Sample: Configure UEFI/GPT-Based Hard Drive Partitions by Using Windows Setup
Applies To: Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2
You can add answer-file settings to automatically configure disk partitions during Windows® installation. This topic describes how to configure disk partitions for a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)–based and GUID partition table (GPT)–based computer, as described in Configure UEFI/GPT-Based Hard Drive Partitions. This topic covers the following partition configurations:
Default configuration. Includes a Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) Tools partition, a system partition (also known as an Extensible Firmware Interface System Partition or ESP), a Microsoft® Reserved Partition (MSR), and a Windows partition. The following diagram shows this configuration.
Recommended configuration. Includes a Windows RE Tools partition, an ESP, an MSR, a Windows partition, and a recovery image partition. The following diagram shows this configuration.
In this topic:
Manually Select the Default Partition Configuration
Example: Automatically Install the Default Partition Configuration
Example: Automatically Install the Recommended Partition Configuration
For new installations, Windows Setup prompts you to configure your partitions. If you select the default configuration, Windows Setup creates a Windows RE Tools partition, a system partition, an MSR, and a primary Windows partition when the following conditions are true:
The computer does not already have a Windows partition. When you upgrade Windows from an earlier version, Windows Setup does not change the arrangement of your partitions.
The computer does not already have a system partition.
The computer does not already have three partitions.
The computer has sufficient disk space for the partitions.
To automate the configuration of a Windows RE Tools partition, a system partition, ESP, an MSR, and a Windows partition, add the following settings to an answer file.
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk |
DiskID = 0 |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ CreatePartitions\CreatePartition |
Order = 1 |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ CreatePartitions\CreatePartition |
Order = 2 |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ CreatePartitions\CreatePartition |
Order = 3 |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ CreatePartitions\CreatePartition |
Extend = true |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ ModifyPartitions\ModifyPartition |
Format = NTFS |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ ModifyPartitions\ModifyPartition |
Format = FAT32 |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ ModifyPartitions\ModifyPartition |
Order = 3 |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ ModifyPartitions\ModifyPartition |
Format = NTFS |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\ImageInstall\OSImage\InstallTo |
DiskID = 0 |
XML Example
<DiskConfiguration>
<Disk wcm:action="add">
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>
<CreatePartitions>
<!-- Windows RE Tools partition -->
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>1</Order>
<Type>Primary</Type>
<Size>300</Size>
</CreatePartition>
<!-- System partition (ESP) -->
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>2</Order>
<Type>EFI</Type>
<Size>100</Size>
<!-- Note: for Advanced Format Generation One drives, change to size=260 -->
</CreatePartition>
<!-- Microsoft reserved partition (MSR) -->
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>3</Order>
<Type>MSR</Type>
<Size>128</Size>
</CreatePartition>
<!-- Windows partition -->
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>4</Order>
<Type>Primary</Type>
<Extend>true</Extend>
</CreatePartition>
</CreatePartitions>
<ModifyPartitions>
<!-- Windows RE Tools partition -->
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>1</Order>
<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
<Label>WINRE</Label>
<Format>NTFS</Format>
<TypeID>de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac</TypeID>
</ModifyPartition>
<!-- System partition (ESP) -->
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>2</Order>
<PartitionID>2</PartitionID>
<Label>System</Label>
<Format>FAT32</Format>
</ModifyPartition>
<!-- MSR partition does not need to be modified -->
<Order>3</Order>
<PartitionID>3</PartitionID>
<!-- Windows partition -->
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>4</Order>
<PartitionID>4</PartitionID>
<Label>Windows</Label>
<Letter>C</Letter>
<Format>NTFS</Format>
</ModifyPartition>
</ModifyPartitions>
</Disk>
<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
</DiskConfiguration>
<ImageInstall>
<OSImage>
<InstallTo>
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<PartitionID>4</PartitionID>
</InstallTo>
</OSImage>
</ImageInstall>
To automate the configuration of a Windows RE Tools partition, a system partition, an MSR, a Windows partition, and a recovery image partition, add the following settings to an answer file.
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk |
DiskID = 0 |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ CreatePartitions\CreatePartition |
Order = 1 |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ CreatePartitions\CreatePartition |
Order = 2 |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ CreatePartitions\CreatePartition |
Order = 3 |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ CreatePartitions\CreatePartition |
Order = 4 |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ CreatePartitions\CreatePartition |
Order = 5 |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ ModifyPartitions\ModifyPartition |
Format = NTFS |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ ModifyPartitions\ModifyPartition |
Format = FAT32 |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ ModifyPartitions\ModifyPartition |
Order = 3 |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ ModifyPartitions\ModifyPartition |
Format = NTFS |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ ModifyPartitions\ModifyPartition |
Format = NTFS |
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\ImageInstall\OSImage\InstallTo |
DiskID = 0 |
XML Example
<DiskConfiguration>
<Disk wcm:action="add">
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>
<CreatePartitions>
<!-- Windows RE Tools partition -->
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>1</Order>
<Type>Primary</Type>
<Size>300</Size>
</CreatePartition>
<!-- System partition (ESP) -->
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>2</Order>
<Type>EFI</Type>
<Size>100</Size>
</CreatePartition>
<!-- Microsoft reserved partition (MSR) -->
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>3</Order>
<Type>MSR</Type>
<Size>128</Size>
</CreatePartition>
<!-- Windows partition -->
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>4</Order>
<Type>Primary</Type>
<Size>75000</Size>
</CreatePartition>
<!-- Recovery image partition -->
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>5</Order>
<Type>Primary</Type>
<Size>15000</Size>
</CreatePartition>
</CreatePartitions>
<ModifyPartitions>
<!-- Windows RE Tools partition -->
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>1</Order>
<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
<Label>WinRE</Label>
<Format>NTFS</Format>
<TypeID>de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac</TypeID>
</ModifyPartition>
<!-- System partition (ESP) -->
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>2</Order>
<PartitionID>2</PartitionID>
<Label>System</Label>
<Format>FAT32</Format>
</ModifyPartition>
<!-- MSR partition does not need to be modified -->
<Order>3</Order>
<PartitionID>3</PartitionID>
<!-- Windows partition -->
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>4</Order>
<PartitionID>4</PartitionID>
<Label>Windows</Label>
<Letter>C</Letter>
<Format>NTFS</Format>
</ModifyPartition>
<!—Recovery image partition -->
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>5</Order>
<PartitionID>5</PartitionID>
<Label>Recovery image</Label>
<Format>NTFS</Format>
<TypeID>de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac</TypeID>
</ModifyPartition>
</ModifyPartitions>
</Disk>
<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
</DiskConfiguration>
<ImageInstall>
<OSImage>
<InstallTo>
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<PartitionID>4</PartitionID>
</InstallTo>
</OSImage>
</ImageInstall>
Sample: Configure UEFI/GPT-Based Hard Drive Partitions by Using Windows PE and DiskPart
Sample: Configure BIOS/MBR-Based Hard Drive Partitions by Using Windows Setup