Windows – BIOS to UEFI no backup restore possible

backupgptmbruefiwindows

We have a DELL R510 server with Windows SBS 2011 (Data, Exchange, …), we running out of space on the server. We currently have this configuration:

  • 2x 300GB SAS in RAID 1
  • 2x 2TB SATA in RAID 1

We want to add 4x 4TB SAS in RAID 10. To be able to read the new hard drive we need to change the server boot option from BIOS to UEFI.

My question is: Can I backup the server (bare metal with windows backup), change from BIOS to UEFI and restore the backup, without reinstalling ? If not, how can I proceed (convert MBR to GPT) ?

Best Answer

I found the answer:

No. You cannot restore BIOS firmware backup on to a fresh install on UEFI. GPT/MBR is not the issue. It's a different firmware. Among other things, you will get "inaccessible boot device" blue screen. You will need to backup, do a fresh install on UEFI, install and configure all apps, and restore data.