, so I manually formatted and changed it to GPT in diskpart. I gave him the above screenshots to show him how to identify MBR vs GPT partitions as I suspect his installation may also automatically create a MBR partition.

He just click next OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!

EDIT: this is just a 20GB drive ti install windows?

[SPARTAN VI]

2 minutes ago, Constantin said:

He just click next OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's clearly a language barrier, so relax. 

 

What partition scheme will Windows 10 select automatically if he clicks "Next" while an "Unallocated" disk is selected? My money is on MBR. 

[Constantin]

1 hour ago, spartanvi said:

What partition scheme will Windows 10 select automatically if he clicks "Next"

WHat it needs!!

[SPARTAN VI]

2 minutes ago, Constantin said:

WHat it needs!!

Yes, and it will need to select a partitioning scheme. It cannot boot from the ether.

 

So again, what will it select: MBR or GPT?

[Constantin]

There will be not that kind of option!..

Man how many time did you install windows???

[SPARTAN VI]

8 minutes ago, Constantin said:

There will be not that kind of option!..

Man how many time did you install windows???

 

Language barrier again. I said, "What partition scheme will Windows 10 select automatically if he clicks "Next"

"Automatically" means he won't get a prompt, so it is implied that there will not be an option for him.

 

So I ask again, what partitioning scheme will Windows 10 automatically use if he does an installation from unallocated space.
 

Quote

Man how many time did you install windows???

Probably hundreds of times. Windows 10 on GPT partitioned drives, maybe a dozen times. GPT is relatively "new" in the scheme of things, so I understand why you're so confused by my question. 

[Constantin]

1 hour ago, spartanvi said:

Language barrier again. I said, "What partition scheme will Windows 10 select automatically if he clicks "Next"

"Automatically" means he won't get a prompt, so it is implied that there will not be an option for him.

 

 So I ask again, what partitioning scheme will Windows 10 automatically use if he does an installation from unallocated space.
 

Probably hundreds of times. Windows 10 on GPT partitioned drives, maybe a dozen times. GPT is relatively "new" in the scheme of things, so I understand why you're so confused by my questions. 

It will choose what ever is the best for the detected drive! HDD/SSD/SIZE ect...

[SPARTAN VI]

9 minutes ago, Constantin said:

It will choose what ever is the best for the detected drive! HDD/SSD/SIZE ect...

I cannot be certain without testing this, but I suspect that the installer will choose based upon the UEFI/BIOS configuration as well. For instance, if we were to boot a Windows 10 installation from a USB drive with "legacy mode" enabled in the UEFI/BIOS, can the Win10 installer even automatically choose GPT? 

 

I expect that's why my Win10 installer automatically chose MBR for me, I just saw I had USB boot set to legacy mode in my UEFI.