Both of MBR and GPT are the standards of the layout of partition tables used for system startup. We should set the partition table format for the uninitialized hard disk.
MBR (Master Boot Record) is the old partition table format. When we get Windows started, a part of codes should be used to start up the system. If the MBR information is damaged, you cannot get into Windows normally. At the same time, since MBR is developed at the early stage of PC development, it is now merely used for the hard disk up to 2TB. If your disk is overt 2TB, the left capacity cannot be recognized. Besides, the MBR disk can be merely divided into 4 partitions.
Compared with MBR, GPT (GUID Partition Table) is the more advanced partition table format. GUID is known as globally unique identifiers.
GPT breaks the limitation of 2TB. The GPT disk is allowed to create unlimited partitions. Even though Windows only support the partitions up to 128 in a GPT disk, it can fulfill the requirements of a majority of users.
In a MBR disk, the partitions and the guide record are saved together. If a part of the data is damaged, we cannot get into the system anymore. On the contrary, the data copies are saved in the GPT disk, so the damaged disk is possibly recovered.
For those who use the over 2TB hard disk or the newly assembled computer, we recommend GPT. Now, it is supported by Windows Vista/7/8/8.1/10. The partition table format is beneficial to the system startup acceleration. Click
here to learn more about GPT and MBR.
GPT, the modern standard, is now gradually replacing MBR. But MBR is still compatible well with the system.
Does the partition table format affect disk clone? Strictly, the partition table format has no direct effect on disk clone. When we start up the system, the MBR disk should be booted from the BIOS guide mode, but the GPT disk from the UEFI guide mode. (Click
here to learn about how to set the partition table format.)
Currently, we can use the clone applications to transfer part of the data, excluding the boot information. Therefore, we still need to reinstall the system after data transfer.
If you want to clone the GPT disk well, we recommend you use Renee Becca which can clone both of the GPT and MBR disks. It can smoothly clone the data from the source disk to the target one only if the capacity of the target disk is larger. Next, we will show you how to use Renee Becca to clone GPT disks.
