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added the really needed milestone of an EFI system partition ESP and link to server fault
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questionto42
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I do not see a reason why this tutorial (and also the next two GPT-only options of that same tutorial - UEFI - Unflag/Reflag Method and UEFI - rEFInd Method - should not work on a single internal SSD with no other main system installed as well. In my case, my current second SSD that has Linux is not in the least affected by the main Windows drive, it is fully separate, I can even take out the caddy and put it in another laptop or use a usb-sata3-cable to plug it in and use it as the booting drive.

Summing it up. In any case, at that point where you create a primary partition using the "Partition" menu button, the main GPT assignment has already been done. And if you want to create an EFI bootable GPT partitioned drive, the hybrid installation type that I have just done proves that a working GPT partitioningthis is not just achieved by a simple GPT assignment, but it needs bootable partitions and flags which you either need to create manually

In my hybrid case:

the BIOS boot partition is only needed for doing legacy boot on a GPT partitioned disk. If you boot with UEFI, it is not needed and will not be used.

Source: comment under the accepted answer of How do I convert my linux disk from MBR to GPT with UEFI? (firsta link to "Server Fault" Stack Exchange) or you get them automatically with the two latter links. 

And suchthat accepted answer shows in point 6 what is actually needed to "be EFI GPT": it is a rightly flagged

"EFI System" partition (ESP). Officially should be 100-500MB, but mine only used 130kB.

The first three links are just for installing Linux on an external drive. Please mind that I got to those tutorials searching for Mint on external SSD. Windows 10 on PC..

The fourth link from "Server Fault" is for converting MBR to GPT and add a BIOS boot. Also that guide is highly similar, just using gdisk instead.

Obivously, both guides give an understanding of what is needed for a propper EFI GPT configuration. I cannot guarantee that they are fully relevant for an installation on a single main drive, it just looks promising enough to link them here. Hope it helps someone!

I do not see a reason why this tutorial (and also the next two GPT-only options UEFI - Unflag/Reflag Method and UEFI - rEFInd Method should not work on a single internal SSD with no other main system installed as well. In my case, my current second SSD that has Linux is not in the least affected by the main Windows drive, it is fully separate, I can even take out the caddy and put it in another laptop or use a usb-sata3-cable to plug it in and use it as the booting drive.

Summing it up. In any case, at that point where you create a primary partition using the "Partition" menu button, the main GPT assignment has already been done. And if you want to create an EFI bootable GPT partitioned drive, the hybrid installation type that I have just done proves that a working GPT partitioning is not just achieved by a simple GPT assignment, but it needs bootable partitions and flags which you either need to create manually (first link) or you get them automatically with the two latter links. And such links are just for installing Linux on an external drive. Please mind that I got to those tutorials searching for Mint on external SSD. Windows 10 on PC., I cannot guarantee that they are fully relevant for an installation on a single main drive, it just looks promising enough to link them here. Hope it helps someone!

I do not see a reason why this tutorial (and also the next two GPT-only options of that same tutorial - UEFI - Unflag/Reflag Method and UEFI - rEFInd Method - should not work on a single internal SSD with no other main system installed as well. In my case, my current second SSD that has Linux is not in the least affected by the main Windows drive, it is fully separate, I can even take out the caddy and put it in another laptop or use a usb-sata3-cable to plug it in and use it as the booting drive.

Summing it up. In any case, at that point where you create a primary partition using the "Partition" menu button, the main GPT assignment has already been done. And if you want to create an EFI bootable GPT partitioned drive, the hybrid installation type that I have just done proves that this is not just achieved by a simple GPT assignment

In my hybrid case:

the BIOS boot partition is only needed for doing legacy boot on a GPT partitioned disk. If you boot with UEFI, it is not needed and will not be used.

Source: comment under the accepted answer of How do I convert my linux disk from MBR to GPT with UEFI? (a link to "Server Fault" Stack Exchange). 

And that accepted answer shows in point 6 what is actually needed to "be EFI GPT": it is a rightly flagged

"EFI System" partition (ESP). Officially should be 100-500MB, but mine only used 130kB.

The first three links are just for installing Linux on an external drive. Please mind that I got to those tutorials searching for Mint on external SSD. Windows 10 on PC..

The fourth link from "Server Fault" is for converting MBR to GPT and add a BIOS boot. Also that guide is highly similar, just using gdisk instead.

Obivously, both guides give an understanding of what is needed for a propper EFI GPT configuration. I cannot guarantee that they are fully relevant for an installation on a single main drive, it just looks promising enough to link them here. Hope it helps someone!

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questionto42
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In gparted, you have probably chosen "Device" in the menu bar and then you create a GPT partition - for the device, obviously. It is as far as I can see a device-wide assignment, and when you then create different partitions inside this device, any formats are possible, see for example an excerpt of a tutorial UEFI - Hybrid Install here (side-note: which I have used to successfully install Linux on a second SSD with Windows 10 on the main SSD):

From the Menu, select Device: Create Partition Table: gpt type (the UEFI format); Apply (note warning). From Menu, select Partition: New. Set up three partitions: #1: 2MiB (unformatted, at very bottom of drop down menu); #2: 200MiB (format fat32); #3: [remaining space] (format ext4). Apply. When complete, right-click #1 and set flag as bios-grub.. Close GParted.

As far as I remember, GPT is not mentioned again when you create these partitions inside the chosen device-wide gpt partition. The main step is just the start, to choose "Device" in the menu. After choosing GPT for the full device partition, your whole disk will be started from scratch, any sub-partitions that you had on it up to then will simply be deleted. That is a full cleaning so that everything on that device will have GPT partitioning scheme as the base.

Though that mentioned tutorial is just for an external drive (originally meant for a USB drive), in my case, this "UEFI - Hybrid Install" was the successful guide to install Linux Mint on my second SSD. I plug this SSD to the computer using an SSD-caddy that replaces the DVD drive so that I can take it out like a USB stick, at the speed of an internal SSD.

I do not see a reason why this tutorial (and also the next two GPT-only options UEFI - Unflag/Reflag Method and UEFI - rEFInd Method should not work on a single internal SSD with no other main system installed as well. In my case, my current second SSD that has Linux is not in the least affected by the main Windows drive, it is fully separate, I can even take out the caddy and put it in another laptop or use a usb-sata3-cable to plug it in and use it as the booting drive.

Summing it up. In any case, at that point where you create a primary partition using the "Partition" menu button, the main GPT assignment has already been done. And if you want to create an EFI bootable GPT partitioned drive, the hybrid installation type that I have just done proves that a working GPT partitioning is not just achieved by a simple GPT assignment, but it needs bootable partitions and flags which you either need to create manually (first link) or you get them automatically with the two latter links. And such links are just for installing Linux on an external drive. Please mind that I got to those tutorials searching for Mint on external SSD. Windows 10 on PC., I cannot guarantee that they are fully relevant for an installation on a single main drive, it just looks promising enough to link them here. Hope it helps someone!