Sep 23, 2024 • Filed to: Windows Computer Solutions • Proven solutions
When it comes to developments in science and technology, perhaps the most popular and most commonly used invention would be the computer. Now it has become almost impossible to live without the help of a computer. Almost everything from photos to daily activities is stored on a computer. Every activity including messaging, calling, etc. is being done using computers. This means that computers have become an integral part of our lives. Perhaps it is the only machine that has become so close to humans. The truth is that almost everyone has at least one personal computer.
So it is important to make sure that you are familiar with the working principles and operating methods as far as a computer is concerned. Also, it would be important to ensure that you know how to solve some of the most common issues. There are guides available on the internet when it comes to computer issues. But you should have the ability to execute the solution correctly in a step-by-step manner. This article will discuss the issues caused by the GPT protective partition. A step-by-step solution is also given to those who have encountered this error.
The hard disk is a storage device used to store data permanently. It is used in a computer to hold the data without losing it. Each time the computer starts, data is retrieved from the hard disk. These days, both external and internal hard disks are available.
One of the most common issues associated with hard disks is that they might become inaccessible when connected to a computer. This problem usually arises in Windows XP or newer versions. If you open the disk management option, you would find that the drive has a GPT protective partition.
Even if you right-click on the particular drive, all the options in the right-click menu would be unavailable. Also, there would be no option for repartitioning or formatting the drive.
This is quite an annoying error because you wouldn’t be able to access or alter any data that is already there on the hard disk. Even if you need to completely wipe out the data on the drive, you wouldn’t be able to do it. In short, you wouldn’t be able to use the drive at all unless you rectify the issue.
Diskpart would be the simplest and most effective method to solve the issue. Since all the options in the disk management section are unavailable for your drive, diskpart would be the only option.
1. Right-click on the This PC icon and click on the manage option. This would open the disk management window.
2. Find the disk with the GPT protective partition and make sure you remember the drive's name.
a. Type cmd in the search box and make sure that you use the run as administrator option.
b. Type in diskpart in the command prompt window and press the enter key.
c. Type in the commands given below
Converting the drive in question from a GPT protective partition to an MBR drive with the help of diskpart is quite easy and would work most of the time. But in certain situations, there are chances that you might receive an error message saying that the disk that you specified cannot be converted to MBR. If this is the case, you would have to go for other methods.
There are two problems associated with the usage of the diskpart. One is that the process would result in data loss. Another problem is that the conversion of the drive would not always be successful.
So the best method is to use a protective partition removal tool like the AOMEI partition assistant. This would help you to remove the GPT protective partition in Windows XP to Windows 10.
Download the tool and install it. Once the installation is over, launch the application.
Right-click on the disk which is marked as a GPT protective partition and then selects the option ‘ Convert to MBR disk’
Select ok to confirm the conversion.
Make sure that you apply the changes and click proceed to start the operation.
The conversion from MBR to GPT can also be done using this software, but for this, you would have to upgrade it to a professional version.
If these solutions are not effective, then many sites provide step-by-step solutions to such problems. But make sure that you only visit reputed sites and use trustworthy software.
More Related: How To Fix "Not in a hypervisor partition" Error
Theo Lucia
chief Editor