BootCamp on a double partitioned drive

[craigc_]

So the hard drive in my MBP is partitioned into two separate partitions. One for OS X and the other for all my data. I want to install XP for some games and so I would like to use bootcamp to do so. My question is, is the drive that bootcamp will partition limited to the one with OS X already on it? Or can I use it on my other partition that has all my data.

And second, should I want to revert back and delete the windows partition, will everything go back to the way it was? Or will I have to format and re-partition anything.

Thanks in advance.

 

[vasanth4u]

So the hard drive in my MBP is partitioned into two separate partitions. One for OS X and the other for all my data. I want to install XP for some games and so I would like to use bootcamp to do so. My question is, is the drive that bootcamp will partition limited to the one with OS X already on it? Or can I use it on my other partition that has all my data.

And second, should I want to revert back and delete the windows partition, will everything go back to the way it was? Or will I have to format and re-partition anything.

Thanks in advance.

HI

The Answer to your Question is : If u use bootcamp it would format the partition in Ntfs or Fat 32 format depending on the OS that u install ..So u have to backup the all your data and then use it for Bootcamp or you can create a new partition on the existing HDD using Disk Utility ..

Reply back if any issues .

 

[wrldwzrd89]

If your internal drive is already partitioned, Boot Camp Assistant will refuse to do anything to it.

 

[craigc_]

If I use Disk Utility, can I partition any of the existing partitions further so I'll have a total of 3? Or do I have to format the entire drive and make it 2 separate partitions from the start.

 

[vasanth4u]

If I use Disk Utility, can I partition any of the existing partitions further so I'll have a total of 3? Or do I have to format the entire drive and make it 2 separate partitions from the start.

Yes we can do a partition without formating the drive, we have to create a partition using Mac part not windows part .

 

[craigc_]

Yes we can do a partition without formating the drive, we have to create a partition using Mac part not windows part .

I tried to do this in Disk Utility and make the 3rd partition an NTFS but it says the size of the disk is not supported by the filesystem (25GB in this case). Should I format as FAT32? I want to install FIFA 10 on the windows partition, will the 4GB file size limit on a FAT32 stop me from doing so?

 

[xi mezmerize ix]

I'm a little confused as to why you have your HD partitioned the way it is. Why did you create a separate partition for data? You could have just left it unpartitioned and just saved stuff to the drive. Did you want to set a limit on how much you store or something like that?

 

[craigc_]

I'm a little confused as to why you have your HD partitioned the way it is. Why did you create a separate partition for data? You could have just left it unpartitioned and just saved stuff to the drive. Did you want to set a limit on how much you store or something like that?

I made a separate partition for my data so whenever I want to reinstall, I just need to reinstall on the OS partition, leaving my data untouched.

 

[KingYaba]

See rEFIt http://refit.sourceforge.net/. When I had a Mac I stopped using Bootcamp. I ended up having four partitions.

 

[craigc_]

See rEFIt http://refit.sourceforge.net/. When I had a Mac I stopped using Bootcamp. I ended up having four partitions.

Not to sure how this will help me. Seems very useful once I actually get Windows installed. I basically want to able to install Windows on a third partition without formatting the existing partitions. Can this program help me?

 

[KingYaba]

Not to sure how this will help me. Seems very useful once I actually get Windows installed. I basically want to able to install Windows on a third partition without formatting the existing partitions. Can this program help me?

You want to install Windows on a third partition without formatting existing partitions. Yea, ok, use a virtual machine. http://www.virtualbox.org/ You'll have to format to natively boot in Windows. I suggest using GParted. Boot in a Linux Live CD.