I think Windows killed my iMac

[Brmstyle]

Hello,

I've got a serious problem here.

I bought my new iMac three days ago and I updated to leopard this morning. Everything went well and I'm very pleased with my new piece of hardware.

I wanted to install windows on it. I have read alot of websites how to do it so I opened up boot camp. I have a 320gb hard disk and I decided to give 70gb to my windows. I made a new partition and rebooted with my windows XP CD in it. The blue screen setup starts with no problem and he asks which partition to install windows on. I only see one partition who is 125.000 and something else MB, so its larger then I asked, but way to small to be my OS X partition. He asks me how I want to format is so I choose fast NFTS. The setup copies some files and asks for reboot

I reboot and setup starts again from scratch, In one way or another its stuck in some loop. So I eject the CD and reboot it again.

Then the problems began, I cannot find any hard drive anymore, I see a big grey screen with a big question mark in a empty map. I automatically thought I formatted the wrong partition (Which is strange, because I only saw one in my setup) And that I have lost my OS X and all my files.

So I reboot with my OS X install cd. The setup opens, everything goes well but when he asks where to install it, I can't see ANY hard drives anymore..

So I'm a bit screwed If I can say that. My OS X setup doesn't find any hard drives, My windows setup does find a hard drive with 125.000mb but it's stuck in a loop. and I cant boot from anything.

I bought an Apple because I was tired having troubles with windows and it just can't stop haunting me.

I don't know what I've done wrong and the biggest question of all is where is my other 205 gb gone?

Greets brm

 

[MRU]

You messed up a partition that shouldn't have been touched.




Start with your restore disc.

Before the full OSX install begins (after the language select ) - simply ignore the window prompting you to install and look at the menu bar on top of the screen.

Select UTILITY
Then select DISK UTILITY

Once disk utility has loaded its window, select your internal drive on the left and then click on the 'partition' tab.

Volume Scheme - Select 1 partition, give the drive a name (macintosh HD) and format Mac OS Extended (Journaled)

Then click Apply.

This will restore your drive to 1 partition and fully erased.




Exit disk utility and continue on to re-install mac OSX

 

[JNB]

Sounds like you installed on the Mac partition. Did you print, read, and follow Apple's installation instructions to the letter?

"Websites" on how to do it are not worth much, only Apple's instructions count, and they are clear and absolutely specific.

Boot from the Leopard DVD, start Disk Utility, format HFS+, and start over.
Once the MacOS is up & running, updated and the dust has settled, print a copy of the Boot Camp Installation Guide, read it thoroughly before beginning, and follow the instructions step by step.

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/Boot_Camp_Install-Setup.pdf

 

[Brmstyle]

Ok, I formatted again with the disk utility

Its a great tool! Thanks for the help

I'll read the manual better next time when I mess with partitions again

greets.

 

[aholmes]

I'm also new at this with similar iMac. I installed Parallels, no Bootcamp, and inserted Windows 2000 Pro for installation. Things went along well for a while I while when a blue screen popped up saying that the Startup or hard disc is new or erased or is incompatible with win 2000. If new or has been erased or you want to erase it continue. It continues with If computer is running an Operating system that is incompatible, setup may destroy or damage it. Press C to continue (yea sure) or F3 to quit. F-3 did something different so I suspended the install from the parallels action menu.

I've been through Parallels' 246 page manual, checked out their forums, registered 3 times trying to access email support and am getting nowhere.

Help

Sounds like you installed on the Mac partition. Did you print, read, and follow Apple's installation instructions to the letter?

"Websites" on how to do it are not worth much, only Apple's instructions count, and they are clear and absolutely specific.

Boot from the Leopard DVD, start Disk Utility, format HFS+, and start over.
Once the MacOS is up & running, updated and the dust has settled, print a copy of the Boot Camp Installation Guide, read it thoroughly before beginning, and follow the instructions step by step.

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/Boot_Camp_Install-Setup.pdf

 

[Airwaven]

This same thing just happened to me but i fixed it with the help of you guys here so thank you, but the thing that i had a problem with is when i went to install xp there was only one partition even though i created a partition in bootcamp like it says in the apple support pdf file that one of you guys were talking about. Oh and incase anyone does what is above and it doesn't work then when re-partitioning to get back the Macintosh HD click options in the left corner and chose which opperating system and computer you have (such as intel based mac os x or windows) Thanks for the help everyone and don't install windows with one partition in the windows setup!

 

[sfadchi]

Thanks everyone for all the help! Would you believe that I have had this IMac one day an already "Crashed" the HD. Thanks to you guys I have fixed the problem and all is well. Apple Care tech support sucked, they asked me to bring it in to an apple store and have them replace the hard drive. IDIOTS and their outsourced techs.

 

[reimel]

Boot Camp/Windows results in white screen, help!

Hallo! My cousin bought a new Intel iMac 2 months ago, same kind as mine, - 20 in., 2.4 Ghz. After installing Leopard, his son helped him to install Win XP via Boot Camp. The installation prosess was interrupted because his son suddenly became uncertain how to do it. When my cousin booted once more, something was terribly wrong, as the screen was totally white/gray. Tried to boot once more, pressing C-button, alt-button. All in vain. Tried to connect his machine to mine with FireWire-cable, booting with pressing T-button, hoping to wake the harddisk on his machine in "Target disk mode". In vain! My cousin usually being a very calm person is getting more and more frustrated. What to do??

 

[Cloudane]

I'll read the manual better next time when I mess with partitions again

Classic PEBKAC Yes, good idea, RTFM

I'm also new at this with similar iMac. I installed Parallels, no Bootcamp, and inserted Windows 2000 Pro for installation. Things went along well for a while I while when a blue screen popped up saying that the Startup or hard disc is new or erased or is incompatible with win 2000. If new or has been erased or you want to erase it continue. It continues with If computer is running an Operating system that is incompatible, setup may destroy or damage it. Press C to continue (yea sure) or F3 to quit. F-3 did something different so I suspended the install from the parallels action menu.

Was going to say, Parallels is rubbish with Bootcamp, it made a right mess of mine (stupid boot menu, and it removed the bootcamp thing from the tray) but anyway I digress.

If you're running in Parallels, you can safely hit C to erase it* - it doesn't actually see your OS X installation, because a virtual machine is kind of like a sandbox. That warning is basically there for when people are running it on a standalone PC with an existing Windows or Linux installation on it.

* But back up your data first, on the 0.000001% chance I'm wrong

 

[m1ss1ontomars]

Thanks everyone for all the help! Would you believe that I have had this IMac one day an already "Crashed" the HD. Thanks to you guys I have fixed the problem and all is well. Apple Care tech support sucked, they asked me to bring it in to an apple store and have them replace the hard drive. IDIOTS and their outsourced techs.

That's not really an HD crash. And Apple Care may have done the best they could; it's a lot easier for them to say "bring it in and we'll fix it" than try to guide you through the steps. See how easy it was for you to fix when you had all the instructions laid out for you? Think about the effort the phone support rep would have had to go through just to convey the same info. Also, if your tech really was outsourced, you got unlucky; I've always spoken to techs with American accents, implying they lived in America. Or maybe Canada.

 

[Justinerator]

That's not really an HD crash. And Apple Care may have done the best they could; it's a lot easier for them to say "bring it in and we'll fix it" than try to guide you through the steps. See how easy it was for you to fix when you had all the instructions laid out for you? Think about the effort the phone support rep would have had to go through just to convey the same info. Also, if your tech really was outsourced, you got unlucky; I've always spoken to techs with American accents, implying they lived in America. Or maybe Canada.

this person speaks the truth!