What is the difference between MBR and Partition Table? - ProProfs Discuss
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What is the difference between MBR and Partition Table?

Asked by S. Barnes, Last updated: Apr 06, 2024

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Larry Thornton

Larry Thornton

Curious about the World

Larry Thornton
Larry Thornton, Student, MBA, Los Angles

Answered Nov 28, 2019

MBR and partition table are terms you will come across if you are formatting a hard drive. MBR is the acronym for Master Boost Record. It is located at the beginning of a hard drive. MBR is needed to start a computer.

It is also responsible for locating and launching the operating system that is on a hard drive. However, MBR is limited to just four primary partitions, and it only works with disks that are up to 2 TB in size.

The partition table, on the other hand, is responsible for the division of the hard drive into different sectors. It defines information into a different partition. A hard drive must be partitioned before it can be used.

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P. Halah

P. Halah

P. Halah
P. Halah

Answered Nov 14, 2019

When you are formatting your new hard drive, you will sometimes encounter the terms partition table and MBR, which stands for master boot record. The MBR is in the first area of the hard drive and what the BIOS calls upon to start the operating system when you turn on your computer.

It is then the job of MBR to locate and begin the appropriate operating system on the drive. On the other hand, the partition table is only a few entries that tell a computer how the hard drive is split or divided. Partitioning allows you to divide your drive and make it appear that you have several drives, even if you only have one.

The MBR is a low-level executable program that includes the needed instructions to boot or start the computer. Also, the MBR is executable, while the partition table is not.

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