Elastic Compute Service:Convert a data disk from MBR to GPT

Step 1: Convert the partition format and repartition the disk

1. The conversion process deletes all data on the disk. You must create a snapshot to back up your data. After the conversion, you will recover the data from this snapshot.

   Important

   During the conversion, the disk data is unavailable, and your services may be interrupted. Perform this operation during a scheduled maintenance window.

2. Log on to the Elastic Compute Server (ECS) instance.

   1. Go to ECS console - Instances. In the top navigation bar, select the target region and resource group.

   2. Go to the instance details page. Click Connect and select Workbench. Set the connection method to Terminal, enter your username and password, then log on to the instance.

3. Check whether a partition conversion is required.

   1. On the Windows Server desktop, right-click the icon and then click Disk Management.

   2. In the Disk Management window, right-click the target disk and select Properties.

   3. In the dialog box that appears, click the Volumes tab and check the Partition Style.

      If the Partition Style is MBR and the disk capacity exceeds 2 TiB, you must convert the partition format. Otherwise, you can skip this procedure and directly extend the partition and file system.

4. Convert the partition type.

   1. Right-click the volume on the target disk and select Delete Volume.... In the Delete Simple Volume dialog box, click Yes.

      If the volume cannot be deleted, it is likely in use by a program. To release the file lock, restart the instance during off-peak hours, then try deleting the volume again.

      Important

      Delete Volume purges all data on the volume. Before you delete the volume, ensure you have backed up the data.

   2. After deleting all volumes on the target disk, right-click the disk and select Convert To GPT Disk.

   3. Verify the conversion.

      Right-click the disk and select Properties. Go to the Volumes tab. If the Partition Style is GPT, the conversion was successful.

5. Repartition the disk.

   1. Right-click the Unallocated area of the disk and select New Simple Volume.

   2. In the New Simple Volume Wizard, follow these steps:

      1. On the Specify Volume Size page, set the Simple Volume Size and click Next.

         You can use the default value to create a single partition, or customize the volume size to create multiple partitions.

      2. On the Assign Drive Letter Or Path page, select Assign The Following Drive Letter, choose a drive letter, then click Next.

      3. On the Format Partition page, select Format This Volume With The Following Settings, configure the format settings, then click Next.

      4. Review your settings and click Finish.

Step 2: Recover the disk data

Do not use a snapshot to roll back the disk. Doing so will revert the partition format to MBR.

1. Create a data disk from the snapshot.

2. Attach the new data disk to the ECS instance.

3. Manually copy the data from the newly attached disk to the original data disk.

4. To avoid unnecessary charges, delete the snapshot and the temporary data disk created from it after you confirm that your services are running correctly. You can do this by detaching and then releasing the temporary disk.