Convert SSD from MBR to GPT

Hi all, I'm newbie.

I've just added a msata ssd to my T420s and load the OS by using "Restore disc". I found that the msata ssd is using MBR (not GPT) after restoring. I've tried to format the ssd to GPT and restore again but no luck, still MBR. Hence, I cannot use the "UEFI only" option in BIOS setup.

My questions are :
Can I change my SSD from MBR to GPT and boot from the SSD?

Would the change improve the performance of bootup time?

Now, it takes around 25 sec to boot up to the login page and then another 8 secs to desktop. Is it reasonable?

Thanks.

 

You have to change to "UEFI only" before you install the OS. Otherwise you won't get GPT and thus can't use UEFI.

First change to "UEFI only" then format and install the OS.

 

snajk, thanks for your response.

However, the problem I'm facing is if I change to "UEFI only", I cannot boot from the Lenovo Recovery disc. If I change to "both", it can boot from the Recovery disc but the recovery disc will automatically change my ssd from GPT to MBR.

 

I'd just ditch the idea of UEFI. It's only partially supported right now, as you're finding out. Instead of booting all the time and obsessing over boot times, use suspend/resume, which will let you be up and working within a couple of seconds. Also check out the RapidBoot driver from Lenovo, which may non-destructively improve your boot times. But yes, 25 seconds is reasonable-- is this your first computer, or can you remember the fairly recent times when a minute-plus was the norm?

 

Might want to read Lenovo's UEFI FAQ
What is UEFI and when was it introduced on Lenovo ... - Lenovo Community

 

Yep. Good post, gmoneyphatstyle. At this stage there's not really a good reason to use UEFI on a ThinkPad, unless you need access to a 2 TB boot disk that doesn't exist in the real world yet. You lose Rescue and Recovery, etc.

 

From reading that FAQ I thought UEFI offered no benefit.
This guy seems to think otherwise. He's using UEFI on his x220 thinkpad.
I've never used it myself.

Thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/604831-clean-install-ssd-uefi-only-questions.html

 

Yeah, he's basically fooling himself, as the article you linked makes clear. With a fast SSD a boot time of 12s is probably attainable, and UEFI still uses the same old boot code anyway. Not only that, nobody should be booting all the time these days anyway-- what's the point of a super-fast boot besides bragging rights for the uber-l33t, even if UEFI did speed up the boot time by about 8-10 seconds? And you can't use R&R? Its time has simply not yet come.

 

Can UEFI allow for a faster boot than the "traditional" method? Yes.

Is it worth the trouble? IMHO, not even close.

 

I have reinstalled my X220Tablet several times, both Legacy and (U)EFI. I did a clean install each time and found that the EFI boot would cut boot times by only 2-3 seconds, an advantage that's not worth the hassle. Rapid boot, carefully chosing which programs run at startup and tweaking services makes a much bigger difference.