Allow GPT Partition for Boot Partition (not System Partition)

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This is a rephrase of a question I had asked, but now as a suggestion:

Currently Vista client does not allow a GPT partition as either a system or
a boot partition. I can understand the motivation for delaying support for
the System Partition (the one you boot from), since the interactions with
(the lack of) EFI support is problematic, but the boot partition (the one you
put the system on) should be allowed to be a GPT Partition, since all the
bootup file processing is complete before using the OS. This will remove the
need for artificial partitioning schemes on >2TB arrays.


----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/co...osoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup
 
From what I have read about GPT your "suggestion" may not
be feasible with BIOS based systems. GPT is a feature of
the EFI specifications. So, if it's a feature of EFI, how
would you implement a bootable GPT in a BIOS environment?

There was an article on the internet this past week that
explained EFI and GPT quite well, but I can find the article
now.
 
Hello,
Well he is asking for the boot partiton ( the one \Windows is on) not the
system partition ( the one the system boots from)
so it's not really a bios issue. If the ask was for the "system" partition
then the bios would come into play.
We really it's the disk not the partition or volume that is MBR or GPT. So
the ask is that "system" partition be located on a GPT disk rather than a
MBR disk. So the bios still points to the MBR disk to boot from, then the
bootmanager\BCD points to \windows on the GPT disk.
Let's point first to the this link:
EFI and Windows Vista
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/firmware/efibrief.mspx

But it's not that easy to just enable the "boot" disk.
There are a lot of things that come into play that need testing and
potentially modifications when dealing with the new disk types.
Just to mention a couple:
For example deployment and imaging would have to take into account variable
disk types
Bitlocker would have to work with both disk types.
It is planned as per the link above, it just won't make this release.

Thanks,
Darrell Gorter[MSFT]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights
--------------------
<Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:42:00 -0400
<From: Theo <[email protected]>
<User-Agent: Thunderbird 1.5.0.7 (Windows/20060909)
<MIME-Version: 1.0
<Subject: Re: Allow GPT Partition for Boot Partition (not System Partition)
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< From what I have read about GPT your "suggestion" may not
<be feasible with BIOS based systems. GPT is a feature of
<the EFI specifications. So, if it's a feature of EFI, how
<would you implement a bootable GPT in a BIOS environment?
<
<There was an article on the internet this past week that
<explained EFI and GPT quite well, but I can find the article
<now.
<
<
<cvp wrote:
<> This is a rephrase of a question I had asked, but now as a suggestion:
<>
<> Currently Vista client does not allow a GPT partition as either a system
or
<> a boot partition. I can understand the motivation for delaying support
for
<> the System Partition (the one you boot from), since the interactions
with
<> (the lack of) EFI support is problematic, but the boot partition (the
one you
<> put the system on) should be allowed to be a GPT Partition, since all
the
<> bootup file processing is complete before using the OS. This will remove
the
<> need for artificial partitioning schemes on >2TB arrays.
<>
<>
<> ----------------
<> This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
<> suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the
"I
<> Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow
this
<> link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and
then
<> click "I Agree" in the message pane.
<>
<>
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/en-us/default.mspx?m
id=e63c0437-c4c5-467c-a6dc-639c037a0b89&dg=microsoft.public.windows.vista.in
stallation_setup
<
 
Darrell, Thanks for the reply. You're correct in understanding my request. I
didn't think it was a "no-cost" option, just much easier than solving for the
system disk. Just bear in mind (for any SP) that there are situations that a
GPT boot disk would ease.

"Darrell Gorter[MSFT]" said:
Hello,
Well he is asking for the boot partiton ( the one \Windows is on) not the
system partition ( the one the system boots from)
so it's not really a bios issue. If the ask was for the "system" partition
then the bios would come into play.
We really it's the disk not the partition or volume that is MBR or GPT. So
the ask is that "system" partition be located on a GPT disk rather than a
MBR disk. So the bios still points to the MBR disk to boot from, then the
bootmanager\BCD points to \windows on the GPT disk.
Let's point first to the this link:
EFI and Windows Vista
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/firmware/efibrief.mspx

But it's not that easy to just enable the "boot" disk.
There are a lot of things that come into play that need testing and
potentially modifications when dealing with the new disk types.
Just to mention a couple:
For example deployment and imaging would have to take into account variable
disk types
Bitlocker would have to work with both disk types.
It is planned as per the link above, it just won't make this release.

Thanks,
Darrell Gorter[MSFT]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights
--------------------
<Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:42:00 -0400
<From: Theo <[email protected]>
<User-Agent: Thunderbird 1.5.0.7 (Windows/20060909)
<MIME-Version: 1.0
<Subject: Re: Allow GPT Partition for Boot Partition (not System Partition)
<References: <[email protected]>
<In-Reply-To: <[email protected]>
<Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
<Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
<Message-ID: <[email protected]>
<Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup
<NNTP-Posting-Host: h53.176.140.67.ip.alltel.net 67.140.176.53
<Lines: 1
<Path:
TK2MSFTNGXA01.phx.gbl!TK2MSFTNGXA02.phx.gbl!TK2MSFTNGP01.phx.gbl!TK2MSFTNGP0
3.phx.gbl
<Xref: TK2MSFTNGXA01.phx.gbl
microsoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup:14618
<X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup
<
< From what I have read about GPT your "suggestion" may not
<be feasible with BIOS based systems. GPT is a feature of
<the EFI specifications. So, if it's a feature of EFI, how
<would you implement a bootable GPT in a BIOS environment?
<
<There was an article on the internet this past week that
<explained EFI and GPT quite well, but I can find the article
<now.
<
<
<cvp wrote:
<> This is a rephrase of a question I had asked, but now as a suggestion:
<>
<> Currently Vista client does not allow a GPT partition as either a system
or
<> a boot partition. I can understand the motivation for delaying support
for
<> the System Partition (the one you boot from), since the interactions
with
<> (the lack of) EFI support is problematic, but the boot partition (the
one you
<> put the system on) should be allowed to be a GPT Partition, since all
the
<> bootup file processing is complete before using the OS. This will remove
the
<> need for artificial partitioning schemes on >2TB arrays.
<>
<>
<> ----------------
<> This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
<> suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the
"I
<> Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow
this
<> link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and
then
<> click "I Agree" in the message pane.
<>
<>
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/en-us/default.mspx?m
id=e63c0437-c4c5-467c-a6dc-639c037a0b89&dg=microsoft.public.windows.vista.in
stallation_setup
<
Click to expand...
 
Eric, The simple answer is "Yes". It does it to the same extent that WinXP-64
does (i.e. as a data partition only). In fact I'm running that way right now
with a 5TB drive array. That goes for both 32-bit and 64-bit Vistas. There
was also a statement that the 64-bit vista would allow boot/system partition
use (only for an EFI compliant system), but that seems to have been delayed
to a future release of Vista (possibly a service pack).
 
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