Full Disk BootCamp Optimal Partitioning

[haralds]

I am revamping my full disk BootCamp from a 512MB SSD to 1TB with the help of WinClone.

My current layout is GUI single partition, which works well in dual boot - native and VMware guest.

Would there be an advantage going to a Windows native format? What would it be?

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

I am revamping my full disk BootCamp from a 512MB SSD to 1TB with the help of WinClone.

My current layout is GUI single partition, which works well in dual boot - native and VMware guest.

Would there be an advantage going to a Windows native format? What would it be?

In my testing I saw no advantage using EFI over Bootcamp

 

[ActionableMango]

Would there be an advantage going to a Windows native format? What would it be?

Personally, if I had a fully working and deeply involved system, I'd just stick with it.

But yes, there are a couple of small advantages to going with the Windows native format. Bootcamp assistant makes a hybrid GPT/MBR partition that is somewhat reckless IMHO because of a lot of partition managing software isn't aware of that and doesn't handle it properly. Native Windows EFI installer will put a real GPT partition on there with the main advantage being support for larger hard drives. EFI also has faster hardware recognition resulting in faster boot time.

I think if you have a PC graphics card without EFI flashed in, you can't use EFI boot for Windows, but I'm not certain. Maybe someone else can clear that up.

In my testing I saw no advantage using EFI over Bootcamp

I'm curious, are your drives using AHCI or ATA drivers on your Windows BIOS install? In Windows 7, we got ATA drivers with a BIOS installation and AHCI drivers with an EFI installation. There was a big hairy procedure for switching from ATA to AHCI. But Windows 8.1/10 may have changed that.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

I'm curious, are your drives using AHCI or ATA drivers on your Windows BIOS install? In Windows 7, we got ATA drivers with a BIOS installation and AHCI drivers with an EFI installation. There was a big hairy procedure for switching from ATA to AHCI. But Windows 8.1/10 may have changed that.

No. Defaul install. Samsung Magician says my Evo 250 does not have AHCI enabled. But Windows boots in 9 seconds on SATA2 in drive bay 2. Btw I count from when the OS starts loading not from when I switch computer on. Windows in 9 seconds. El Cap/Yosemite in 11 seconds.

 

[haralds]

Personally, if I had a fully working and deeply involved system, I'd just stick with it.

But yes, there are a couple of small advantages to going with the Windows native format. Bootcamp assistant makes a hybrid GPT/MBR partition that is somewhat reckless IMHO because of a lot of partition managing software isn't aware of that and doesn't handle it properly. Native Windows EFI installer will put a real GPT partition on there with the main advantage being support for larger hard drives. EFI also has faster hardware recognition resulting in faster boot time.

I think if you have a PC graphics card without EFI flashed in, you can't use EFI boot for Windows, but I'm not certain. Maybe someone else can clear that up.



I'm curious, are your drives using AHCI or ATA drivers on your Windows BIOS install? In Windows 7, we got ATA drivers with a BIOS installation and AHCI drivers with an EFI installation. There was a big hairy procedure for switching from ATA to AHCI. But Windows 8.1/10 may have changed that.

I booted into Lion to partition the disk for a simple format not using CoreStorage (CS). Not sure, EFI boot works, I have had trouble with that on my MacBook Pro (mid 2012) and reverted to BootCamp/BIOS with MBR emulation.

 

[pastrychef]

Have any of you tried using VMware Fusion to boot from a Windows drive installed via the EFI installation method? Does it work?

Thanks in advance.

 

[haralds]

I booted into Lion to partition the disk for a simple format not using CoreStorage (CS). Not sure, EFI boot works, I have had trouble with that on my MacBook Pro (mid 2012) and reverted to BootCamp/BIOS with MBR emulation.

I unsuccessfully tried for several hour to do an EFI install of Windows 8.1 to be upgraded to 10 on a Mac Pro 5,1. I am reverting to BootCamp.
I also noticed that BootCamp Assistant will not recognize any drive not mounted on the internal sleds.

 

[IowaLynn]

I unsuccessfully tried for several hour to do an EFI install of Windows 8.1 to be upgraded to 10 on a Mac Pro 5,1. I am reverting to BootCamp.
I also noticed that BootCamp Assistant will not recognize any drive not mounted on the internal sleds.

If you have Windows on one drive and preparing another, WD Lifeguard is great. Paragon's clone will be bootable unlike multi-step of using WinClone in OS X.
A UEFI has to have the installer on FAT32 and not NTFS. Windows GPU w/ UEFI partition are different than Apple's implementation too.