How do I create a data partition for use with Boot Camp?

[ajbrehm]

I am planning to install Boot Camp and Windows Vista on my MacBook.

But I want a FAT32 data partition both systems can access.

How do I create three partitions, one for Mac OS X, one for Windows, and one for data using the Boot Camp tools?

Or can Mac OS X read and write to NTFS partitions now?

[spinnerlys]

Originally Posted by ajbrehm

I am planning to install Boot Camp and Windows Vista on my MacBook.

But I want a FAT32 data partition both systems can access.

How do I create three partitions, one for Mac OS X, one for Windows, and one for data using the Boot Camp tools?

Or can Mac OS X read and write to NTFS partitions now?

Mac OS X can read NTFS formatted volumes natively, but needs MacFuse + NTFS-3G to write to NTFS formatted drives.

Windows can't read or write HFS+ formatted volumes natively, it needs MacDrive to do so.

[maflynn]

FWIW, bootcamp can only create a single partition. I suppose you can create a large bootcamp partition and during the install process use only a portion of that space and then create a FAT32 partition that both windows and OSX can easily read/write.

[ajbrehm]

Originally Posted by spinnerlys

Mac OS X can read NTFS formatted volumes natively, but needs MacFuse + NTFS-3G to write to NTFS formatted drives.

Windows can't read or write HFS+ formatted volumes natively, it needs MacDrive to do so.

I read that Snow Leopard's Windows drivers would allow Windows to read HFS+?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X_Snow_Leopard

[ajbrehm]

Originally Posted by maflynn

FWIW, bootcamp can only create a single partition. I suppose you can create a large bootcamp partition and during the install process use only a portion of that space and then create a FAT32 partition that both windows and OSX can easily read/write.

I think the Windows partition has to be the last partition on the disk.

I'll try shrinking the Mac partition and then delete and replace the Windows partition in Disk Utility. Going back to the Boot Camp Assistant I'll see if I can use one of the two partitions for Windows.

[madog]

Originally Posted by ajbrehm

I think the Windows partition has to be the last partition on the disk.

I'll try shrinking the Mac partition and then delete and replace the Windows partition in Disk Utility. Going back to the Boot Camp Assistant I'll see if I can use one of the two partitions for Windows.

Bootcamp is just a partitioning tool, and isn't needed for Windows.

If starting from scratch, you can partition through Disk Utility with the bottom partition as MS-DOS (FAT 16 which both systems can access) format (during the Windows installation you can change the format to NTFS or FAT 32), and later boot to a Windows installation disk by holding down the C key during boot or holding down the OPTION key.

Search Google or Mroogle if you want to know how to set up multiple partitions for multiple OS's through Disk Utility. It has been done before and shouldn't be much different in Snow Leopard.