Accidentally overwrote OS X during Bootcamp install

[aluminumapple]

recently i got the new macbook aluminum 2.4 ghz model and i wanted to install windows xp on it, so i baught it (genuine sp2) and went on boot camp and it asked me the standard questions how much partition space i wanted to put, and i put 132gb for the osx and 100gb for the windows xp, and so i started installing the xp, and when i got to the partition part i only saw 1 partition and that was the 132 gb, and thought that was the 100 gb windows xp partition i had made (yes im a stupid IDIOT) and clicked on it and it started installing, after it finished it rebooted and i held options and i only saw Windows, so it was weird that i saw that when i followed instructions on youtube and the web and when i clicked on the windows than i just got a blank black screen with _ flashing back and forth doing nothing, i couldnt use my keyboard mouse Anything. Now iv realized i partitioned the osx and i feel really stupid and feel useless is there anyway to fix this?

[dvdhsu]

recently i got the new macbook aluminum 2.4 ghz model and i wanted to install windows xp on it, so i baught it (genuine sp2) and went on boot camp and it asked me the standard questions how much partition space i wanted to put, and i put 132gb for the osx and 100gb for the windows xp, and so i started installing the xp, and when i got to the partition part i only saw 1 partition and that was the 132 gb, and thought that was the 100 gb windows xp partition i had made (yes im a stupid IDIOT) and clicked on it and it started installing, after it finished it rebooted and i held options and i only saw Windows, so it was weird that i saw that when i followed instructions on youtube and the web and when i clicked on the windows than i just got a blank black screen with _ flashing back and forth doing nothing, i couldnt use my keyboard mouse Anything. Now iv realized i partitioned the osx and i feel really stupid and feel useless is there anyway to fix this?

Restart with the c key held down with your MacBook restore disk.
Then, start over with setting it up again.
Good Luck!

[aluminumapple]

Restart with the c key held down with your MacBook restore disk.
Then, start over with setting it up again.
Good Luck!

i cant take the disk out, by pressing the eject on the keyboard how could i take the disk out manually?

edit: c key held down doesnt do anything do you mean control? options key? ... sorry im very new to the mac

[GSPice]

Ouch. I've never done an OS X install from scratch. Pretty sure it's possible though. Or head to the Apple store.

[cablebob1]

I don't know of any other way than to reinstall OS X and then windows. Sorry I couldn't help much. Maybe someone else can. Hope you get your issue fixed!

[cablebob1]

Hold the power button down to reboot. Then boot back up holding the Option button. When you see windows try to eject then. IF that does not work, try installing windows and then the drivers to eject the disk. Hope that helps.

[aluminumapple]

Hold the power button down to reboot. Then boot back up holding the Option button. When you see windows try to eject then. IF that does not work, try installing windows and then the drivers to eject the disk. Hope that helps.

EDIT I CANNOT CHOOSE A DESTINATION IN WHICH TO INSTALL IT INTO...

[aluminumapple]

Hold the power button down to reboot. Then boot back up holding the Option button. When you see windows try to eject then. IF that does not work, try installing windows and then the drivers to eject the disk. Hope that helps.

new problem arose, i retstarted back into mac osx install with restore disk but when i wanted to click the destination in which i wanted to install my mac osx i had no destinations and it was just blank and could not advance further... any help...?

[plinden]

That's because there's no longer a Mac-formatted (ie. HFS+) partition. Exit the install process and with the DVD still in the drive, go to Tools -> Disk Utility and erase your whole internal drive, and format as MacOS Journaled. When you exit Disk Utility, restart the install process.

[aluminumapple]

That's because there's no longer a Mac-formatted (ie. HFS+) partition. Exit the install process and with the DVD still in the drive, go to Tools -> Disk Utility and erase your whole internal drive, and format as MacOS Journaled. When you exit Disk Utility, restart the install process.

thank you
thanks to all who helped me and who have tried to help me.

the mac community is for sure one who helps out fast to others who are in need of help.

[Guiyon]

Another tip that may be useful in the future: if you hold down the mouse button *during startup* (if you are using a USB mouse it's the left button) the system will eject anything in the primary DVD drive.

Edit:
Thanks Bengt77, I was thinking it but forgot to type it...

[Bengt77]

Another tip that may be useful in the future: if you hold down the mouse button during startup (if you are using a USB mouse it's the left button) the system will eject anything in the primary DVD drive.
There. Fixed that for you.

[aluminumapple]

after this mess, whenever i try any partition and try to install windows xp i keep getting a message that says C:131 GB.. even if i only partition 40gb, 5 gbs...

[dvdhsu]

after this mess, whenever i try any partition and try to install windows xp i keep getting a message that says C:131 GB.. even if i only partition 40gb, 5 gbs...

Sorry for kinda forgetting about this thread.
Anyways- where are you getting this error?

[dvdhsu]

1 hint I could try to give you would be to repair the disk in Disk Utility.
Open up a Spotlight Search and just Search for Disk Utility.
Then, on the left hand side, select your primary Hard Drive, then click Repair.
If there are errors, insert you MacBook Restore DVD and click install Leopard.
However, once it boots into the DVD, go to Disk Utility and repair the Drive from there.

Something like this just happened to me a few days ago, and I couldn't repair the Hard Drive at all in Leopard.
Eventually, I tried booting into the Restore DVD and using the Disk Utility from there- and it worked Perfectly!
Good Luck!

[aluminumapple]

1 hint I could try to give you would be to repair the disk in Disk Utility.
Open up a Spotlight Search and just Search for Disk Utility.
Then, on the left hand side, select your primary Hard Drive, then click Repair.
If there are errors, insert you MacBook Restore DVD and click install Leopard.
However, once it boots into the DVD, go to Disk Utility and repair the Drive from there.

Something like this just happened to me a few days ago, and I couldn't repair the Hard Drive at all in Leopard.
Eventually, I tried booting into the Restore DVD and using the Disk Utility from there- and it worked Perfectly!
Good Luck!

i went into os x and pressed repair, it said my hd was completely fine and after it finished i tried to install xp again and it came up with the same problem except this time no matter how many partition i make with bootcamp it keeps saying i only have one place to install xp onto and is

C: 131gb Unknown

even if i partition only 80gb or 40 gb through bootcamp it keeps on saying 131 gb unknown and that is the only option i see.

[Guiyon]

I've had a similar problem in the past, now that I think about it. When using the GUID partitioning format (needed for Intel booting on the Mac), Disk Utility doesn't seem to always properly sync the GUID partition table with the MBR wrapper leading to DU saying everything is fine and anything using the MBR format (ie: Windows or the BIOS layer) to report an incorrect partition scheme. I can't remember exactly how I got by this but I believe it was by doing a zero all data in DU, creating the partitioning scheme I wanted and then running Boot Camp and selecting my secondary partition. This bug created some rather nasty results when I tried to edit the drive in gparted as well.

[aluminumapple]

I've had a similar problem in the past, now that I think about it. When using the GUID partitioning format (needed for Intel booting on the Mac), Disk Utility doesn't seem to always properly sync the GUID partition table with the MBR wrapper leading to DU saying everything is fine and anything using the MBR format (ie: Windows or the BIOS layer) to report an incorrect partition scheme. I can't remember exactly how I got by this but I believe it was by doing a zero all data in DU, creating the partitioning scheme I wanted and then running Boot Camp and selecting my secondary partition. This bug created some rather nasty results when I tried to edit the drive in gparted as well.

im not that familiar with macs as im so used to pcs but how can i change the all data in DU? could you give me a step by step on how i can solve this problem? its really starting to bug me

[dvdhsu]

Have you ran Boot Camp assistant and Partitioned the HD with it?

[renoir]

I have a very similar problem. After years of a trouble free mac existence, i am facing the black screen of death.

Using bootcamp utility on my macbook pro i tried to install windows XP and 1/2 way through the install i realized XP was being installed on my main partition, not the secondary bootcamp partition. mistake #1

At the XP setup screen i had the options to 'setup windows' 'restart' or 'cancel' fearing for my computer, i cancelled. mistake #2

Now upon bootup i receive a HD icon with the word windows written below it. clicking on this gives the black screen of death.

I next tried to use the OSX 10.5 install disk to reinstall my mac from time machine. no luck.

Running disk utility, the original Macintosh HD is displayed as a file icon (white piece of paper) not a hard drive. bad news

Apparently the partial XP install left my hard drive in a state of windows limbo, and DU doesn't recognize it anymore. running verify produces no errors, but the available bytes is 0.

Apple tech support recommended that i finish installing XP, and then use DU to format the drive, but they cautioned that they do not support windows and this was only a guess.

I don't want to render my hard drive inoperable, does anyone know how i can get it working again? at this point im not worried about having XP installed, i just want leopard back.

Mac and Windows are like Democrats and Republicans - put them in a confined space and eventually they won't get along.

[Bengt77]

Mac and Windows are like Democrats and Republicans - put them in a confined space and eventually they won't get along.
Man, that's signature material, right there! :D

[After G]

renoir, an idea that might work is to clean install Leopard (after formatting your HD with Disk Utility) and then restore from your Time Machine backup.

[renoir]

clean install Leopard (after formatting your HD with Disk Utility) and then restore from your Time Machine backup.

The problem is that the install disk will not recognize the harddrive, even after formatting hfs extended journaled

[aluminumapple]

The problem is that the install disk will not recognize the harddrive, even after formatting hfs extended journaled

after 22 hours of trying to install windows xp i gave up and i know what you mean by black screen of death i have gotten it 4 times in a row, but i can always change the os.

i dont know why you cant do it but i could always install leopard no matter what happened to me, at the start up id press option and it take me to that gray spot after i would insert the disk and i would see Mac OSX disk and i could always reformat drive there but i dont know why yours isnt working :S..

Edit: heres something you can try out that might work, if you can Still goto Disk utility click on your hard drive goto Erase than choose Journaled and choose from Security options : ZERO Out Data.

that basically makes your computer literally put 0s in all places and lets you start a Clean slate Hard drive.

P.S after you do this and it works make sure at system preferences to always retart to the mac hard drive, as the clean slate doesnt recognize to do that.

[renoir]

after 22 hours of trying to install windows xp i gave up and i know what you mean by black screen of death i have gotten it 4 times in a row, but i can always change the os.


I read in the setup that the windows partition should be 32 GB for maximum compatibility. this might help you

Has anyone been able to confirm this?

[renoir]

after 22 hours of trying to install windows xp i gave up and i know what you mean by black screen of death i have gotten it 4 times in a row, but i can always change the os.

@aluminumapple did you ever have success with your xp install? You mentioned youtube tutorial videos, could you post those here?

[aluminumapple]

@aluminumapple did you ever have success with your xp install? You mentioned youtube tutorial videos, could you post those here?

i never had any success with installing windows xp, and i also returned the damn thing because it was $200 >:-(.

i wasted about 22 hours or a days worth of my life trying to install xp and i gave up, i suggest calling apple but im pretty sure they wont do anything and i gave up so good luck to you.

[mr666]

This is directed to the OP, not to others who may or may not have the same issue (accidentally formatted using Windows installer).
There should have been a warning in the screen of the Windows installer that you were formatting the 132GB partition. I have never been able to accidentally format a partition using either Windows or OS X installer disc, but I suppose there could be a first time.

Now that the water is under the bridge, you have to partition the entire drive using Disk Utility while booted to the OS X install DVD. In OS 10.5.8 and older, open Disk Utility from the "Utilities" menu at top. For OS 10.6, click the "Utilities" button at the bottom. You will choose the "Partition" tab, choose "1 partition", and click the "Options" button. Choose "GUID" partition scheme for any Intel Mac like yours. Click to partition. Wait. When it is done, be sure the format is "Mac OS Extended (journaled)" and not anything else, not even "Case Sensitive". If it is not correct, choose the "Erase" tab and erase as "Mac OS Extended (journaled)". When that is done, quit Disk Utility, and do the OS X installation.

Technically, you could have created two partitions when you applied the GUID. I have done that and later booted to Windows install disc and installed. Everything went fine without using Boot Camp Assistant at all.

After OS X is installed and it reboots to let you do the account setup, finish that and open Boot Camp Assistant if you did one partition, and use the option of the BCA to make a second partition.

When that is done, boot to the Windows install disc (facilitate this by either setting the Windows DVD/CD as the Startup Disk in System Preferences, or by holding the alt/option key for 30 seconds during restart). Wait a long time for Windows to copy its temp files, and you should get the option of choosing where to install Windows. Choose the FAT-32 or whatever partition (careful, now). Format as NTFS if you don't mind having to deal with installing MacFuse and NTFS-3G to enable writing to the Windows partition while using OS X. Me, I would never use FAT-32 as it is really ancient technology that even Microsoft shrinks away from now, and it cannot use any file larger than 4GB -- no large videos. After the format (I ALWAYS use the normal format method, never the "quick", just to be sure -- worth the extra time), install Windows. When that is done, restarts, and does all the additional agonizing stuff, put the OS X DVD in and wait. The "Boot Camp" driver install will launch after five-ten seconds and off you go.