In comparison with GNU Parted, GPT fdisk has several benefits and disadvantages. Broadly speaking, you should consider using GPT fdisk if:
* You do not thoughts utilizing comparatively new software. GPT fdisk is at the moment solely at version 0.6.13. I do not know of any present bugs which are likely to trigger information loss, but I can not guarantee that such a bug would not exist. You need to be significantly cautious when using the program on a disk with existing partitions that maintain invaluable data.
* You use Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, or Windows. Each OS has its personal way of doing sure essential low-stage disk duties, such as determining the disk measurement, so GPT fdisk should be explicitly customized for every OS it supports.
* You want more exact management over your partitioning than Parted provides. As an illustration, gdisk provides sector-precise control of partition sizes and it lets you enter any arbitrary GPT partition type.
* You need higher control over recovery operations in the occasion that a corrupt partition table is encountered.
* You wish to convert an MBR disk to GPT format with out information loss. GPT fdisk permits doing this, though doing so would require you to re-install your boot loader (if it's a boot disk). Don't try and convert a Home windows boot disk from MBR to GPT type except you're an knowledgeable!
* You wish to convert a disk that uses BSD disklabels to GPT format, otherwise you want to convert a BSD disklabel within an MBR or GPT partition, into GPT partitions, without knowledge loss. This conversion is more bother-prone than the MBR conversion, but it surely works in lots of cases.
* You wish to convert a GPT disk into an MBR disk without knowledge loss. Not each disk is one hundred% convertible; some combinations of partition areas cannot be duplicated in MBR. You may luck out and be able to convert every little thing, or a minimum of be capable of convert the most important partitions.
* You might want to create or modify a hybrid MBR, which is used primarily on Intel-based mostly Macs to allow them to dual-boot with Windows.
* You want to back up and restore your partition desk to or from an odd disk file.
* You want fdisk's easy textual content-mode interface.
Chances are you may be happier with GNU Parted, its GUI cousins, or another program totally if:
* You desire a secure and mature program. (Word, however, that considered one of my motivations for writing gdisk was glaring bugs in Parted. I think Parted's GPT code is relatively untested in comparison with its MBR code.)
* You prefer a GUI interface for partitioning. (That is true solely of gparted, qtparted, and the like; GNU Parted is text-based.)
* You wish to create filesystems on the similar time you create the partitions that maintain them.
* You want to resize or move filesystems along with their partitions.
* You wish to use the software on any OS however Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, or current versions of Windows. (You should utilize partitions created by GPT fdisk on different OSes, but the program itself runs solely on Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, and Home windows systems.)