How to fix the error "Windows cannot be installed on this GPT style disk"

While installing Windows you may encounter a very common, but somewhat annoying error, however there are solutions. In this article we will show you how to resolve the error “You cannot install Windows on this disk, the selected disk has the GPT partition style ". 

Why does this error occur in Windows?

Mostly this error occurs when the partition type of hard drive does not match the bootable USB device which stores installation files. GPT is a partition table which has been added to the new UEFI-class BIOS-based operating systems.

This table is recommended for the latest generation equipment with hard drives with high storage capacity. In the table can be created till to 128 partitions, providing added security against possible disc format loss. Systematically manage to replicate hard disk partitions from the beginning as well as the end of the PC drive.

Solution to the error "Windows cannot be installed on this disk with GPT style"

This message appears when the hard drive has been formatted using the GPT partition type and when using a file with a different format. So the actions that can be taken to fix this error are as follows, it remains to mention that they are safe methods:

• Reformat the hard drive and leave it in MBR.
• Create a bootable USB to install Windows OS on PC.

Method 1- Create bootable USB in GPT.

1. You will need an application called Rufus, you can download it from its official page.
2. Have a Windows ISO image. If you don't have it, you can get it from Windows Media Creation Tool.Once you have it, run the application and select the option “Create installation media”.
3. Select the version of Windows 10 you want to install, preferably 64-bit. Then select the “ISO File” option to download the image with the latest version of Windows and proceed to create a bootable USB.
4. After the Windows version has been downloaded, insert the USB into the computer and will apply the Rufus tool.

• Configura Rufus per creare USB GPT.

1. Select the USB flash drive in the first option.
2. Click "Select" to choose the Windows ISO image.
3. In the partition structure you will select " GPT ”  and the target system “UEFI”. 
4. After the previous steps, press “Start”.

Next, we'll boot our USB to install the OS again, just when a boot menu is generated you will select the USB. And in this way you will not have problems applying the Windows installation on the hard disk wherever you want.

Method 2- Turn hard drive into MBR with Diskpart

This is the option you have now in case you don't want to use the previous one, and that is, you can convert hard disk partition system to MBR. We recommend that you back up all data on your hard drive, as this process removes all files.

1. Press the “Shift + F10” keys simultaneously to open a command terminal in the installation wizard. If the command window does not appear, return to the main screen e press the "Repair computer" option.
2. Then press "Troubleshoot" and the command prompt to start executing the "diskpart" commands and to start the "list disk" program.
3. Look at the disk number and use the following command “selet disk ".
4. Then the actions we will apply will be performed on the selected disk.
5. Now you will use the following “clean” and then “convert mbr” commands to convert the hard drive to MBR.
6. Restart your computer to start the installation wizard.
7. Check that the UEFI BIOS has the Legacy MBR option enabled, to do this press “Del or F2”, then locate the “Boot” option where you will have an option similar to “Boot MBR Legacy” and verify that it is enabled.
8. After restarting your computer and the previous step, select your hard drive so you can install Windows normally.

We finished this post, the methods explained above are very good and solve the error of GPT partition on your PC. 

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