image mbr but restore to gpt

[engineerguy3809]

Windows 10 Pro
IFW 4.01
I want to migrate an older drive originally using MBR (1TB) to a much larger new GPT (20TB) disk.
Is this procedure discussed anywhere in a forum post, knowledge base or how-to-guide?
Previously, I've only done image and restore to my same drives as backup.
If it matters, the disk I'm trying to migrate is simply my data disk.
It is NOT my boot & OS disk (which is SSD).

[OldNavyGuy]

Personally, I would convert the 1 TB drive from MBR to GPT (several 3rd party tools available...some are free).

If you go that route, image the 1 TB (still MBR) before converting...and BE SURE to choose a tool that DOES NOT CAUSE DATA LOSS...

Then when done, either image the 1 TB (now GPT) and restore it to the 20 TB drive, or clone.

[Brian K]

It is NOT my boot & OS disk (which is SSD).

engineerguy3809,

Does the 20 TB drive contain partitions? Check these in BootIt. How many partitions are on the 1 TB drive?

[TeraByte Support]

You're going to start having issues with NTFS if you go too large based on its cluster size. The current products only support 32bit cluster values as does Windows see https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windo ... s-overview

[engineerguy3809]

Good point on the cluster size issue. I should have thought that thru before drive purchase since I believe the limit with 4k clusters is 16TB.
If a 20TB drive is initialized with Windows 10 Disk Manager, will it automatically select 8kb cluster size since the drive is over 16TB? (I have not initialized it yet to try).
Further, if I convert the original 1TB drive to GPT and then create an image of it with IFW, will that image properly restore into the larger 20TB drive or will it try to restore as original using 4k clusters? If this is a problem, are there any IFW work-arounds or settings to permit actually restoring the image into the 20TB drive?

I know enough about cluster sizes to be barely dangerous, but would it help if I partitioned the drive in to 2 x 10TB volumes?

[OldNavyGuy]

if I convert the original 1TB drive to GPT and then create an image of it with IFW, will that image properly restore into the larger 20TB drive?

Yes.

However, the partition(s) will be the same size as on the 1 TB drive.

You can use a 3rd party tool to extend, and/or create new partitions on the 20 TB drive.

[Brian K]

engineerguy3809,

You don't need to do any MBR/GPT conversion as you are dealing with partitions, not disks.
Just use IFW, BootIt, etc to copy the 1 TB partition to Free Space on your 20 TB drive.

[OldNavyGuy]

engineerguy3809,

You don't need to do any MBR/GPT conversion as you are dealing with partitions, not disks.
Just use IFW, BootIt, etc to copy the 1 TB partition to Free Space on your 20 TB drive.

Have to disagree...if the OP wants the benefits of GPT.

GPT provides better data protection by using a second GPT header in case the first one gets corrupted.

GPT allows more than 4 partitions.

GPT supports both drive and parition sizes greater than 2 TB...MBR only supports drives up to 2 TB.

[Brian K]

OldNavyGuy,

Restoring (or copying) a MBR partition image to a GPT disk doesn't make the GPT disk into a MBR disk. It remains GPT.
Restoring a disk image is different.

[OldNavyGuy]

OldNavyGuy,

Restoring (or copying) a MBR partition image to a GPT disk doesn't make the GPT disk into a MBR disk. It remains GPT.
Restoring a disk image is different.

I don't think so...

RESTORING an MBR image (source) to a GPT drive will change the partition style to be the same as the source.

COPYING an MBR image to a GPT drive (such as archiving multiple images) will not.