Bootcamp and Partition error. Help!

[cake69]

hi,
so the other day ive decided to finally put xp on my macbook, just so everybody knows i use my macbook for my uni assignments and to store all my close memories (photos and diaries) so the data on there is vital and priceless. I launched the bootcamp application and i chose to partition 32gb for the windows, at this point i turned away to use my main PC playin a game while my macbook is partitioning away. i look back about 10mins later and i see a grey screen asking me to reset my macbook in few different languages. i didnt really read it properly thinking its apple and everything is idiotproof! it said to hold the power button in for few seconds to reset which i did, i resetted it and i was expecting the bootcamp to relaunch to further continue the operation (installin windows time or doin the driver disk thing) but it doesnt happen. i put the xp disc in and it doesnt load, and i look in finder and im missing a good 32gb, i restarted again holding the option key and i only see the Mac HD icon. i am a fairly new mac user and i just want to keep it full mac, i want to restore the way that it was without the stupid windows idea. is there a safe way to remerge my partitions together into the orginal full one?
also ive used disk utitilies and it doesnt pick up another partition >.>
im really cut about this and any help would be greatly appericated.
thanks in advance

Ps. ive searched for a longtime before posting, becuase i cant find the solution.

 

[merl1n]

hi,
so the other day ive decided to finally put xp on my macbook, just so everybody knows i use my macbook for my uni assignments and to store all my close memories (photos and diaries) so the data on there is vital and priceless. I launched the bootcamp application and i chose to partition 32gb for the windows, at this point i turned away to use my main PC playin a game while my macbook is partitioning away. i look back about 10mins later and i see a grey screen asking me to reset my macbook in few different languages. i didnt really read it properly thinking its apple and everything is idiotproof! it said to hold the power button in for few seconds to reset which i did, i resetted it and i was expecting the bootcamp to relaunch to further continue the operation (installin windows time or doin the driver disk thing) but it doesnt happen. i put the xp disc in and it doesnt load, and i look in finder and im missing a good 32gb, i restarted again holding the option key and i only see the Mac HD icon. i am a fairly new mac user and i just want to keep it full mac, i want to restore the way that it was without the stupid windows idea. is there a safe way to remerge my partitions together into the orginal full one?
also ive used disk utitilies and it doesnt pick up another partition >.>
im really cut about this and any help would be greatly appericated.
thanks in advance

Ps. ive searched for a longtime before posting, becuase i cant find the solution.

Launch /Applications/Utitilies/Grab and let that run in the background.

Launch Disk Utility, select the drive device (not the volumes beneath it), click the Partition tab, to display the map.

Using Grab, capture the Disk Utility window and post it here.

 

[aaronw1986]

You should be able to restore the space by using the boot camp assistant again. I was very worried when I read the sentence "so the data on there is vital and priceless". You really should keep backups of this stuff. Personally, I have my photos and such backed up on external drives and optical media. Back up your stuff so you don't loose it, you are lucky.

 

[cake69]

You should be able to restore the space by using the boot camp assistant again. I was very worried when I read the sentence "so the data on there is vital and priceless". You really should keep backups of this stuff. Personally, I have my photos and such backed up on external drives and optical media. Back up your stuff so you don't loose it, you are lucky.

yeh i reloaded bootcamp assistant several times, it just goes to 2nd screen and asks if u would like to partition. its lik its forgetten it has partitiond my drive already (probably becuase i force restarted it wrong). i will backup all my files before i attempt anything, but before i do i just want to know if it is possible to restore my stolen space. thanks alot for your help so far guys

and this is my screen thingy

 

[merl1n]

yeh i reloaded bootcamp assistant several times, it just goes to 2nd screen and asks if u would like to partition. its lik its forgetten it has partitiond my drive already (probably becuase i force restarted it wrong). i will backup all my files before i attempt anything, but before i do i just want to know if it is possible to restore my stolen space. thanks alot for your help so far guys

and this is my screen thingy

Ok, do a TM backup now.

What you had was a Kernel Panic (the screen in various languages telling you to restart).

I see from the screen shot that you have "dead space (28GB)" there.

I would suggest a total reformat of the drive.

Boot from your Leopard DVD and when you get to the first screen, select English, then stop.

Go to the Utilities menu and select Disk Utility.

Select the device and click the Partition tab. Change "Current" to "1 Partition". Name the disk (no spaces or special characters) and click Apply.

This will reformat the disk and you should gain back the lost space.

Quit Disk Utility and under the Utilities menu select a "TM restore" (I don't know the exact wording, but you will find it there).

This should put things back to the way they were before you used Boot Camp.

 

[cake69]

o so i have to do a reformat after all?
how do i use timemachine?? i dont have that apple time capsule thing i didnt buy one, or u mean just copy everything onto my external HD lik the windows way (copy and paste)? um once i do wat u do, will i have everything lik default? caz i customised my mac the way i liked it and ive never set up using TM before. im really upset by this. thanks for ur help merlin

 

[merl1n]

o so i have to do a reformat after all?
how do i use timemachine?? i dont have that apple time capsule thing i didnt buy one, or u mean just copy everything onto my external HD lik the windows way (copy and paste)? um once i do wat u do, will i have everything lik default? caz i customised my mac the way i liked it and ive never set up using TM before. im really upset by this. thanks for ur help merlin

Time Machine is an app built into Leopard. All you need is an external disk drive. You DO NOT WANT TO JUST COPY AND PASTE STUFF.

If you have files on the external drive right now, copy them over to something else, even your mac somewhere.

Then use Disk Utility on the Mac and make sure that drive has the GUID partition map (Intel Macs). You select the device, click the Partition tab, change "Current" to "1 Partition" (this enables the options button), click the options button and select GUID... Then click OK, name the disk, and click Apply.

Then in System Preferences -> Time Machine, select that drive for your TM backups. The backup should start within a minute or two, but will take a few hours. It will back up everything on your Mac including your customized settings. Once this is done, boot off of the Leopard DVD and follow the instructions from my previous post. TIME MACHINE IS YOUR FRIEND!

 

[cake69]

oh ok.
well just so u no im using one of the new macbooks intel ones with lepoard.
do u think i should get another external HD for backing up my Macbook stuff, the current one is near filling becuase it backs up all my files from PC and mac, where i have just been copying and pasting before. if i use TM will it configure
the HD just to my mac? will i be able to access it from my PC side? also how long will each back up take? a few hours will be quite alot for backin up in my honest opinion, and also my 'custom' setups can be redone again, just lik my colours the magic corners n stuff lol pretty noob mac user, but the way u told me, is that a complete reformat of my mac or just like a roll back ??? will a full reformat be easier ? just reinstall everything back on? or just take it into a apple store? im still covered atm so im not sure wat to do.

also, the 28gb is the remaining space i have. another 32gb is missing (apparently used up already). will this be helpful ?

 

[merl1n]

do u think i should get another external HD for backing up my Macbook stuff, the current one is near filling becuase it backs up all my files from PC and mac, where i have just been copying and pasting before.

Yes

if i use TM will it configure the HD just to my mac? will i be able to access it from my PC side?

Depends. If you use only one partition, then it is just for the Mac. If you partition the drive (one for Mac TM backups and one for Windows) then you can access the Windows side from your PC, but not the TM side.

also how long will each back up take? a few hours will be quite alot for backin up in my honest opinion...

Only the "initial backup" takes a few hours. The rest of them are "incremental" and only take a few minutes depending on how much has changed.

...is that a complete reformat of my mac or just like a roll back ??? will a full reformat be easier ?...

You are doing a total reformat of your internal drive as I indicated before.

just reinstall everything back on? or just take it into a apple store?

Not necessary. You don't have to reinstall anything. That's what the TM restore is for. Just follow my instructions as I previously posted.

also, the 28gb is the remaining space i have. another 32gb is missing (apparently used up already). will this be helpful ?

This will be taken care of with the reformat of the internal drive. It will free up all of the drive space.

Geesh. You ask of lot of questions.

 

[cake69]

thanks alot merlin.
u are a life saver.
+good karma / e-kiss

 

[trainby4]

Ok, do a TM backup now.

What you had was a Kernel Panic (the screen in various languages telling you to restart).

I see from the screen shot that you have "dead space (28GB)" there.

I would suggest a total reformat of the drive.

Boot from your Leopard DVD and when you get to the first screen, select English, then stop.

Go to the Utilities menu and select Disk Utility.

Select the device and click the Partition tab. Change "Current" to "1 Partition". Name the disk (no spaces or special characters) and click Apply.

This will reformat the disk and you should gain back the lost space.

Quit Disk Utility and under the Utilities menu select a "TM restore" (I don't know the exact wording, but you will find it there).

This should put things back to the way they were before you used Boot Camp.

you know you could just go into your disk utility and do the usual disk permission repair. disk repair if you want. but then all you need to do is "erase free space" it takes some time but once you do that then it appears to erase any "ghost" sort of things. if you really feel fancy you can do the "go to folder" in finder and type in "private/ var" and that will get you to the space where "ghost" kernels and images go and fester in your hard drive.
hope it helps.