The GUID Partition Table (GPT) is a disk partitioning system that was introduced as part of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) initiative. GPT is a more flexible and efficient way of partitioning disks than the older Master Boot Record (MBR) partitioning scheme that was common to PCs. GPT offers a number of advantages over MBR, including support for larger disks, improved data integrity, and more efficient use of disk space.
GPT allows for disks larger than 2TB, which is the limit of MBR. GPT also supports up to 128 partitions, compared to the four primary partitions allowed by MBR. GPT also uses a redundant data structure, which helps to protect against data loss due to disk corruption. This is because GPT stores a copy of the partition table in two different locations on the disk, so if one copy is corrupted, the other can be used to recover the data.
GPT also offers more efficient use of disk space. MBR uses a fixed-size partition table, which means that any unused space is wasted. GPT, on the other hand, uses a variable-sized partition table, which allows for more efficient use of disk space.
Finally, GPT is more secure than MBR. GPT uses a unique identifier for each partition, which helps to prevent malicious software from accessing the data on the disk. GPT also uses cryptographic checksums to ensure the integrity of the partition table.
In summary, GPT provides a more flexible and efficient way of partitioning disks than the older MBR partitioning scheme. GPT supports larger disks, improved data integrity, more efficient use of disk space, and improved security. For these reasons, GPT is becoming increasingly popular for use in PCs.