MBR partition table? Windows 7 won't install on hard drive that previously had win7.

Anonymous
2016-02-13T12:25:28+00:00

(long story) Alright, so I have had this same exact harddrive for a while, and out of nowhere, I get a message: Microsoft Windows has stopped responding. I think, oh ****! I gotta restart it! And so I hard-restart it and now windows won't load. I get the bios, but not the OS. So I try to save my files and reinstall windows7 by using a linux usb to save my stuff, except that doesnt work. So I accept my fate, use GParted to format the partition to NTFS and then I restart and boot up from the windows install disc. And I go to install windows on the empty partition (also I guess I should mention there is another partition that's 100mb and says sytem reserved, I never touched that one) and I get this and I quote "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." and thats it. And the weird thing is, I installed win7 on that SAME harddrive before with now problems. So did my Hard drive poop out on me? Is windows just being a butt? Help pls, I NEED my computer, I am in a programming for game design class and I need my PC in order to make my end of the year project. (Oh, I guess I should also mention I am currently using a Lubuntu usb stick to type this... if that is relevant at all...) Oh, and the windows version is 7 ultimate.

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  1. Greg Carmack 24,780 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2016-02-15T00:46:16+00:00

    Again, what are the exact settings choices?   

    It is often easiest to spot the correct settings if you can take pictures.  You can upload them with the Attach Images button in reply box. 

    Earlier there were no UEFI settings found, now you refer to "all the different mbr/gpt and the sata ahci/compatible mode combinations possible."  I need to see those and then can usually spot them. 

    You never  replied what the other choices are for Compatibility Mode setting you found.

    At any time are you seeing a UEFI DVD drive choice in Boot Menu?  Did you check after changing to Compatibility mode? 

    In about 10,000 UEFI cases I've helped with in Forums since it's release, we've never not been able to get it installed where there is close cooperation with no skipped or ignored steps.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-02-14T23:53:52+00:00

    ok so i still have no uefi settings anywhere on anything, ive tried all the different mbr/gpt and the sata ahci/compatible mode combinations possible but i get the same error: "Windows cannot beninstalled to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu."

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-02-14T22:43:12+00:00

    i reset the setings but still no hint of uefi anywhere... gonna go offline for a bit ne nack inayne an hour... oh and also, i never updated my bios, just remembered that...

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-02-14T22:31:10+00:00

    ok finally did it the clean all command took foroever. and i converted it, so just go throught the install normally?

    Just give it a try and you will find out if it did the trick, it it doesn't work convert it back to gpt and try it again, from the information obtained in other posts it appears that the machine is UEFI capable so it should install on GPT disk.

    John

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  5. Greg Carmack 24,780 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2016-02-14T22:26:34+00:00

    Normally this is called CSM but the firmware is old.  Often in UEFI firmware this is not a hard drive setting but a UEFI firmware setting that allows Legacy installs to MBR disks without UEFI. 

    And what are the other settings choices?  If the wiped drive converted to MBR doesn't succeed, then try UEFI and then see if the DVD drive shows up in BIOS Boot Menu Key as a UEFI device. 

    Normally deleting all partitions will suffice for the installer to reset formatting GPT<>MBR.

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