Convert MBR Partitions to GPT

[Polytropon]

On Sun, 1 Sep 2019 19:47:33 -0700, Thomas D. Dean wrote:
> I have 5 disk drives, with two (same) OS's.  Actually, two drives have 
> Windows 7 and its secondary plex.  From an earlier post:
> 
> sata6g_1  HD0 SSD    ubuntu 18.04
> sata6g_2  HD1 WD5000 Ubuntu 18.04
> sata3g_3  HD2 WD5000 windows 7 - not used
> sata3g_4  HD3 WD5000 backup
> sata3g_5  HD4 WD5000 windows 7 secondary plex- not used
> sata3g_6  DVD DRW-24B3LT
> sata6g_E1 (empty)
> sata6g_E2 (empty)
> 
> I plan to keep the SSD Ubuntu install until I can get FreeBSD up and 
> running the way I want.
> 
> So, for now, I want to install FreeBSD on sata3g_5 HD4.
> 
> My motherboard, ASUS P9X79 PRO has support for UEFI boot.
> 
> Is it worth the effort to change everything to GPT, or, should I just 
> use GPT on the FreeBSD disk?  I am leaning toward the later, but, ...
> 
> I think the future has a SSD for FreeBSD.

Don't confuse UEFI and GPT. :-)

YOu can use both GPT and MBR (not on the same disk, of course,
but on different disks). Choosing MBR is suggested today only
for the few cases where it's absolutely needed. Use GPT if you
can.

You cannot "convert" between the two except via "backup, re-init,
restore", which probably is not what you have in mind.

But as it is about a new installation of FreeBSD into a multi-OS
setting, I'd suggest to leave everything untouched, install
FreeBSD on its disk using GPT partitioning, and add a "chain loader"
entry to GRUB configuration that boots FreeBSD. GRUB can understand
both MBR and GPT, so it doesn't matter.




-- 
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...