Bootcamp Help

Are they shaded out when booted off the install DVD? Repair Disk only works when the disk isn't mounted in the normal read/write fashion. Ergo booting off the install DVD. If that doesn't work, the other option is to boot into single user mode and do fsck -- this is the same thing as Repair Disk from disk utility.

 

Okay, okay, let me try and walk you through it. Sorry.

First, as for losing data... No...that's almost impossible, unless you have seriously messed your disk up somehow. But if you're a newb, it's better to use the Install DVD. Make sure you're doing it right. Try it this way:

With the computer booted, insert the install disc and then go to System Preferences -> Startup Disk. From that window, select the DVD in the list at the top, and click the restart button inside the window.

When the computer reboots, you SHOULD NOT get a login window. If you do, you DID NOT successfully boot off the DVD. Instead, you should get a window prompting you to walk through the steps of installing OS X. You're NOT going to do this. Instead, you'll notice the menu bar is still intact. In the menus, there is an option to switch to Disk Utility. Select it.

The install dialog will go away and be replaced by Disk Utility. Now, you should be able to click on the disk volume in the left, and Repair Disk should not be ghosted. Run it. It should end with green text (usually) saying that the repair was successful. This is when you know it's done, and you can go back to trying to install Bootcamp.