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I would like to install Windows on my machine using the GPT Partition Scheme, however I have come across several articles about "bricking" the computer if you change the boot mode (UEFI/BIOS/Legacy). I assume this occurs because those people had the wrong boot mode setting for their partition scheme:

Example: Using UEFI Boot mode for MBR Partitioned Disks or Using BIOS boot mode when they have GPT Partitioned Disks.

That's the only scenario that I know off that can stop one from booting into Windows, but can easily be fixed by changing the boot mode. I don't understand how bricking can happen if you changed boot modes other than that (If there's any explanation, I would gladly appreciate it).

I have a series of steps below, but I am unsure if It will do the trick. This involves installing Windows from a USB Flash Drive. Should I pre partition the disk first to GPT or are the steps below safe?

1.) Insert USB Flash Drive to PC, change boot mode to UEFI and set boot order to make USB top priority. Once you get to the boot screen of the Windows GUI installer, Go Install>Custom Install>Format and delete all of the partitions then restart the computer by clicking the X on the GUI windows.

2.) Spam the del Key to go back to BIOS, SET THE BOOT MODE TO UEFI (IF U MISS THIS STEP IT WILL MAKE THE DRIVE AS MBR AS U BOOTED IN LEGACY/BIOS MODE!). Also make sure the boot order is set to USB. Save changes and discard. Reboot.

3.) When GUI comes up from the bootable USB, click install

4.) Select the Operating system version of windows u want to reinstall with

5.) You will be taken to the screen where there are a lot of drives shown. You can either Format each partition (Removes all data) and then delete all partitions.

Note using diskpart or diskmanagement utility to convert the MBR drive to GPT requires you to have the drive EMPTY and have NO PARTITIONS.

6.) Once all Partitions have been deleted, Press Shift + F10. This will launch a portable cmd

6a.)Type "diskpart"

7.) Type "list disk". This will list which disk (individual HDDs) are present in the PC

8.) If it is only one drive, type "select disk 0"

9.) Type clean

10.) Type convert GPT (VERY IMPORTANT. DO NOT MISS THIS STEP or else you'll install Windows on an MBR drive).

11.) Type exit, press enter. Type exit again, press enter.

12a) Type next to go to the product key page.

12b) Type in ur license key. Install windows thereafter.

13.) Reboot, spam del key to enter the BIOS. Change the boot sequence and make the hard drive the boot priority. Also change the boot mode from LEGACY to UEFI.

14.) Important! When you boot to windows, double check if the Drive(s) are in GPT. Go to cmd>diskmgmt>right click on the drive(s) u planned on installing as GPT and select properties. Under the volume tab they should be GPT. If they are MBR, you failed the process.

Also, does the Bootable Windows Installation from the USB need to support UEFI Booting?

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Your list looks like a mix of a few tutorials. At least one of them seems to be quite confused. It makes it look much more complicated than it really is.

If you're installing on a clean disk, you just have to boot in UEFI mode and proceed with installation. That's it.

If you're doing a clean install on a system that was previously booted with BIOS (so disk is partitioned with MBR), you have to erase the partitioning first. Note that this will erase all data from the disk.

  1. Boot in UEFI mode and select Custom installation.
  2. On the partitioning screen press Shift+F10 to open the Command prompt. Type diskpart Enter, wait for it to start. Then clean Enter and exit Enter. Close the Command prompt.
  3. Click Refresh and carry on with the installation.

That's it, really. Windows installer will partition the disk and install OS appropriately to the boot mode that was used. Just boot with UEFI and it will go for GPT.

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