When you install Windows operating system on your computer, you may often run into an annoying error that prevents you from successfully installing system on your PC. The error message might be “Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. On EFI system, Windows can only be installed to GPT disks”. 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; or “Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk is of the GPT partition table” The error “the selected disk has an MBR partition table” is very common which appears on many Windows versions such as Windows 7, windows 8, Windows server 2008, etc

How do I fix the selected disk has an MBR partition table?

Therefore, if you want to use the GPT partition scheme, you need to enter BIOS, so that you can change boot option from Legacy to UEFI. Then you also need to make sure the hard drive where you want to install Windows is partitioned with GUID partition table. If not, you need to convert MBR disk to GPT or repartition hard drive.

This article provides three solutions to fix “Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. On EFI system, Windows can only be installed to GPT disks.” so that you can complete Windows installation process smoothly. You can choose any solution based on your own preference and actual situation on your computer.

The first solution helps to change BIOS boot settings, by which you can install operating system on an MBR disk. If you want to keep UEFI and GPT, you can just convert current hard drive to GPT disk. Then you won’t be blocked by the issue. Both solution 2 and solution 3 explain methods to convert MBR to GPT: DiskGenius and Command Prompt.

DiskGenius is third-party and free partition manager software, and it is able to convert disk between MBR and GPT without losing data. The converting process is quite easy and simple. The third method presents how to convert MBR to GPT using DiskPart commands, which is complicated in operation and clears all data on the disk

Solution #1: Change BIOS boot settings

Step 1. You can go through BIOS setting and change the UEFI boot configuration. What you need to do is temporarily switching EFI boot to SATA or legacy mode so that Windows can be installed to Legacy + MBR booted computer.

Step 2. Restart computer and enter BIOS by pressing Del or F10 before system boots. The specific key varies from Motherboard brand to another, but you can see it on screen soon after computer is powered on.

Step 3. In BIOS, go to Boot Devices and find Boot order where you can disable EFI sources or change DVD drive from UEFI to SATA or Legacy Mode.

Step 4. Save changes and exit.

Step 5. Boot computer with system installing CD or disk and try install again