How to have multiple mac partitions on a dual system macbook?

[kisas]

Hi guys,
I know how to install windows 7 on macbook. However, after installation, I only has one mac partition and one windows partition. I work majorly on mac and I need 2 more mac partition, one for data and one for movies. I tried to make more mac partitions with disk utilities. But windows won't boot after this. My question is that Can I have multiple mac partitions on this dual system macbook? and how?

By the way, I don't want to reinstall my mac.

Any input is appreciated.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Why do you need two more partitions for Mac OS X?

 

[kisas]

Because I'm used to have multiple partitions. For example, I have a lot of data. I would like to put them on a separate partition so that I don't have to worry about backing it up when I re-install mac os.

Why do you need two more partitions for Mac OS X?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Because I'm used to have multiple partitions. For example, I have a lot of data. I would like to put them on a separate partition so that I don't have to worry about backing it up when I re-install mac os.

I understand. I just employ a different backup process I guess, as I backup all my important data and can recover it within an hour, while reinstalling Mac OS X.
But since I switched to SSDs for my Macs, I use a second HDD in my MBP for all the data and a cloned copy of the SSD, and external HDDs for my iMac.

As far as I know and have experienced, one can only have two partitions with Boot Camp, though I once had three partitions with the help of rEFIt, to have three OSs on my Mac.

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[kisas]

Thanks for your information. Is is easy to have multiple mac partitions with rEFIt?

I understand. I just employ a different backup process I guess, as I backup all my important data and can recover it within an hour, while reinstalling Mac OS X.
But since I switched to SSDs for my Macs, I use a second HDD in my MBP for all the data and a cloned copy of the SSD, and external HDDs for my iMac.

As far as I know and have experienced, one can only have two partitions with Boot Camp, though I once had three partitions with the help of rEFIt, to have three OSs on my Mac.

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[simsaladimbamba]

Thanks for your information. Is is easy to have multiple mac partitions with rEFIt?

That I don't know, as it has been five years since I used rEFIt and Windows on my Intel Macs.
Maybe look at the available rEFIt documentation or the Advanced Search while waiting for a more comprehensive and fulfilling answer.

 

[kisas]

Thanks, but I didn't find useful posts.

Maybe I should just go with only two partitions on my mac

 

[Mike Boreham]

Thanks, but I didn't find useful posts.

Maybe I should just go with only two partitions on my mac

If you make the extra partitions with iPartition in stead of Disk Utility, the Windows Bootcamp partition will remain bootable.

Very easy to do.

 

[grezaie]

Solved_Windows on Mac with Multiple Partitions

If you like to have Mac and Windows dual boot with multiple partitions, follow these steps.

1. Prior to partitioning your Mac, use "Boot Camp Assistant" and install windows 7 following the normal procedure.

2. When windows installation is complete, boot into Mac, run "Disk Utility", click on the hard drive media, and select "Partition" tab. Using the + sign divide the "Macintosh HD" into two parts and resize them as you need, allocating enough space for Mac OS. The new partition will be named as "Macintosh H". Select this partition and from "Format" (under "Partition Information") select "Free Space". Apply and exit the utility.

3. Reboot into windows while the windows installation disc is in the DVD Rom and let the windows do "Start Up Repair" and restart.

4. Reboot into Mac again and run "Disk Utility". Click on the new partition (Macintosh H) and format it as "Ms-Dos Fat". This makes the partition to be visible in windows.

5. Reboot into windows again and let it do "Start Up Repair" (if not automatic select appropriate options) and restart.

6. Now you have the new partition showing up in windows that can be divided into more parts right from inside windows. To do this, go "Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Disk Management", select the partition (Macintosh h) and delete it first. Then right click on the free space and using "New Simple Volume" create new partition with different sizes.

 

[murphychris]

Short answer is yes and the tool to use is gdisk. It's free, open source software. Also known as GPT fdisk, and can be found on Source Forge.

But it's totally non-obvious how to create the hybrid MBR required so Apple's CSM-BIOS is activated, so that Windows can be booted, and still have access to your other Mac OS partitions.

Now, that's just about making new partitions. If you also want to keep your data, you need to resize existing JHFS+/X partitions first. So presumably you have a partition layout like this:

EFI System
Mac OS
Windows

So you first need to learn to use diskutil resizevolume to resize the Mac OS partition into three partitions: original, data, and movies. This will change the entries in the GPT, but not the MBR (in fact, I believe this act will reset the MBR back to protective and Windows will not be bootable until you restore the hybrid MBR).

Then you'll use gdisk to re-establish the hybrid MBR. I personally only add the Windows partition to MBR entry 2. While MBR entry 1, 0xEE, defines the start and end blocks from sector 1 to the last sector before the start of Windows' NTFS volume.