Maximize boot speed using GPT
I wonder how many times I’ve heard people complain that they can’t boot their Linux Live USB flash drives, or can’t install this or another operating system. I myself have cursed some devices more than once for only having EFI boot.
The GPT format has certainly brought issues but also obvious advantages. The latest editions of Windows 10 are compatible and improve things like boot and safety performance.
Many factory devices come preinstalled with this partition system that reduces boot speeds, especially between the time the BIOS starts and the system boot begins. Up to four times faster (we have seen a boost from 2.5 seconds with MBR to only 1.2 seconds with an average device with a not very modern bios but consistent with this system).
To ensure that Windows partitions our disk in GPT mode we have to activate any of our BIOS’ fast-boot modes and activate the Secure Boot. For that we’ll need a UEFI compatible bios. It is not that rare, nor that modern, my testing device for this trick uses this type of bios and it’s a Core i3 Sandy Bridge Socket 1155.