Windows 8 GPT
The GUID partition (GPT) is available for Windows 8 and was initially introduced as part of the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) initiative from Intel. Basic and dynamic disks use the Master Boot Record (MBR) partitioning scheme that all operating systems have been using for years. Basic and dynamic disks use Cylinder-Head-Sector (CHS) addressing with the MBR scheme.
The GPT disk partitioning system uses the GUID partition to configure the disk area. GPT uses a newer addressing scheme called Logical Block Addressing (LBA). Another advantage is that the GPT header and partition is written to both the front and the back end of the disk, providing better redundancy.
The GPT disk partitioning system gives you many benefits over using the MBR system, including the following:
- Allows a volume size larger than 2 TB
- Allows up to 128 primary partitions
- Used for 64-bit Windows 8 editions
- Includes cyclical redundancy check (CRC) for greater reliability
The one disadvantage to using the GPT drives is that you can only convert a GPT drive if the disk is empty and unpartitioned. To convert any disk or format any volume or partition, you can use the Disk Management utility.
