What Is the Difference Between Primary Partition and Basic Data Partition?
What is the difference between primary partition vs. basic data partition? Recently, I formatted two spare drives and became confused that one of the drives said 'basic data partition.' How do I format it to the primary partition? More importantly, does it make any difference?
Best Answered by
Roxanne· Answered on Jul 31, 2023
Have you noticed your partitions on two disks may show as different types, like primary partition and basic data partition? Then, what is the difference between the primary and basic data partition? In this article, you will discover comprehensive information about their differences and reliable ways of converting basic data partition to primary partition.
1. Differences Between Primary Partition and Basic Data Partition
Speaking of the difference between primary and basic data partition, disk partition tables must be mentioned. Generally, the partitions on the GPT disk are labeled as basic data partitions, while the partitions on the MBR disk show as primary partitions. The significant difference is they use different ways to store the data.
2. Convert Basic Data Partition to Primary Partition
According to the above introduction, you need to change the disk partition style from GPT to MBR to convert the basic data partition to a primary partition. Many more tools are available to achieve this mission, including Diskpart of Command Prompt and Disk Management. However, both require users to delete the partition or all disk data before conversion, which can cause irreversible damage to your data.
If you don't want to risk losing essential data, EaseUS Partition Master will satisfy all your requirements. This handy disk converter tool can help you convert between MBR and GPT without losing valuable data. With its Disk Converter Tool, you can complete the conversion process in the following easy steps:
Step 1. Click the download button and launch EaseUS Partition Master on your PC.
Step 2. Open the EaseUS Partition Master and find "Disk Converter," choose "Convert GPT to MBR," and press "Next."
Step 3. Select the disk you want to turn to MBR and begin the conversion by clicking "Convert."
After conversion, you can check if the partition on the new MBR drive show as the primary partition. If it shows as a logical partition, refer to the following link to change it:
More information: How to Convert Logical Partition to Primary Partition
