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I have a GPT formatted SSD Drive that I have moved from a rather new laptop to an older one that has an old BIOS.

The drive has multiple partitions including Linux that I don't want to remove and a lot of data that I don't want to lose. (The drive is big enough to host a Windows 10 installation if i ever need one, although I practically only use Linux.)

Therefore, I don't want to re-format the drive and change to a MBR structure.

On the other hand, changing or updating to UEFI is not an option on this machine.

It must be Windows 10 + old BIOS + GPT drive or nothing.

I am able to boot the Windows installation USB drive, but it gives an error saying it's a GPT drive.

Can I install Windows 10 under these conditions by any means?

Would Windows 10 be installable if the drive was MBR?

cipricus
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2 Answers2

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It must be Windows 10 + old BIOS + GPT drive or nothing

If so it won't be, period.

Unlike most Linux based OSes, Windows strictly requires 'msdos' (MBR) partitioning for BIOS mode (or Legacy/CSM under UEFI) and conversely it strictly requires GPT for UEFI mode.

This is apllicable to any Windows version supporting both modes - Windows 7 and up to Windows 10 - and obviously not applicable to Windows 11 that only supports UEFI mode and GPT.

ChanganAuto
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I haven't tried it with Windows 10, but it is possible to boot Windows 7 on GPT + BIOS either from memdisk or through Clover. It should work for Windows 10 as well. There can be issues with hibernation and Windows updates related to booting.

See also the respective Windows 7 question for more information and wimboot route.

Abradoks
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