MBR vs GPT: a side-by-side comparison When developing the GUID partition table, one of the aims was to address the abovementioned weaknesses of the Master Boot Record.

This allows the storage medium to acquire, store and process data as required among other things thanks to compatible file systems such as NTFS or FAT.

A basic part of the formatting process is partitioning, i.e.

Note If you are changing the partitions of a removable storage device that has already been set-up, it isnt necessary to reformat the whole device.

You only need to format the storage areas that you modify To split up a disk into multiple partitions, you have to use a special table known as a partition table.

Choosing a suitable table basically comes down to one question: MBR or GPT It doesnt matter whether youre using Linux, Windows or Mac.

For all operating systems, these two tables are the only two solutions for partitioning.

But whats the difference between them And which one is best MBR or GPT Contents MBR or GPT partitions: the advantages MBR vs GPT: a history GPT or MBR: why was a new partition standard created MBR vs GPT: a side-by-side comparison MBR vs GPT: which partition style is best Converting from MBR to GPT MBR or GPT partitions: the advantages Splitting up hard drive space on well-known operating systems like Windows is something of a tradition, but it is not actually necessary.

Any storage medium can be used without dividing up the memory, providing that it has been formatted with a file system that is supported by the operating system in question.

So why is partitioning so popular when it comes to hard drive management The answer lies primarily in its advantages, which can be summarized as follows: The operating system and system-related services such as a boot loader can be stored in the fastest part of a hard drive (usually the outside of the disk), in order to ensure maximum read and write speeds.

In general, system and application programs can be easily separated using partitions, which makes it much easier to do system backups or individual data backups.

Since then, the system component has been used on the one hand as a boot manager to boot (and install) BIOS-based computer systems, and on the other hand as a partition table to efficiently split up the available memory.

This second function is what helped MBR quickly become the standard for all kinds of storage devices, for example hard drives, USB sticks and memory cards.

This new partition table standard is a component of the UEFI specification which was introduced in 2000 and has steadily been gaining popularity as an alternative to BIOS.

Note Although GPT is part of the UEFI standard, GUID partition tables can also be used for partitioning on BIOS machines.

However, depending on the operating system, there are some limitations.

For instance, Windows versions with BIOS cannot boot from a disk that has been partitioned using GPT.

GPT or MBR: why was a new partition standard created The MBR partition style shaped computer technology for many years, but it nonetheless has some significant limitations which meant it was only a matter of time before a successor came along.

For example, right from the beginning, one of the key weaknesses of the Master Boot Record was that the technology only supports four primary partitions.

Anyone wanting to set up more than four areas has to use extended partitions, and although these can be split up into as many logical partitions as desired, the resulting memory structure is complex, and hardware faults can quickly lead to data loss.

Another even more obvious problem with the traditional partitioning concept is that MBR partitions can only be used on hard drives or storage devices up to 2 terabytes (2,000 gigabytes).

Its true that for many decades that was more than enough, but nowadays it is too small even for standard drives used by private users.

Alongside the increased security, the greater storage capacity has also been a key factor in the development of GPT as a successor for MBR.

Which Partition Style Mbr Or Gpt