I'm running Debian 13 with KDE Plasma 6 and I've come across an issue. After enabling 4G decode and Resizable BAR in UEFI, I encountered rainbow static on my screen during boot. I learned that I might need to disable CSM to fix this, but I discovered that my system drive is formatted as MBR instead of GPT, which is necessary to disable CSM. I'm not sure how it ended up as MBR, and since I recently installed my OS just a few days ago, I'm wondering what the best approach is to change it to GPT. Should I just reinstall the OS?
3 Answers
Looks like CSM was enabled when you first booted, which is why you're stuck with MBR. While there are ways to convert MBR to GPT, starting fresh will definitely be quicker if you just installed your OS.
The easiest way to handle this is to back up your files and do a fresh install, making sure to format with GPT this time. It’ll save you a lot of hassle since it’s a new install. Don't forget to disable CSM in the UEFI settings afterwards!
I've had a similar issue before! When I switched to Linux, I didn't realize I was using MBR. If your default file manager is crashing, this might be related to the partition type. To really fix it, a GPT format might be necessary, and you'll need to back everything up before proceeding. Just keep in mind, altering partition types usually works best on empty drives.
Totally agree! A clean reinstall is the way to go here. Disabling CSM before you start will avoid any more issues down the line.