BOOT CAMP defaults to Windows no matter what

[gogul1]

Hi guys finally got most of the issues worked out on my Mac Pro 3.1 upgrade.
I have Mavericks on one partition and Windows on the other for Boot Camp.
My issue at the moment is relatively simple but after googling the heck out of it I can't seem to find a solution specifically for my issue.
When I turn the computer on it defaults to windows.
I plugged in a usb keyboard, restarted, held down ALT (options) and chose my OSX partition to boot and it boots fine.
I went to disk startup, chose OSX and restarted.
That's where the issue began.
I had a grey screen for 20 seconds and the it booted to windows.
While in windows I took the opportunity to go to Bootcamp (under control panel) and chose startup disk. In Windows it only shows the windows partition and not the Mac OSX.
Not sure if thats relevant but when I click on the little black diamond and choose "restart in OSX" it reboots right back into windows again.
Any ideas why?

 

[nufanec]

Reset NVRAM?

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

 

[gogul1]

Thanks, that pram stuff seems like a regular issue.
I reset and it booted to mac fine first time.
I will start back up in windows and see if I can switch between them properly.

----------

Errrrm

Where's my Windows Partition?

Its gone and there's no bootcamp drive under disk utility as before....

 

[gogul1]

Is it normal to reset pram and have the entire system to delete Windows partition?!

----------

Right decided to try and reinstall windows again.
I go into bootcamp and get this message
"The startup disk cannot be partitioned or restored to a single partition.
Back up the disk and use disk utility to format it as a single Mac OS Extended (Journaled) volume. Restore your information to the disk and try using Boot camp assistant again"

Arrrgh I just flaming well had it sorted!
My only issue was my mac proritising windows boot over Mac boot. Now what?

 

[gogul1]

I honestly am stuck now. Without further advice I dare not touch anything. Restting the pram wasn't suppose to delete the partition was it?!
Tried googling the problem but nothing came up. Can't delete windows as its not there, can't install via boot camp as cant find partition, can't do anything except stare at my monitor and wonder why the heck I did the pram reset in the first place...

 

[gogul1]

I honestly am stuck now. Without further advice I dare not touch anything. Restting the pram wasn't suppose to delete the partition was it?!
Tried googling the problem but nothing came up. Can't delete windows as its not there, can't install via boot camp as cant find partition, can't do anything except stare at my monitor and wonder why the heck I did the pram reset in the first place...

Tried repairing disk but didn't do anything.
Where the hell has it gone?

 

[matty1551]

PRAM reset wont delete anything. At this point however, if your Windows partition is worse off than it was before. Why not take this time to do a full reinstall of Windows and Bootcamp. That way you can rule out whether a faulty install is your issue.

1. Go back into OSX if possible.
2. Use disk utility and reformat your windows partition.
3. install Win and boot camp.

 

[gogul1]

PRAM reset wont delete anything. At this point however, if your Windows partition is worse off than it was before. Why not take this time to do a full reinstall of Windows and Bootcamp. That way you can rule out whether a faulty install is your issue.

1. Go back into OSX if possible.
2. Use disk utility and reformat your windows partition.
3. install Win and boot camp.

Thats the problem: windows partition doesn't appear in disk utility. Can't locate any trace of it.

 

[G4DP]

Can you even see the actual HDD - not the partition name - should read
320 GB WDc WDXXXXXXXXXXX

Of is it totally missing?

 

[m4v3r1ck]

Patience my friend!

Hi gogul1,

I understand and feel with you that you want your OS X & Windows 7 up-and-running ASAP, but your trail-and-error rate is WAY TO HIGH! When you post a question here on the forums please give fellow members a little time to give you a correct answer. You are jumping for-and-backwards in your in- and un-installing way to much.

Setting up a Mac OS & Bootcamp Windows is a delicate procedure that, if you follow the (OS) rules and all the advice given here by some very good (other than me) experts, you'll be fine in no-time!

After all your trials-and-erros from the past days I would recommend:

1. BACK-UP of your (newly created) data on the current OS X install
2. Clean install OS X (Check again if this new installation of OS X is working ok on your new hardware) get it running ~100%
3. Clean install bootcamped Windows 7

Just see your time spend in the last days as learning on the job!

When things 'go wrong' ask a question here, HOLD YOUR HORSES for a while and let members help you to sort things out STEP-BY-STEP.

AFAIK that's the only and best way to get started with your Mac Pro and BootCamped Windows and enjoy your new combo!

 

[gogul1]

Yes its read as 120.3 GB Crucial SSD when I choose partition to look at it it says the format is OS extended jornaled.
The size is 119.69 GB

Can't see BOOTCAMP partition or anything. In the partition layout it shows a top blue area that covers a third of the window. The rest is white with Crucial SSD written in the middle.

----------

Hi gogul1,

I understand and feel with you that you want your OS X & Windows 7 up-and-running ASAP, but your trail-and-error rate is WAY TO HIGH! When you post a question here on the forums please give fellow members a little time to give you a correct answer. You are jumping for-and-backwards in your in- and un-installing way to much.

Setting up a Mac OS & Bootcamp Windows is a delicate procedure that, if you follow the (OS) rules and all the advice given here by some very good (other than me) experts, you'll be fine in no-time!

After all your trials-and-erros from the past days I would recommend:

1. BACK-UP of your (newly created) data on the current OS X install
2. Clean install OS X (Check again if this new installation of OS X is working ok on your new hardware) get it running ~100%
3. Clean install bootcamped Windows 7

Just see your time spend in the last days as learning on the job!

When things 'go wrong' ask a question here, HOLD YOUR HORSES for a while and let members help you to sort things out STEP-BY-STEP.

AFAIK that's the only and best way to get started with your Mac Pro and BootCamped Windows and enjoy your new combo!

Thanks I have learned from last few days and have been posting in my first one for last day or so but it's likely all the talk has made a muddle so started this one with a simple question as I had solved the majority of problems and wanted to keep things simple. I then did a pram reset which was recommended and then the windows partition has disappeared and I can't find it. Will gladly default to original settings and start again. What is best way to back up and reinstall mavericks etc

 

[G4DP]

Hi gogul1,

I understand and feel with you that you want your OS X & Windows 7 up-and-running ASAP, but your trail-and-error rate is WAY TO HIGH! When you post a question here on the forums please give fellow members a little time to give you a correct answer. You are jumping for-and-backwards in your in- and un-installing way to much.

Setting up a Mac OS & Bootcamp Windows is a delicate procedure that, if you follow the (OS) rules and all the advice given here by some very good (other than me) experts, you'll be fine in no-time!

After all your trials-and-erros from the past days I would recommend:

1. BACK-UP of your (newly created) data on the current OS X install
2. Clean install OS X (Check again if this new installation of OS X is working ok on your new hardware) get it running ~100%
3. Clean install bootcamped Windows 7

Just see your time spend in the last days as learning on the job!

When things 'go wrong' ask a question here, HOLD YOUR HORSES for a while and let members help you to sort things out STEP-BY-STEP.

AFAIK that's the only and best way to get started with your Mac Pro and BootCamped Windows and enjoy your new combo!

Spot on. Take it back to new. After backing up. Start from up from Leopard Install Disk 1, open disk utility then and erase the drive.

It'll be a bit boring and tiresome whilst you work your way through. but it might just help resolve the remaining issues you have.

I wouldn't suggest going back if you hadn't had that many problems but you seem to have had a few since you bought the machine.

 

[gogul1]

so what's best way to back up and take it back to new?
Will this work with my set up that includes the gtx 680?
More than gladly clean it out as i don't have anything saved on it that's very important other than the CUDA drivers to run the 680 etc
I do have snow leopard on disc if that helps and nothing important to save (I haven't downloaded or installed any programs as I wanted to get this running smoothly before using it.

 

[m4v3r1ck]

so what's best way to back up and take it back to new?
Will this work with my set up that includes the gtx 680?
More than gladly clean it out as i don't have anything saved on it that's very important other than the CUDA drivers to run the 680 etc
I do have snow leopard on disc if that helps and nothing important to save (I haven't downloaded or installed any programs as I wanted to get this running smoothly before using it.

As you have NO important data stored:

1. wipe the SSD -> Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
2. clean install Mavericks
3. install your basic (most important) apps & drivers (i.e. GTX)
4. MAKE SURE your OS X 10.9.2 is running fine
5. use CCC to make a "Clean Install OS X Mavericks" clone so you can boot/restore from it when things DO go wrong later on.
6. clean install bootcamped Windows 7
7. report back after/during 1-6

Good Luck & Cheers

 

[gogul1]

As you have NO important data stored:

1. wipe the SSD -> Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
2. clean install Mavericks
3. install your basic (most important) apps & drivers (i.e. GTX)
4. MAKE SURE your OS X 10.9.2 is running fine
5. use CCC to make a "Clean Install OS X Mavericks" clone so you can boot/restore from it when things DO go wrong later on.
6. clean install bootcamped Windows 7
7. report back after/during 1-6

Good Luck & Cheers

Thanks now to work out how to do a clean install of Mavericks (don't have the disc and don't think you can upgrade to mavericks on App store without lion first.

1. currently downloading Mavericks. 5gbs on a 2 MB a sec internet service (yawn)

 

[flatfoot]

Thanks now to work out how to do a clean install of Mavericks (don't have the disc and don't think you can upgrade to mavericks on App store without lion first.

Re-download Mavericks from the Mac App Store and create a bootable install flash drive from it. There are a lot of guides and tools floating around for that.

Boot from that flash drive.

Choose Disk Utility and reformat your internal SSD.

Install Mavericks to that.

 

[gogul1]

Thanks googled it and am now waiting for download to finish.

I might go have a scone...

 

[gogul1]

Right, followed the directions on this vid (except didn't partition the USB stick as I didn't mind it erasing the whole thing. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s6sTMvluakY
I booted from the USB stick (which was a successful bootable usb stick (no errors).
I then the went into the disk utility, cleaned the SSD out to mac os journaled.
I then went back to options and chose to install osx mavericks to the SSD.
Installation took approximately 9 minutes. Now waiting for it to reboot

 

[gogul1]

Ok so it finally started up installing. It went for the full installation time and the reverted back to the OSX utilities screen.
I then clicked the Top left x button and it asked me what disc I wanted to restart from. I chose the SSD that I believed the OSX system was installed on and it restarted. I then got the apple logo for about 30 seconds and then it reverted back to the OSX utilites screen.
So, after following all directions to the letter and making sure I did a clean install and everything I still can't get my Mac to work right.

----------

Ok so it finally started up installing. It went for the full installation time and the reverted back to the OSX utilities screen.
I then clicked the Top left x button and it asked me what disc I wanted to restart from. I chose the SSD that I believed the OSX system was installed on and it restarted. I then got the apple logo for about 30 seconds and then it reverted back to the OSX utilites screen.
So, after following all directions to the letter and making sure I did a clean install and everything I still can't get my Mac to work right.

I then went back to disk utilities and there is my crucial ssd drive but also of note are these I haven't seen before

Disk2
OSX install esd

Disk3
OSX Base System

120.03GB Kingston SSD (an ssd in my hdd tray 1)

OSX 10.9 install Disk


OK decided to clear disk again and do full reinstall.
It went theough the entire process but finally after it completed and restarted it booted straight back into the installer OSX utilities again.
Doesn't work.

 

[G4DP]

Do you gave the original GPU the machine came with?

 

[gogul1]

Yes it's installed in the mac my pcie list is
Port 1 : gtx 680
Port 2 : pcie ssd
Port 3: radeon 2600

 

[G4DP]

As Lion / Mavericks are working.

You are going to have to go back to the very beginning and restart with Leopard install disks.

Obviously move the Radeon 2600 into PCI slot 1.

 

[gogul1]

Will just try the GPU move first. That might be the issue.

 

[flatfoot]

As Lion / Mavericks are working.

You are going to have to go back to the very beginning and restart with Leopard install disks.

Obviously move the Radeon 2600 into PCI slot 1.

Will just try the GPU move first. That might be the issue.

Yes, try that (only the old graphics card in slot 1). There's absolutely no point installing an old OS.

 

[G4DP]

Yes, try that (only the old graphics card in slot 1). There's absolutely no point installing an old OS.

Really, gogul has tried to get Lion/Mavericks to install and they don't.

The GPU would not be responsible for not being able to see disks in BootCamp or Disk Utility.

System Files have clearly gone astray.

I only had the same issues with the same computer, but what the **** would I know.