Resolved How to remove BootCamp's partition?

hakr · Dec 1, 2009

I want to dump the bootcamp partition off my machine and recover its space for the simple, main mac partition...

Bootcamp Assistant and Disk Util don't seem to do the job, and I'm getting hints that I have to repartition the whole hard disk for this.

Surely there is another way...

Strobe · Dec 1, 2009

If you click the search button in the top right and type in "Boot camp" and run the Boot Camp Assistant, then just hit continue and there should be a radio button for removing the Windows partition. Takes usually just a minute or two

I however did this on a Mac Pro and it got rid of the partition for me, but my boot menu (holding option) still shows a copy of Windows even though I got rid of 2 partitions I had of windows. I had a 320GB secondary drive with Vista/XP combo on it so I had 2 Windows options well one somehow is stuck in the boot menu (just doesn't work anymore) and Applecare was clueless on how to fix it. Reinstalling OSX and using a backup from time machine fixed that issue.

hakr · Dec 1, 2009

Strobe said:
If you click the search button in the top right and type in "Boot camp" and run the Boot Camp Assistant, then just hit continute and there should be a radio button for removing the Windows partition. Takes usually just a minute or two.

I however did this on a Mac Pro and it got rid of the partition for me, but my boot menu (holding option) still shows a copy of Windows even though I got rid of 2 partitions I had of windows. I had a 320GB secondary drive with Vista/XP combo on it so I had 2 Windows options well one somehow is stuck in the boot menu (just doesn't work anymore) and Applecare was clueless on how to fix it. Reinstalling OSX and using a backup from time machine fixed that issue.

Arrgh...what I get is this:

The startup disk cannot be partitioned or restored to a single partition.

The startup disk must be formatted as a single Mac OS extended (journaled) volume or already partitioned by boot camp assistant for installing windows.

Strobe · Dec 1, 2009

Well I feel as if that is outside my mac knowledge lol. Good luck with that one, hopefully someone posts that has a better work around. You can try disk utility from the OSX install dvd so that OSX isn't running off of the hard drive when partitioning. That was Applecare's suggestion for me even though it never fixed my problem.

hakr · Dec 1, 2009

"You can try disk utility from the OSX install dvd so that OSX isn't running off of the hard drive when partitioning. That was Applecare's suggestion for me even though it never fixed my problem."

I'm trying that now...nope...saw nothing that would enable me to delete the HD setaside for bootcamp. 30+ gigs... grrrrr.

Jason Beck · Dec 1, 2009

hakr said:
Arrgh...what I get is this:

The startup disk cannot be partitioned or restored to a single partition.

The startup disk must be formatted as a single Mac OS extended (journaled) volume or already partitioned by boot camp assistant for installing windows.

eek!!

hakr · Dec 3, 2009

Well, apparently I have stumped the band here....

Keniff · Dec 3, 2009

Fire up the Boot Camp assistant in Applications, then Utilities.
The rest is self-explanatory.
Make sure you have a backup before you start and quit any other running programs.

hakr · Dec 4, 2009

Keniff said:
Fire up the Boot Camp assistant in Applications, then Utilities.
The rest is self-explanatory.
Make sure you have a backup before you start and quit any other running programs.

Thanks, I tried that...no joy.

lordjimy · Dec 4, 2009

Try this:

1. Run Disk Utility and format your windows partition to FAT
2. When you're in disk utility run "verify disk". If you'll get errors than restart your mac with Install disc 1 and "verify disk" again and than repair.
3. When your windows partition is formated to FAT run "Boot Camp Assistant".

hakr · Dec 4, 2009

lordjimy said:
Try this:

1. Run Disk Utility and format your windows partition to FAT
2. When you're in disk utility run "verify disk". If you'll get errors than restart your mac with Install disc 1 and "verify disk" again and than repair.
3. When your windows partition is formated to FAT run "Boot Camp Assistant".

Thanks, but...
When I run disk utility, I see no facility to format your windows partition to FAT.

lordjimy · Dec 4, 2009

hakr said:
Thanks, but...
When I run disk utility, I see no facility to format your windows partition to FAT.

If you use NTFS than you need to install ntfs-3g (free option) or paragon ntfs (pay option). Than you'll see windows partition in Disk Utility.

whyrichard · Dec 4, 2009

maybe it's time for restoring from a time machine backup?
restart pressing down c with the osx disk in your machine, reformat your drive, restore from a time machine backup...

Warcraft Tauren · Dec 4, 2009

Do you run bootcamp with VMWare or Parallels? Trying removing the bootcamp partition from that, and then try loading the bootcamp assistant.

I don't know why I'm suggesting this as they should not have any affect on bootcamp but considering what the others have suggested I'm all out of ideas.

dmz · Dec 4, 2009

Apple Help Menu is your friend...

From the Apple Help Menu (how to remove windows?)

1.In Mac OS X, quit all open applications and log out any other users on your computer.

2. Open Boot Camp Assistant, in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder.

3. Select Restore the startup disk to a single volume, and then click Continue.

If your computer has multiple internal disks and you used Boot Camp to create a Windows partition on one of them, follow steps 1 and 2 above, and then click Create or remove a Windows partition. Click Continue and select the disk with Windows on it. Then select Restore to a single Mac OS partition.

If you installed Windows on a single-volume disk, use Disk Utility (located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder) to erase the disk and reformat it as a Mac OS X volume.

I have also successfully done this with Disk Utility. First, select the device on which your windows partition resides (i.e. not the volume/partitions listed/nested under the device), then click the "Partition" tab on the right side of the window. You should see a map of the partitions on your hard drive. Select the one you wish to remove(the Windows partition) and click the "-"(minus) sign beneath the list. You will be warned that doing this will erase the contents, but continue on. You will be left with one partition which is smaller than the device. To reclaim - simply drag the bottom right corner of the remaining partition until it fills the remaining space in the map, or click the "+"(plus) sign to add another partition. You may not be able to do this "live", i.e. from the boot disk, so alternatively you can boot from your install disk (must be same major OS version as your installed version, i.e. 10.4 install disk for 10.4.1-11, 10.5 for 10.5.1-8, etc.)

Bonne chance!

:apple:

dmz

hakr · Dec 4, 2009

Well, I resolved the problem by reformatting the hard drive and then doing a restore from Time Machine...so this issue is closed.

MacsRcraZ · May 26, 2010

dmz said:
From the Apple Help Menu (how to remove windows?)

I have also successfully done this with Disk Utility. First, select the device on which your windows partition resides (i.e. not the volume/partitions listed/nested under the device), then click the "Partition" tab on the right side of the window. You should see a map of the partitions on your hard drive. Select the one you wish to remove(the Windows partition) and click the "-"(minus) sign beneath the list. You will be warned that doing this will erase the contents, but continue on. You will be left with one partition which is smaller than the device. To reclaim - simply drag the bottom right corner of the remaining partition until it fills the remaining space in the map, or click the "+"(plus) sign to add another partition. You may not be able to do this "live", i.e. from the boot disk, so alternatively you can boot from your install disk (must be same major OS version as your installed version, i.e. 10.4 install disk for 10.4.1-11, 10.5 for 10.5.1-8, etc.)

Bonne chance!

dmz

God, the registration process is so annoying!

Anyhow, I just wanted to say that for anyone else viewing this page, DMZ is correct. It's so simple you will look over it every time if you're a new mac user. (like myself)

GGJstudios · May 26, 2010

MacsRcraZ said:
God, the registration process is so annoying!

That's to make it more difficult for people to resurrect old threads without anything useful to add!

darkdyu · Jul 29, 2011

Just found it!!!!!!!!

hakr said:
I want to dump the bootcamp partition off my machine and recover its space for the simple, main mac partition...

Bootcamp Assistant and Disk Util don't seem to do the job, and I'm getting hints that I have to repartition the whole hard disk for this.

Surely there is another way...

I was also searching a way to completely remove a partition and it's really simple.
1 Open disk utility
2. Choose the very first Hard drive (not the Mac one but the very first one at top)
3. On the right side choose partition
4. Drag down the line of the bootcamp partition to 0 and click apply.

It worked for me reply if it did for you as well.

macnanimous247 · Aug 7, 2011

2 darkdyu's nomination with a twist

Although I agree with what you need to do in order to delete that unwanted partition. I must add a step. I have a Mac Pro and I had to do something a tad different.

1. Go do Disk Util
2. Click on the HardDrive listed at the very top.. (Not the Macintosh HD) but the one that probably is labeled with the entire size of disk space (mine was a 500.11 Hitachi HTS5...)
3. click on the partition you wish to delete..
4. Then click the minus(-) button.
5. Once you do that it will ask if you want to remove this partition. When you click remove you will be waiting for all your worries to be over as the partition will be gone..

6. Thank darkdyu and those before him for looking into this issue and reaching a successful conclustion...

Megagator · Sep 13, 2011

macnanimous247 said:
Although I agree with what you need to do in order to delete that unwanted partition. I must add a step. I have a Mac Pro and I had to do something a tad different.

1. Go do Disk Util
2. Click on the HardDrive listed at the very top.. (Not the Macintosh HD) but the one that probably is labeled with the entire size of disk space (mine was a 500.11 Hitachi HTS5...)
3. click on the partition you wish to delete..
4. Then click the minus(-) button.
5. Once you do that it will ask if you want to remove this partition. When you click remove you will be waiting for all your worries to be over as the partition will be gone..

6. Thank darkdyu and those before him for looking into this issue and reaching a successful conclustion...

Thank You! I've had a giant headache failing to install windows. Now I remember why I bought a Mac.

abi75 · Sep 24, 2011

Boot camp beta 1.4 windows partition

Hi, i have a problem for which i could not find any solution, It goes like this.....

As we know its 2011

some people still use TIGER as OS. I am one of them.
In 2007 when i bought my mac i had bootcamp beta 1.4, using which i partitioned the disk to have windows.

recently i had to format my mac. Unfortunately i did not keep boot camp beta 1.4 back up. Therefore now am unable to remove windows back up. I have tried disk utility. IT does not allow me to format the disk as it is in grey.

two possible solutions for which i need your help

1) if some one has a copy of original boot camp and can do me a great favour to upload it onto any sharing web site.It might help others as well.

2) if some one can suggest any other software which he/she might have tried himself/herself.

I am desperate to get back my space from windows.Please have mercy and do not suggest buying Lion etc as it would cost a fortune for me.Thnx and hoping for your help.

magnusalpha · Mar 23, 2013

Easy fix, for me at least

hakr said:
Arrgh...what I get is this:

The startup disk cannot be partitioned or restored to a single partition.

The startup disk must be formatted as a single Mac OS extended (journaled) volume or already partitioned by boot camp assistant for installing windows.

I used Disk Utility in OS X to reformat the Windows partition. When you go back into the Boot Camp Assistant, the error message shouldn't pop back up; it should start to restore your disk to a single partition.

DrYao94 · Jun 20, 2013

Go to Disk Utility and make sure your Bootcamp Drive is "Mounted", then try to restore your drive back to a single partition with Bootcamp and it should work

wiz kid · Jan 30, 2015

@lordjimmy, Thank you so much for your suggestion. This fixed my problem.

Resolved How to remove BootCamp's partition?

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