GPT, MBR, AHCI Win7: alphabet soup

[videobruce]

My situation;
1. Existing 1 TB HDD; partitioned 10GB w/XP, 600 GB for media, 300GB for program, photo & document storage.
2. Increase the 1st partition to 20-25GB from the 2nd partition (resize both & merge),
3. Load Win7 64 bit in the first, replacing XP.
4. Retain the 2nd & 3rd partitions without loosing data (it is backed up elsewhere).
5. Save a image of 'C' to install a mirror O/S on a SSD.
6. Using a MB with a UEFI BIOS set to AHCI.

Questions; I know the hidden partition is MBR, but, when & where does the choice of MBR vs GPT happen? I've loaded Win7 on a small SSD, but I didn't see any choices.

I know I can just wipe the existing drive, but I would prefer not to unless absolutely necessary. If for nothing else, gaining the experience of doing all of this.

The more I have read, the more confusion this seems to be. I had less trouble 13 years ago with Win98 on my first PC build.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Short answer: it depends on how you load the Windows installer.

Long answer: http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2942595

 

[videobruce]

This whole thing is more complicated than it should be.

The problem is all of these "How To's" assume you are installing to a one partition HDD. That may of been fine when drives were far smaller, but who in their right mind would install a O/S on a 1 or 2 TB drive with no partitions?

My first HDD 14 years ago was 6.4GB and I partitioned that. I never had or never will store anything on a partition where the O/S resides. That's the same as having a one room house.
Why in hell are all these tutorials assuming everyone runs a single partitioned HDD, with capacity as large as they are now? Yes I know you can partition afterwards, but you shouldn't have to if you already know how you want your HDD divided.

.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

There's a guide further down on how (theoretically) to put multiple partitions in the GPT drive.

I only use one partition per (virtual) disk. Partitions are more trouble than their worth. If I want multiple letters, I use multiple HDDs. If I want a larger volume under one letter, I RAID multiple drives.

A 7200 RPM drive with 40 GB of storage has the same performance arc as a 7200 RPM drive with 3 TB of storage, more or less. The point of partitioning is to move data to the inside of the disk where it is slower to access. The better logic isn't to use multiple partitions, but to not allow drives to get so full that they incur a significant performance penalty.

 

[videobruce]

Yes, I saw that.
Any issues with multiple drive letters are far less a problem that all of this is.