After using easus tool to convert from mbr to gpt can't boot into windows vm

Question

I have a virtual machine server 2019. I needed to expand the space beyond 2tb so I used easeus to convert from MBR to GPT but now my system can't boot. I don't see an option to convert from bios to uefi. Please HELP

Answer 1

Hello

It seems like you’re experiencing a common issue when converting from MBR to GPT on a virtual machine. The problem is likely due to the fact that your VM is still trying to boot in BIOS mode, which is not compatible with GPT.

To resolve this issue, you’ll need to switch your VM to boot in UEFI mode. Here are the general steps you can follow:

Convert the disk structure from MBR to GPT: Before switching to UEFI, you need to ensure that the disk structure has been converted from MBR to GPT. You’ve mentioned that you’ve already done this using EaseUS, so you can proceed to the next step.

Switch to UEFI boot: After converting the disk structure, you’ll need to switch the VM’s boot method from BIOS to UEFI. The exact steps for doing this can vary depending on the virtualization platform you’re using. For example, in VMware, you would right-click the virtual machine, select Edit Settings, click the VM Options tab, expand Boot Options, and ensure that firmware is set to EFI.

Enable Secure Boot (if necessary): Depending on your requirements, you might also need to enable Secure Boot. This can usually be done in the same location where you switched to UEFI boot.

docs.vmware.com

It’s always a good idea to back up your VM before making these kinds of changes. This way, if anything goes wrong, you can restore your VM back to its previous state.

Answer 2

Got it to work. There's a setting in the ESXi host that allows you to change boot from BIOS to EFI. Thank goodness.