Anybody Have Windows Experience with EFI-capable Motherboards and GPT Partitions?

[RebateMonger]

Recent questions of a Microsoft technical rep didn't indicate that Microsoft has any solutions for working with "larger than 2 TeraByte" disks other than GPT partitioning. But GPT partitions aren't bootable unless you have an EFI-capable (versus conventional BIOS-based) motherboard.

I have near-zero experience with EFI or GPT. While GPT will allow creating volumes larger than 2 TeraByte, I'd like to understand any issues with GPT or EFI.

Anybody out there have ===>Windows<=== experience with EFI and/or GPT?
How do you acquire and configure an EFI-capable motherboard?
Are there issues installing Windows (Vista or W7 or 2008) on EFI?
What (if any) issues have you encountered with GPT partitions (boot or data)?
Anybody done data recovery on a GPT-partitioned disk?

I wasn't sure whether to put this in Operating Systems, Memory and Storage, or General Hardware.

Thanks for any help.
RebateMonger

 

[ViRGE]

I suppose it depends on their definition of "bootable". I have a 2nd drive that is formatted GPT (largely for Hackintosh stuff) that houses a 2nd copy of Windows. I have no problem booting this copy even though my board (Rampage II Extreme) doesn't support EFI. The only thing I don't know is if MS defines "bootable" as loading the BCD boot loader (which in my case is on a MBR partitioned drive), or actually booting the OS.

 

[CSS]

I am running windows 7 on a Intel DP55WG (EFI enable in the BIOS) and it working fine. Installing windows 7 is the same as on a none EFI bios. I have not installed or tried any other OS so cannot comment on that.

I did not have to do any data recovery on the disk as it is installed now for 3 days and no problem so far, so need to do any data recovery. I did see in windows 7 that I can choice to do a 'restore' to several points before and after have installed drivers. So it seems to make a log (automatically) of restore points when installing drivers. Did not have to use it so far.

Hope it helps Let me know if you need to know anything more.

Wim Gardien

 

[Nothinman]

The only thing I don't know is if MS defines "bootable" as loading the BCD boot loader (which in my case is on a MBR partitioned drive), or actually booting the OS

Probably the former because it's the firmware that starts the initial bootloader and if the firmware can't read the partition table then it won't be able to pass control to the boot loader.