I've messed up my boot camp partition and would love some help :)

OK So here's what I've done..
I removed my optical drive, inserted a hard drive caddy, moved my main 750GB hard drive to this location, installed a brand new 250GB SSD, installed Mavericks on said SSD, and booted up. Everything was happy. But now I have 550 GB of my 750GB taken up by my old install of OSX. I took all of my files off, put them on an external drive, and formatted the OSX Journaled portion of the hard drive to ExFat. This, of course, broke the ability to boot from Windows.
My goal:
250GB SSD: OSX
750 Hard Drive: 200GB to Windows, the remaining in a format writable to both Windows and Mac. (which is why I chose ExFat).
And, obviously, the ability to boot from either.
What do I do? I don't have any of my original install media from Windows (I think it was a W7 install that I upgraded with a download to W8 from M$'s website). I'd like to retain everything that's installed there already on BC and just repair it somehow. I've read around that ReFit might help. I'm willing to try it if the general consensus says that's the way to go.
Also, I've noticed that when I changed my user account to be able to store on my ExFat drive, that it can never finish indexing and I can't install dropbox. Is there a better solution to what I'm trying to do?

So, since I got no bites here... How about this...
I formatted that ExFat partition to a Mac OS Journaled partition, and my computer seems to be working great. I will keep it like this. Anyone know how to repair that Windows install from BootCamp?

Similar Messages

Can I erase the boot camp partition and dual boot snow leopard and mountain lion instead

Can I erase the boot camp partition and dual boot snow leopard and mountain lion instead

Please don't double post. Look at your other thread.
If you want to get rid of Windows and the BC partition use the Boot Camp assistant program to remove the Win/BC partition. Don't do it manually with Disk Utility Use the BC A program.

Parallel runs slow on Boot Camp partition and other questions...

Hi all,
I have had my MBP santa rosa for about 3 weeks. I love it. Everything is super fast and responsive on this thingy. I have parallel running on Boot Camp partition and it is slow. I mean its not awfully slow but when I click start (the play button of Parallel), I see the spinning beachball for 0.5 to 1 min. When I get to Windows XP or Vista (I tried both of them), there is no way parallel could perform up to "near native" speed, I get a lot of sand-clock and it takes 1 mins or so to boot up MS SQL server 2005. When i tried to open lots of windows at once, it freezes for a while then all the windows pop up. I dedicated 1gb of ram for parallel. I am thinking of removing boot camp and use parallel virtual drive on which to install windows. Would that make the performance any better?
I have another question. I bought Disk Warrior 4 but my lovely cousin broke the disc into half coz he thought it was a cheap toy. Is there anyway I can make another bootable CD for disk warrior? I know BootCD only works on Panther. Can I use SuperDuper to clone my MBP and put the image file on a PC-formated external hard drive to bootup from there to run Disk Warrior?
Thank you so much for your help. I gotta say this MBP is the best laptop I have ever used in my entire life. VEry happy with the purchase so far. Thank you Apple.
MacNo0b
p/s: Any recommendation on how to keep the Mac running well without slowing down? Cheers

I have to say, I have never used Parallels in a system with 2GB. I don't feel that it's worth it given Boot Camp is available. That said, if you run nothing else it should run quite happily.
If you're having problems getting through the installation try setting it up with a virtual environment that has no drive. That way you should be able to get through the installation/setup and then you can add your Boot Camp partition after that.
As for transferring files, I will either use Parallels folder sharing else a 1GB DOS formatted USB flash drive.
PS You're right, I certainly can't complain about the equipment I get to play with. I've had to fork out quite a bit of money for the privilege but it's all been worth it.

Boot Camp Partition and OS X Cloning Apps?

I've tried a search of previous posts and can't get a bulletproof answer. Here goes:
Using XP SP3 in a Boot Camp partition on my iMac running Snow Leopard. Only one complaint (the metal keyboard Option key issue for boot up -- really lame).
The Windows partition is for two financial applications, mission critical ones. I copy the key data files over to my Mac side after using these Windows apps.
I back up my Mac side with SuperDuper! My mission critical files are thus picked up by my SuperDuper! routine. I've tried restoring them and it works without a hitch.
My question is: if my system HD goes south, will my SuperDuper! clone restore the previous partition structure on the new system HD? Also, I've always assumed I'd have to reinstall the Windows apps individually and replace the mission critical data files one by one in a separate process. Is this right?
I also keep Time Machine backups running. They pick up those mission critical copies brought over to my Mac side. Same questions re: a replacement system HD -- will the partition structure be restored, and am I right in understanding the apps and files on the Windows side are up to me to restore outside any Time Machine rescue.
Thanks much for your patience and your help.
Terry

Hi Terry,
your assumption is correct.
Neither SuperDuper nor Time Machine will clone or backup your Windows partition since both only handle harddisk/partitions that use the MacOS Extended file system.
Files that are on such harddisks/partitions are cloned/backuped regardless of their nature or origin.
So of you copy files from your WIndows partition to your OSX partition like your mission critical files, these are then cloned/backuped when using SuperDuper or Time Machine.
And yes, when booting from your external harddisk with the cloned OSX and then using SuperDuper to clone this OSX back to your internal harddisk all the files (and therefor also your mission critical files) are back "in place".
Same goes for when using a Time Machine backup for a full system restore.
After that you would have to reinstall Windows and the Windows programs to get it all back.
Currently Casper http://www.fssdev.com/products/casper/ is considered the best solution for a full Windows backup/restore.
Mike Bombich, the author of Carbon Copy Cloner (another cloning app for OSX) is to my knowledge working on an addition to CCC to clone or backup a BootCamp Windows.
But it's way too early to see any results on this.
Regards
Stefan

Solution to Boot Camp partition failure due to: "some files can't be moved"

I have had problems getting boot camp to partition my drive, reporting that
"The disk cannot be partitioned because some files can't be moved." Solutions offered involve either backing up your entire drive and restoring it (SuperDuper), or defragging with commercial software (iDefrag).
This solution does not require a spare external drive, nor commercial software.
1) Using Disk Utility, shrink your main drive by the desired windows partition size. Click the Physical Drive, select the Partition tab, and resize the main partition by dragging the corner of the graphical partition representation. Click apply. This operation may take a long time, because it moves all the files at the end of the drive to other places on the drive.
Even though you now have free space at the end of the drive, Boot Camp Assistant will not use it (it wants to resize your main partition).
2) Now use Disk Utility to expand the main drive to fill the entire disk. This effectively reverses the change you made in step 1, but no files are using the space at the end of the drive anymore. Click Apply. This should go faster than step 1. Close Disk Utility.
3) Using Boot Camp Assistant, create the Windows partition. Choose a partition size no larger than the amount you shrunk your main partition in step 1. Your Windows partition will finally be created.
Works for me. If it works for you, please spread the word.

Chris Thielen wrote:
I have had problems getting boot camp to partition my drive, reporting that
"The disk cannot be partitioned because some files can't be moved." Solutions offered involve either backing up your entire drive and restoring it (SuperDuper), or defragging with commercial software (iDefrag).
This solution does not require a spare external drive, nor commercial software.
1) Using Disk Utility, shrink your main drive by the desired windows partition size. Click the Physical Drive, select the Partition tab, and resize the main partition by dragging the corner of the graphical partition representation. Click apply. This operation may take a long time, because it moves all the files at the end of the drive to other places on the drive.
Even though you now have free space at the end of the drive, Boot Camp Assistant will not use it (it wants to resize your main partition).
2) Now use Disk Utility to expand the main drive to fill the entire disk. This effectively reverses the change you made in step 1, but no files are using the space at the end of the drive anymore. Click Apply. This should go faster than step 1. Close Disk Utility.
3) Using Boot Camp Assistant, create the Windows partition. Choose a partition size no larger than the amount you shrunk your main partition in step 1. Your Windows partition will finally be created.
Works for me. If it works for you, please spread the word.
That's an excellent idea; but even though Leopard DU does claim that you can do what you did without losing anything, stuff happens, and I would never do what you did without a full backup. If you are running TM, that's enough. But repartitioning a drive without a backup is dangerous.

Boot Camp partitions and restarts to black DOS screen, white cursor

I've tried installing Windows 7 on my MacBook Pro 8,1 three times now. When Boot Camp Assistant finishes the partition it restarts to a black screen with white cursor at top left. Nothing happens after that. If I restart it still happens. The only way to boot into OS X now is to hold option on boot and select my main drive.
Any help is very much appreciated..
Model Name:          MacBook Pro
Model Identifier:          MacBookPro8,1
Processor Name:          Intel Core i5
Processor Speed:          2.3 GHz
Number of Processors:          1
Total Number of Cores:          2
L2 Cache (per Core):          256 KB
L3 Cache:          3 MB
Memory:          16 GB
Intel 6 Series Chipset:
Vendor:          Intel
Product:          6 Series Chipset
Link Speed:          6 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed:          6 Gigabit
Description:          AHCI Version 1.30 Supported
OWC Mercury Electra 6G SSD:
Capacity:          120.03 GB (120,034,123,776 bytes)
Model:          OWC Mercury Electra 6G SSD
Revision:          503ABBF0
Native Command Queuing:          Yes
Queue Depth:          32
Removable Media:          No
Detachable Drive:          No
BSD Name:          disk0
Medium Type:          Solid State
TRIM Support:          No
Partition Map Type:          GPT (GUID Partition Table)
S.M.A.R.T. status:          Verified
Volumes:
disk0s1:
Capacity:          209.7 MB (209,715,200 bytes)
BSD Name:          disk0s1
Content:          EFI
I have removed my optical drive and installed an SSD in the main bay, and moved my HDD into the optical bay.
Macintosh SSD:
Capacity:          94 GB (93,999,996,928 bytes)
Available:          10.57 GB (10,569,678,848 bytes)
Writable:          Yes
File System:          Journaled HFS+
BSD Name:          disk0s2
Mount Point:          /
Content:          Apple_HFS
Recovery HD:
Capacity:          784.2 MB (784,220,160 bytes)
BSD Name:          disk0s3
Content:          Apple_Boot
BOOTCAMP:
Capacity:          25.04 GB (25,038,946,304 bytes)
Available:          25.02 GB (25,024,774,144 bytes)
Writable:          Yes
File System:          MS-DOS FAT32
BSD Name:          disk0s4
Mount Point:          /Volumes/BOOTCAMP
Content:          Microsoft Basic Data
This is my external optical drive (original Apple, taken from my MacBook)
USB to Serial-ATA bridge:
Capacity:          3.22 GB (3,224,993,792 bytes)
Removable Media:          Yes
Detachable Drive:          Yes
BSD Name:          disk3
Product ID:          0x0c31
Vendor ID:          0x1bcf (Sunplus Innovation Technology Inc.)
Version:           1.19
Speed:          Up to 480 Mb/sec
Location ID:          0xfa132000 / 11
Current Available (mA):          500
Current Required (mA):          2
Media Name:          GRMCULXFRER_EN_DVD
Partition Map Type:          Unknown
S.M.A.R.T. status:          Not Supported

ultimateshep wrote:
Did you end up getting it to work? I am so frustrated. I have spent countless hours trying to install windows 8 on my Mac using bootcamp assistant. I get the same result: the computer restarts to start running windows and then it just goes to the black screen with the cursor blinking. I have an early 2008 iMac, just upgraded to Mountain Lion. Bought the Windows 8 from completesoftwarecenter.com for 69$ bucks. They claimed that it was the 'full' version. I am now not so convinced. I may ask for a refund. Any suggestions? PLEASE HELP!
I got the 64 bit not the 32 bit windows 8, dont know if that plays a part or not.
Doesn't matter, Windows 8 is not supported yet (Apple have not released drivers) at the moment it is pure luck if it works (as many have discovered) Use Win 7 or wait for support from Apple.

Maverick Boot Camp - Partition and USB installation of Windows 7

Hi my CD-ROM drive is broken and i want to configure a partition for windows 7 and install it from a UB, but i don’t have the bootcamp option for usb installation visible.
My OSX version is Maverick 10.9
Mac model iMac11,2
Boot rom : IM112.0057.B01
My info.plist configuration file in the bootcamp package is:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
          <key>32BitSupportedModels</key>
          <array>
                    <string>MacBook7,1</string>
                    <string>MacBookAir5,2</string>
                    <string>MacBookPro10,1</string>
                    <string>MacPro5,1</string>
                    <string>Macmini5,3</string>
                    <string>iMac12,2</string>
          </array>
          <key>BuildMachineOSBuild</key>
          <string>13A566b</string>
          <key>CFBundleDevelopmentRegion</key>
          <string>English</string>
          <key>CFBundleDisplayName</key>
          <string>Boot Camp Assistant</string>
          <key>CFBundleExecutable</key>
          <string>Boot Camp Assistant</string>
          <key>CFBundleGetInfoString</key>
          <string>Boot Camp Assistant 5.1.0, Copyright © 2013 Apple Inc. All rights reserved</string>
          <key>CFBundleIconFile</key>
          <string>DA</string>
          <key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
          <string>com.apple.bootcampassistant</string>
          <key>CFBundleInfoDictionaryVersion</key>
          <string>6.0</string>
          <key>CFBundleName</key>
          <string>Boot Camp Assistant</string>
          <key>CFBundlePackageType</key>
          <string>APPL</string>
          <key>CFBundleShortVersionString</key>
          <string>5.1.0</string>
          <key>CFBundleSignature</key>
          <string>????</string>
          <key>CFBundleVersion</key>
          <string>473</string>
          <key>DARequiredROMVersions</key>
          <array>
                    <string>IM41.0055.B08</string>
                    <string>IM42.0071.B03</string>
                    <string>IM51.0090.B03</string>
                    <string>IM52.0090.B03</string>
                    <string>IM61.0093.B01</string>
                    <string>MP11.005C.B04</string>
                    <string>MB11.0061.B03</string>
                    <string>MBP11.0055.B08</string>
                    <string>MBP12.0061.B03</string>
                    <string>MM11.0055.B08</string>
          </array>
          <key>DTCompiler</key>
          <string>com.apple.compilers.llvm.clang.1_0</string>
          <key>DTPlatformBuild</key>
          <string>5A11344p</string>
          <key>DTPlatformVersion</key>
          <string>GM</string>
          <key>DTSDKBuild</key>
          <string>13A566b</string>
          <key>DTSDKName</key>
          <string></string>
          <key>DTXcode</key>
          <string>0500</string>
          <key>DTXcodeBuild</key>
          <string>5A11344p</string>
          <key>LSApplicationCategoryType</key>
          <string>public.app-category.utilities</string>
          <key>LSMinimumSystemVersion</key>
          <string>10.9.0</string>
          <key>NSMainNibFile</key>
          <string>MainMenu</string>
          <key>NSPrincipalClass</key>
          <string>NSApplication</string>
          <key>PreESDRequiredModels</key>
          <array>
                    <string>MacBook7</string>
                    <string>MacBookAir5</string>
                    <string>MacBookPro10</string>
                    <string>MacPro5</string>
                    <string>Macmini6</string>
                    <string>iMac12</string>
          </array>
          <key>PreUEFIModels</key>
          <array>
                    <string>MacBook7</string>
                    <string>MacBookAir5</string>
                    <string>MacBookPro10</string>
                    <string>MacPro5</string>
                    <string>Macmini6</string>
                    <string>iMac13</string>
          </array>
          <key>PreUSBBootSupportedModels</key>
          <array>
                    <string>MacBook7,1</string>
                    <string>MacBookAir3,2</string>
                    <string>MacBookPro8,3</string>
                    <string>MacPro5,1</string>
                    <string>Macmini4,1</string>
                    <string>iMac12,2</string>
          </array>
          <key>Win7OnlyModels</key>
          <array>
                    <string>MacBook7,1</string>
                    <string>MacBookAir3,2</string>
                    <string>MacBookPro5,5</string>
                    <string>MacPro2,1</string>
                    <string>Macmini4,1</string>
                    <string>iMac10,1</string>
          </array>
</dict>
</plist>
I have already tried this :
https://discussions.apple.com/message/21796614#21796614
and this:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3435734?start=15&tstart=0
but neither of them have helped me to get the bootcamp work properly. Every time i try to modify this fie i get an error.
Please any help would be welcome.

No problem, forget the daemon tools and Microsoft usb tool, use BooTcamp Assistant for making bootable usb of windows 7 using that .iso.
you can do the following :
1. Add your Boot Rom Version(from system info) under DARequiredROMVersions.
2. Add Model Identifier(from system info) under PreUSBBootSupportedModels
3. Delete "Pre" from "PreUSBBootSupportedModels", so you have "USBBootSupportedModels"
The first 3 steps are same as before and if its not clear you can easily google solutions with screenshots.
The next step is only for OSX 10.9, as it employs some kind of code signature to prevent you from changing info.plist and cause bootcamp to crash.
4. Open your terminal, use the following command
sudo codesign -fs - /Applications/Utilities/Boot\ Camp\ Assistant.app
Sudo means using administrator privilege and u need to enter your mac password. And the command resigns the bootcamp application so that it runs with the new info.plist file and not crash.
5. Continue on with your installation....
Cheers.
P.S. back up info.plist before u change anything.
I installed windows 7 ultimate 64 bit two days ago using this mehod. It is working perfectly. Hope this will solve your problem.Please do make a backup of ur macbook before partition, for safe side.
while using that command mentioned in step 4., may be you get a option to download xcode or something like that, just click ok and download and install that, in my case it was about 101MB.

Archive and Install with boot camp partition

I really messed up the Mac OS X partition of my MacBook, so now there is no menubar or icons, the menubar only appears when i launch a program from the dock, and i read on another website to archive and install. My question is, is it ok to do an archive and install if i have a boot camp partiton? is that going to mess up the boot camp partition or just mess up my computer in general? Thanks in advance for any help!

You may be right that it is not Leopard at all but some application creating these folders. I have no idea what application(s) I was using at 10:09 pm on March 31, 2009. I am curious about Office 2008 for Mac since the folders look like Windows XP folders. By the way, one of the three folders was My Videos and not My Documents as I previously stated.

How do I make a clone of the Boot camp partition?

My MacBook Air (10.6.8) is having problems and I need to send it away for repairs. Before I do that I want to make a clone of everything and put it on my new MacBook Pro (10.7.2)
I am making a clone of the Mac partition using Carbon Copy Cloner. That has worked well as a backup for me.
The only problem is I need to make a clone of the Boot camp partition (Windows partition) and I don't know how.
I want to make an exact clone so it has all the operating system, files and everything.
The other question is when should I make a Bootcamp partition?
Should I migrate the clone to the new mac using Migration Assistant, and then make a boot camp partition? And then what are the exact steps putting the clone onto the boot camp partition?
Thanks for any help.

Here are some previous coments made on this forun regarding backup of a Boot Camp partition. I use Paragon HDMSuite 2011.
Casper 6 does seem to work;
WinClone was handy for XP users but doesn't for instance check for errors during the backup only during restore. Winclone was discontinued at 2.2, all 2.3 versions are hacks (removal of the OS check seems to be the main thing) There has been no deveoplment or support for a while now.
Acronis 2011 w/ plus pak, didn't work well previously
Ghost 15 - probably not
Casper 6 works for Windows on Boot Camp only
CopyCatX is more lengthy and sector copy so takes the longest.
Paragon Hard Drive Suite 2011 because it works great
and they have CampTune
Windows 7 system backup and restore - Apple's goofy HFS read-only interferes with system and file backup.
I have also used Casper, Clonezilla and Paragon but less regularly, Casper failed a few times, I stopped using it, Clonezilla worked but took forever (for me) Paragon (which I have only used twice) was the best but my sample is limited.
I have restored from DU, CCC, SuperDuper and TM, they all worked, TM was slower but not a lot, you can boot from the others, which I prefer.
HDM 2011 can do either offline or online backups, the difference is that with an offline backup, the entire partition (or disk) is unallocated. In an online backup, the backup utility is running against a partition that may be making changes to itself. When you run CCC or SD! in OS X, you're running an online backup. However, I would recommend (at least for the first backup) that you boot from the HDM recovery CD to do an offline backup. This will ensure that you have an *exact* copy of the parition/disk.
Since this is you first time backing up your partition, I would suggest using one of the Backup Wizards. They'll guide you through the backup process and keep you from doing something wrong Similarly, use the Restore Wizard to restore your partition/drive.
HDMS 2011- back up a dual-boot Mac to an external USB drive, do:
1) Boot from the Recovery Disk (I'm assuming that the backup hard drive is attached before you reboot)
2) Select Paragon Hard Disk Manager
3) Launch the Backup Wizard by selecting Wizards > Backup Wizard
4) Select the Mac hard disk (not the partition) where it asks "what to backup"
5) On the Backup Destination page, select "Save data to any local drive or a network share"
6) Hit the radio button for the "Save to local drive option" (unless you got a boatload of DVD's )
7) Select the external USB drive as the backup destination
8) Look over and correct the name and comments
9) Hit Next to start the backup
When it's done, you have an entire copy of your Mac's HD saved to external media.
If you need to recover your HD, just run the Recovery Wizard and reverse the process.

Can no longer see Boot Camp Partition

Hello all,
I was having problems with booting into Boot Camp/Windows 7 (I was just getting a black screen), so I attempted to delete the boot camp partition and reinstall it. When I did that, the program hung for a while, and finally said there was an error deleting the partition. However, it appears it like halfway deleted it, as it no longer shows up! When I go into disk utility, Macintosh HD shows blue, and then there is a 50 GB partition (the size of my bootcamp) that is white, but it is unlabeled. I cannot adjust the partition to make it the whole HD, and if I go to boot camp assistant, and try to make a new bootcamp partition, it bounces back with an error message as well. I am wondering how I can restore the partition back to the original all mac hd partition..ANy help would be greatly appreciated!!
Kevin

WinClone 3 $20
When you move to a new OS: clone your system, make sure you have backups you can use - for each - the partition table "rules" change with each new OS. And you want to reformat a drive from time to time especially then.
Carbon Copy Cloner 3.4 is a good way to clone your OS X partitions.
Basically, "start over" and restore to one HFS volume with OS X then run Boot Camp Assistant, then restore with Winclone image you made easier.
www.apple.com/support/bootcamp
Find CCC and WinClone www.macupdate.com

How do I restore data to a new mac with windows boot camp partition?

Hi
I have a new iMac and an old MBP, I'd like to copy all of the data of my old MBP to the iMac.Would doing that affect the windows boot camp partition?
and how do I do it?
right now im backing everything up on my MBP using super duper
both the MBP and the iMac are running on Lion

I am assuming the Boot Camp partition is on the old MBP and that the SuperDuper clone is on an external drive and is bootable. The Super Duper clone does not include the Boot Camp Partition.
To get the Mac Data moved you can use Migration Assistant and if you want to transfer the Boot Camp partition you would need Winclone to move/copy it to a newly created Boot Camp partition on the iMac. The SD Clone ( and a Winclone backup) is your insurance policy if some kind of difficulty arises.
Links to more detailed info.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6025
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11275
http://pondini.org/OSX/MigrateLion.html
http://twocanoes.com/support/winclone/migrating-a-bootcamp-partition-with-winclo ne
http://twocanoes.com/support/winclone/using-sysprep-when-migrating-boot-camp

How do I create a Boot Camp partition with Windows & blank NTFS partitions?

I'm trying to create this kind of setup:
OS X partition
Windows 7 partition
blank NTFS partition (no OS)
blank NTFS partition (no OS)
This would be much easier if I created just the OS X partition and the Windows 7 partition with the Boot Camp Assistant tool (done this many times before successfully on other computers). The problem begins when I try to split the Boot Camp partition through the Windows 7 DVD partition manager during setup by deleting the Boot Camp partition, and recreating three partitions from the unallocated space. After installing Windows 7 on one of those new three partitions, I'm getting all kinds of startup errors when I try to install the Boot Camp drivers.
What would the best way to achieve this setup?

Yes, I researched many options for three partition dual boot set ups. After many trials and tribulations, there is a simple method that I have used on multiple MBPs.
1. Run Boot Camp Assistant, as per the Boot Camp Installation and Setup Guide. Once you have Mac OS X and Windows 7 set up, check the partitions and back them up (with Time Machine, and Winclone).
2. Get iPartition, and resize the Mac and Windows partitions to what you want, say 100GB each, and set up your other partitions to the size you want. I put mine "after" the Windows partition, at the end of the disk, and have had no problems. It takes a few minutes to create the bootable CD for iPartition, but you get everything you need to do so from Coriolis Systems. You will need your Mac OS X installl disc.
3. Install Paragon's HFS+ for Windows and NTFS for Mac, and everybody can read and write everything.
4. I have both Time Machine and Norton 360 back up the Data partitions, just in case -- to an external drive, of course.
You can boot to either OS and access any partition.

Best way to make an image backup of a Boot Camp partition?

I want to upgrade my Windows XP partition to Windows 7. Before I do, though, I want to make a complete image backup of the partition, so if anything gets terribly screwed up, I can restore from the image and be right back where I started.
How can I make an image backup of my Boot Camp partition, and then restore it? Do I use Mac OS X Disk Utility for this?

I use Paragon Hard Disk Mgr 2011 Suite ($49) to clone to a new drive, backup, and Paragon has a number of products aimed at support for Boot Camp.
http://www.paragon-software.com/home/hdm-personal/
http://www.betanews.com/article/Paragon-Hard-Disk-Manager-2011-Suite/1295234930
New product with special, Paragon Drive Copy
http://www.paragon-software.com/home/dc-professional/
http://blog.paragon-software.com/?p=1160
Migrate XP to Windows 7
http://blog.paragon-software.com/?p=85

BSOD every 20 minutes running windows XP in boot camp partition

Has anyone else had this problem? Everything was running fine for a couple of months on my new mac OS X until around the time I installed the recommended updater to Boot Camp 2.1, then Windows XP started crashing every 20 minutes exactly, BCCode : 1000007f. One line of discussion suggests it's a boot camp problem but uninstalling the update hasn't helped. Others seemed to think it might be a graphics card incompatibility. I've now been advised that it's a Norton 2008 problem and I should uninstall that although I haven't tried yet. But the every 20 minutes must be some clue to what's going on. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks Axel. I removed Norton 2008 with the uninstall tool and hey presto no more BSODs so far (24 hours). I've also replaced Norton with Kaspersky. I guess this is really a Norton/Boot Camp compatibility problem but it's weird that Norton ran without problems on my system for five months until I installed the Boot Camp 2.1 updater. Having said that, I now see that there are a couple of discussions on this in the Boot Camp > Installation and Storage topic list ...
In one of these, Mark Davidson3 resolved the problem by completely uninstalling/reinstalling his Boot Camp partition and is now running Norton again with no problem but I wonder if that's because he must have uninstalled/reinstalled Norton in the process. Like me, the crashes had started for him only after he installed the Boot Camp 2.1 updater. Presumably Norton would run again on my system now too if I reinstalled it.
Has anyone out there talked to the Norton/Boot Camp people about this?

Copying a disk which has a boot camp partition

Colleague has an iMac with a boot camp partition, and the disk has failed. It won't boot off the mac partition, although the windows partition works fine. He bought a new 1T disk and we are trying to copy his disk on to it, and will then install the new disk into the iMac.
So it's booted up using the SnowLeopard install disk and I am running disk utility. First I tried to partition the disk into something that looks like the partition scheme on the current disk -- big partition for os x, little partition for windows, although big & little are 750GB vs 250GB as opposed to the smaller version on the 260GB original.
Then I tried to use the Restore to go from the old bootcamp partition to the new MS-DOS (fat) partition on the new drive. This failed. First it resized the fat partition down to an ever-so-slightly smaller partition than the NTFS original, and then generated an error because the partition is too small.
How do we do this?

Loner T wrote:
1. Do you have a TM backup of the OSX which came from this "failed" disk? It may just be a matter of reinstalling OSX too work around bacd blocks?
My boss tried that about a year ago, but it failed again after not too long.
2. What is the failure when switching to OSX from Windows?
Not sure. Now when I option-boot the machine I can't see either partition -- I can see the installer dvd and the new drive in its external enclosure.
3. Windows can be installed only on the internal disk, which is a Windows restriction that BC enforces. Apple allows OS to installed on external drives. Ask Gates/Ballmer/Nadella why?
4. Yes, you can get data of the disk, not matter how it is connected, internal or external. It is tricky to take a Volume and move it. Can I suggest an investment in Winclone to backup and restore (http://www.twocanoes.com/products/mac/winclone) Windows?
5. Yes, but I would recommend putting Bootcamp Windows back as BC/Windows, rather than virtualizing it using Parallels.
Well moving the new disk in to the iMac is one of the tasks we need to accomplish, so we can do it now. My plan was to use dd to move the data from the partition on the old drive to the partition on the new drive, once we can get Boot Camp Assistant to create it. Winclone looks like a great product, but it's $29. Parallels is only $79, and if a disk fails or you migrate to new hardware all of the Parallels vms come over effortlessly using Setup Assistant or Migration Assistant.

I've messed up my boot camp partition and would love some help :)

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