MBR or GPT for Windows 11 (NVMe)?

Which one? If i have NVMe GPT i can't have Linux on external SSD because Ubuntu create "Ubuntu boot" on my EFI Partition.

Sandi1987 said:

Which one? If i have NVMe GPT i can't have Linux on external SSD because Ubuntu create "Ubuntu boot" on my EFI Partition.

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Hi there
@Sandi1987
Actually not true

If you install Windows FIRST (standard method on GPT drive) and then create extra partition(s) for Linux e.g / (root) /home (home) and optionally /swap (swap) and install GRUB (boot loader) to the EFI partition then at boot the Windows boot manager will offer choices of what to boot.

Here I've several Windows systems and a Linux system (GRUB) all bootable totally from an external SSD.

Even easier also if you use physical "Virtual Hard drives" (vhdx files) to install the various Windows systems - you only need 1 EFI partition on the entire drive.

I'm not sure about Ubuntu - I use Arch Linux and it will simply install the bootloader to the efi partition adding to the Windows boot manager.

e.g in the install : mkdir /boot/efi
now mount this directory to your efi partition -- e.g /mount/dev/sda1 /boot/efi

create grub loader :

grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --bootloader-id=GRUB --efi-directory=/boot/efi

config file : for boot

grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg


Job done, shouldn't interfere with windows boots etc etc.

Q.E.D !!!

Cheers
jimbo

Windows 11 officially only supports GPT, so the answer is simple. Use GPT.

MBR is considered legacy, outdated, and cannot (shouldn't) be used anymore.

Ubuntu supports GPT, just make sure you install Windows first (as @jimbo45 pointed out) then you can fix Ubuntu.

GRUB2 is perfect for your scenerio however if you want to have a linux entry added to Windows's boot menu then you could use a tool like EasyBCD

Not exactly windows 11 the same can be installed on the MBR partition on the ssd that the MBR is made of.

obelix said:

Not exactly windows 11 the same can be installed on the MBR partition on the ssd that the MBR is made of.

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Yes, it can. Actually the official Win11 Dev VM image is using legacy MBR too. However it is not a supported scenerio, official specs require GPT.
And unless you have a reason against it, I think everybody should, by now, be using GPT.

It is easy to re-map an SSD partition layout from MBR to GPT, actually Windows has a tool for this, as there are various 3rd party tools as well to do it without data loss, I'm sure we have a tutorial here :)

For old laptops and computers that do not have newer bios on the MBR partition can be installed windows 11 only must have bridged MPT2 and security boot

What about when i want to load my Windows 11 backup with Acronis? I'm worried about EFI partition and that Ubuntu maybe not working anymore on external SSD when i load Windows 11 backup because bootloader.

My experience on the Linux part, I download an .iso file which is used to create the Bootable LiveDVD then I boot to it. It has a USB Image Writer feature, using that downloaded .iso file it can create a Bootable LiveUSB Thumb drive, I use 8GB or 16GB which has useful apps included such as Firefox, LibreOffice, etc., and Networking with Ethernet and Wireless/Wi-Fi. And it may even pick up a connected printer, has mine. I carry that Thumb drive when making house calls, works great for testing whether problems are with hardware outside of the Windows environment. I actually have a Linux Mint Desktop on my network and keep current .iso files on it.

An aside, Windows 11 with its centered Taskbar, Macintosh OS X with its centered Dock [and maybe newer macOS] and one of the PCLinuxOS desktops with a centered Taskbar are quite similar. A plan a plot or a coincidence?

Hello, I have seen some NVMe drives that cannot boot in MBR Legacy mode. When I tried to install Windows 10 (11 is no different) in MBR Legacy mode, Windows Setup will warn that the disk won't be bootable and refuses to proceed. Add to that the Windows 11 official requirement of UEFI boot and the answer is simple. Use UEFI. Of course the USB Flash drive must be created for GPT UEFI boot or it won't be available to choose. Former experience says that you must first install Windows 11, then Ubuntu. You can select OS from Grub. Or you boot Windows USB, repair startup and you can boot into Windows boot loader. Then you use EasyBCD to add Ubuntu in Windows boot loader.

You can change a disk from MBR to GPT partition style as long as the disk contains no partitions or volumes. You can still boot from the MBR disk but it requires settings changed in your BIOS. That is a complex issue as you have to disable the UEFI boot and select the BBS boot drive you want.

TeckyMike said:

You can change a disk from MBR to GPT partition style as long as the disk contains no partitions or volumes.

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And you can convert a disk from MBR to GPT if it does contain partitions and volumes.

TeckyMike said:

You can change a disk from MBR to GPT partition style as long as the disk contains no partitions or volumes.

Click to expand...

I'd think that if that condition exists there is nothing to change, it's a blank/as-shipped drive. Let the OS install determine what the BIOS setting is and install accordingly.

Does the disk want to change, though.... that is the real question.