Crazy Bootcamp Re-installation!

[ventro]

Ok, so I had a nice bootcamp partition going, along with my tiger partition. Set it all up with Boot Camp assistant, formatted it as FAT32, booted, and installed WinXP. So now I have Tiger + WinXP.

Then, I decided that I would rather have a build of Leopard on that bootcamp partition. So I booted up the Leopard installer, formatted my bootcamp as HFS+, and installed Leopard. So now I have Tiger + Leopard.

But now, I've decided that I don't like Leopard anymore, so I want Tiger + WinXP again.

Boot Camp assistant says 'This Startup Disc is not Supported' and quits. How do I get Tiger + WinXP again?

Also, as a side-note: I have a disc image of the old WinXP partition. I don't know how to 'install' the disc image on the leopard partition though...

 

[vistafanboi]

Also, as a side-note: I have a disc image of the old WinXP partition. I don't know how to 'install' the disc image on the leopard partition though...

1) Restart your Mac with the OSX install disk#1 in the DVD drive (can't work on your Mac boot volume from within OS X).
2) Start the installer, and once in the installer use DiskUtility to erase the entire disk back to a single HFS+ partition, then reinstall your OS X.
3) Then reinstall Boot Camp, create your FAT32 partition (can ONLY be 32GB or smaller), and reinstall XP.

If anyone knows of a better way, please let me know...

VistafanBoi

 

[ventro]

Thanks vistafanboi, I will try those steps.

 

[yellow]

3) Then reinstall Boot Camp, create your FAT32 partition (can ONLY be 32GB or smaller), and reinstall XP.

Eh? Why? The limitation of formatting a FAT32 drive in XP was completely soft, intended to artificually urge folks to move to NTFS. Does Windows check to see if it's installing on a FAT32 partition and bitch if it's over 32GB?

 

[vistafanboi]

Thanks vistafanboi, I will try those steps.

BTW, I myself had this problem a while back. I can't remember how I solved the dilema without reinstalling both OSes. If I can remember, I will repost the method. I might have used Disk Utility to delete the second HFS+, then resized the disk disk back to a single HFS+ partition using Boot Camp, but I can't swear that I did this way.

To use Boot Camp, there MUST only be a SINGLE HFS+ partition on the drive, and it must use all space on the drive.

I would look into installing Leopard on an external Firewire drive, btw.

VistaFanBoi

Eh? Why? The limitation of formatting a FAT32 drive in XP was completely soft, intended to artificually urge folks to move to NTFS. Does Windows check to see if it's installing on a FAT32 partition and bitch if it's over 32GB?

While Windows CAN install on a FAT32 partition of almost any size large enough (about 2GB or larger) without a wimper from the installer, but can't (or won't) CREATE one larger than 32GB. In fact, if your HD is smaller than 32GB, you will be given the choice between creating a FAT16, FAT32 or NTFS partition during installation, but if it is LARGER than 32GB, you will only be given the "choice" to create an NTFS volume. Some "choice", eh?

And you're correct in ascerting that it is a software limitation, not a hardware limitation. Whether this limitation was written into the OS artificially or not is a question for the paranoics to discuss among themselves.

The fact is, you cannot CREATE a FAT32 partition larger than 32GB from within the XP and Vista installers. But you will never hear a whimper from the installers if the EXISTING FAT32 partition is ALREADY LARGER than 32GB. SO if you want larger FAT32 partitions on which to install the OS, you MUST create them using third-party utilities (and I certainly would never use one to install Windows on an Intel-based Macintosh containing an installation of OS X. It would not be safe to do so.)

VistafanBoi

 

[yellow]

And you're correct in ascerting that it is a software limitation, not a hardware limitation. Whether this limitation was written into the OS artificially or not is a question for the paranoics to discuss among themselves.

It most definitely was an artifical limitation placed in XP to urge people to move to bigger, better, safer NTFS.

SO if you want larger FAT32 partitions on which to install the OS, you MUST create them using third-party utilities (and I certainly would never use one to install Windows on an Intel-based Macintosh containing an installation of OS X. It would not be safe to do so.)

Well, here's the kicker, Disk Utility does a fine job at formatting FAT32 partitions sans artificed limitations.

My unasked question is why one would want to install Windows onto a FAT32 partition? Planning on writing to the partition a lot from OS X?

 

[vistafanboi]

It most definitely was an artifical limitation placed in XP to urge people to move to bigger, better, safer NTFS.



Well, here's the kicker, Disk Utility does a fine job at formatting FAT32 partitions sans artificed limitations.

My unasked question is why one would want to install Windows onto a FAT32 partition? Planning on writing to the partition a lot from OS X?

I do tend to agree with you about FAT32 partitions. I much prefer NTFS, since it is much safer. For file exchanges, I use MacDisk 7 (under Windows) to give me the ability to read and write OS X partitions. And I use external drives (usually formatted as FAT32) for common file exchanges, such as media files. Reading (but not writing) NTFS partitions under OS X is possible. Hopefully, Apple and Microsoft will work out the licensing details between themselves soon. The limitation is not a technical one. It's basically just a cross-licensing problem.

VistafanBoi

 

[yellow]

The limitation is not a technical one.

Correct.

 

[vistafanboi]

It most definitely was an artifical limitation placed in XP to urge people to move to bigger, better, safer NTFS.



Well, here's the kicker, Disk Utility does a fine job at formatting FAT32 partitions sans artificed limitations.

My unasked question is why one would want to install Windows onto a FAT32 partition? Planning on writing to the partition a lot from OS X?

Just one problem about that, friend:
You will be unable to use BootCamp with a partition not created using Boot Camp. Or, this has been my experience thus far. Perhaps you can. Have you done it yet?

VistafanBoi

 

[yellow]

Just one problem about that, friend:
You will be unable to use BootCamp with a partition not created using Boot Camp. Or, this has been my experience thus far. Perhaps you can. Have you done it yet?

AFAIR, BootCamp asks you if you want to create the partition as FAT32 or NTFS. I can't imagine that Apple bothered with that whole 32GB limitation.

 

[vistafanboi]

AFAIR, BootCamp asks you if you want to create the partition as FAT32 or NTFS. I can't imagine that Apple bothered with that whole 32GB limitation.

If I remember correctly, that is true ONLY if the partition you are creating is 32GB or below. Try it with a larger partition, and you should run into the "barrier". But my partitions are always larger than 32GB, so I've never been offered the choice for FAT32 once I started the partitioning. I am offered the choice if the partition is 32GB or smaller.

Once in the Windows installer, however, you will ONLY be given the "choice" for NTFS if the partition is larger than 32GB.

VistafanBoi

 

[eclipse525]

I have a quick question...(i don't mean to hi-jack the thread.)

I just created the parition via Bootcamp (32gigs) and now I'm trying to install my copy of WindowsXP Professional (SP2/ver2002). The Windows installation seems to go well until it asked about choosing a partition and I only see one large C: drive partition. I know I should have the choice of Bootcamp that was clearly mount on my desktop prior the the Windows install but it doesn't show up. Anybody have an idea as to why it's now showing up?

Also, When creating the bootcamp partition with bootcamp assistant, all I see is the choice for the size of the space you want to partition but nothing about FAT32 or NTFS. Does that choice show up later or should there be an option for FAT32 or NTFS prior to actually creating the partition?

Thank you!

 

[yellow]

It creates a FAT32 partition by default. To change to NTFS, you need to reformat the partition at installation (or perhaps convert to NTFS post install? I do it pre-instal).

Also.. IIRC, the C: partition it sees is the one you should be installing on, as that is the only one that Windows should see.