How to partition a MBP? First-time Mac user

[ArthurDaley]

Right so got my first Mac, a MBP. I've got lots of Windows XP stuff I need to keep running going into the near future. So plan of action is to install Parallels desktop and maybe also use the Bootcamp feature of Leopard.

It's a 200 gig h/drive. Question is how should I partition the drive? Big blob or two for Mac OS and Mac Data; one blog for Windows XP and another blob for something else? Also what filing systems should I use for each and what tools can I use to repartition without destroying the OS etc?

Thanks in advance

 

[killmoms]

To non-destructively create a Windows partition, use the Boot Camp Assistant. You don't need any other partitions, just store your documents and data in your home folder.

 

[andrewdale]

Yes. If you're strictly doing it for dual-booting Windows, just use the Boot Camp Assistant.

I'm not sure how much you plan to do on Windows, but I just have it installed for some games that I have that are for Windows. I only gave it 20GB of my 200GB HDD, so 10%. I didn't want to hinder my ability to use the HDD in OSX and I definitely don't want to have to re-install Windows.

So, yeah.

 

[Azmordean]

A related question.. I usually like to use a "Media" partition to store photos and music and such on, so I don't have to worry about restoring all that stuff if I reinstall the OS. If I wanted to do that.. would I set up the two OS X partitions when I install Leopard, then run the Boot Camp assistant after Leopard is up and running?

 

[killmoms]

A related question.. I usually like to use a "Media" partition to store photos and music and such on, so I don't have to worry about restoring all that stuff if I reinstall the OS. If I wanted to do that.. would I set up the two OS X partitions when I install Leopard, then run the Boot Camp assistant after Leopard is up and running?

You don't have to. Just do an archive & install of OS X, which will replace your /System folder with the new one and leave your Applications and user folders alone entirely. 99.9% of the time there is no reason to do an erase and install.

 

[ArthurDaley]

I am still lost.

Assume I don't know how to install Leopard - come on the MBP just came.

What I guess I want is a partition for OSX, one for Windows XP, one for media.

Out of 200 gig, what kind of % should I allocate, and what filing systems should be used and what program do I use to create the partitions? I really can't get off the ground with this new MBP until the disk is partitioned up. I plan to run Parallels.

 

[EYESPORTS]

I am still lost.

Assume I don't know how to install Leopard - come on the MBP just came.

What I guess I want is a partition for OSX, one for Windows XP, one for media.

Out of 200 gig, what kind of % should I allocate, and what filing systems should be used and what program do I use to create the partitions? I really can't get off the ground with this new MBP until the disk is partitioned up. I plan to run Parallels.

I have the same question (have a new MBP). I'd like to have one partition for Windows XP, another partition for Time Machine, and another one for photos/MP3 files. From what I understand, should be set up (partitioned correctly) at the first setup. I think we need more "basic" answers for the "newbies" (which includes myself).

 

[UltraNEO*]

I am still lost.

Assume I don't know how to install Leopard - come on the MBP just came.

What I guess I want is a partition for OSX, one for Windows XP, one for media.

Out of 200 gig, what kind of % should I allocate, and what filing systems should be used and what program do I use to create the partitions? I really can't get off the ground with this new MBP until the disk is partitioned up. I plan to run Parallels.

Honestly...
I dunno why people worry so much... Chill it's MacOSX!

Chances are the system will be ready to use from the moment you open the box...
it'll probably need a battery calibration, once your comfortable.

Don't worry, there's no need to erase and reinstall! In MacOSX, Leopard can partition a drive on the fly with Apple's built-in Disk Utility - even when your booted into the boot drive. There's non of the pre-partition or re-partition the drive like you would on a Windows machine prior to installation. For Intel Macs you can only choose GUID Partition tables as a boot able drive. As for formatting, most users would use HFS+ (journalled), if you choose HFS+ (journalled, case sensitive) you'll probably encounter problems with various application, esp Adobe.

When you run Apple's Bootcamp Utility it'll ask you how much space you like to allocate in terms of xxGb rather than xx%. If you like or want drag'n'drop ability in between Mac and PC, then you must choose Fat32 and it must be smaller than 32GB. In NTFS, the Mac can only read from the Windows Partition but it could be 50% of your installed drive. Understand? The rest is up to you.

 

[Neil321]

I have the same question (have a new MBP). I'd like to have one partition for Windows XP, another partition for Time Machine, and another one for photos/MP3 files. From what I understand, should be set up (partitioned correctly) at the first setup. I think we need more "basic" answers for the "newbies" (which includes myself).

Everything you want to know about bootcamp can be found here & like ultraneo just stated relex its a Mac

 

[PeaceOut]

I'm a first time mac user also and am thinking of partitioning up my drive for multiple purposes.

So what did you end up doing?


Here's my plan

- 1 partition for osx and applications HFS+
- 1 partition for winxp and it's programs (20gig...15gig wasn't enough last time) No actual personal data is stored here. NTFS
- 1 partition for what i call "Storage" (everything that doesn't pertain to the OS) probably HFS+ (most likely use macdrive to read from windows side)

- maybe 1 more (7gig at most) for what I like to call "Scratch". This will probably be fat32 since it'll be the place to put everything that comes in first from both OS (i.e. downloads, torrent files, etc) although macdrive would get rid of that problem. I'd also use it as the scratch for photoshop and temp for other programs. It'll just basically be my junk drive. Just throw it in there and i'll "organize it later" drive. That way, I don't have to keep defraging the drive main OS drives to keep it in optimal state.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but from what i read, it looks like boot camp assistant will only work if it's a single partition. Meaning, you have to do this first before making your other partitions.


I don't understand why people keep saying "relax, it's a mac". Like everything is possible.

 

[Neil321]

correct me if i'm wrong, but from what i read, it looks like boot camp assistant will only work if it's a single partition. Meaning, you have to do this first before making your other partitions.

Correct bootcamp only allows you to partition the once

I don't understand why people keep saying "relax, it's a mac". Like everything is possible.

Yep relax it's a Mac

Oh and don't bother with the defrag of OS X it does this on the fly another good reason to say relax it's a Mac

 

[MacBookProJoe]

Correct bootcamp only allows you to partition the once



Yep relax it's a Mac

With respect to, "Its a Mac" boot camp isnt working for me. And Ive heard from others that it isnt working for them either. You MAY run into the same problem I have in that once a partition is created within Boot camp youre asked to REBOOT. If that happens youre hosed. By that I mean the system wont recognize youre partition, and you'll have to correct it by booting off your install disk and use disk utility to correct the disk errors.

Good luck.

 

[Neil321]

With respect to, "Its a Mac" boot camp isnt working for me. And Ive heard from others that it isnt working for them either. You MAY run into the same problem I have in that once a partition is created within Boot camp youre asked to REBOOT. If that happens youre hosed. By that I mean the system wont recognize youre partition, and you'll have to correct it by booting off your install disk and use disk utility to correct the disk errors.

Good luck.

Hang on a mo dude but didn't i just answer a question of yours in another thread? & you stated things were now Ok.Speaking for myself i must have installed/reinstalled windows god knows how many times & not just on my own Mac and in all the times i've done it i've not once run into a problem with bootcamp. Yes im aware people run into problems including yourself but there are workaround's

EDIT in this post your thanking me & now your having a pop?

 

[26139]

Uh...

I have the same question (have a new MBP). I'd like to have one partition for Windows XP, another partition for Time Machine, and another one for photos/MP3 files. From what I understand, should be set up (partitioned correctly) at the first setup. I think we need more "basic" answers for the "newbies" (which includes myself).

Using a partition for Time Machine really retards the program. Sure, it can be helpful to retrieve a file or two, but what if the hard drive dies?

Why do photos/MP3 files require a different partition?

 

[MacBookProJoe]

Hang on a mo dude but didn't i just answer a question of yours in another thread? & you stated things were now Ok.Speaking for myself i must have installed/reinstalled windows god knows how many times & not just on my own Mac and in all the times i've done it i've not once run into a problem with bootcamp. Yes im aware people run into problems but having to use the disk utility rather than bootcamp is no big deal

Neil, here's the post I posted after yours in that thread.

"Thanks Neil. I tried to partition my disk while I had hard booted off of my system disk (had to repair the disk after yet another BC failure) but I couldnt figure out how to partition it. It seemed that you had to erase the disk in the process of partitioning it."

While I appreciate your help, Im still having problems with Boot camp and I cant seem to figure out how to partition the drive without formatting the Mac component of the hard drive.

 

[Neil321]

Neil, here's the post I posted after yours in that thread.

"Thanks Neil. I tried to partition my disk while I had hard booted off of my system disk (had to repair the disk after yet another BC failure) but I couldnt figure out how to partition it. It seemed that you had to erase the disk in the process of partitioning it."

While I appreciate your help, Im still having problems with Boot camp and I cant seem to figure out how to partition the drive without formatting the Mac component of the hard drive.

Ok joe ( just got your pm sorry tom your user name confused me)

just go into disk utility ( boot from disk hold down C key )

Highlight drive from left pane

Repair your partition

highlight the drive you want to partition ( if its not still highlighted )

click the partition tab up top

make the partition as big or as little as you want ( if FAT32 it's gotta be under 32GB )

eject the the disk & bootup again this time with windows disk in again hold down the C key )

when the installer runs select the partition you just made & continue with the install

hope this helps

Neil

 

[MacBookProJoe]

Thanks Neil, but that didnt work. I explained in a PM.

When I get to that point I dont know what volume scheme to select. If I select 1 partition I can do everything BUT the drive size window isnt highlighted. I cant tell it what gigabyte size to make the partition. If I try 2 partitions I can do everything, but Im affraid of over writing my existing Mac HD.

Also, I sure dont remember any partition tab up top!

UNLESS you mean the Volume scheme tab????


Also, when it asks you for the partition type, all the types but ONE are Macintosh. You seem to HAVE to select FAT, and yet Im wanting 80 Gigs to partition. That would seem to contridict itself??? If FAT can only be 32 or less???

Oh, and install disc one Id guess?

DAMN, this is making be feel stupid.

 

[Delameko]

Using a partition for Time Machine really retards the program. Sure, it can be helpful to retrieve a file or two, but what if the hard drive dies?

Why do photos/MP3 files require a different partition?

I agree, what is with all this crazy partitioning? I can understand getting some organisation, but thats what folders are for.

One thing to bear in mind, when I was on Windows I used to reinstall XP at least every 6 months to a year, I saved everything onto a second drive so they'd be safe when I wiped the first drive, I could see this also being accomplished with a partition. But Mac OS X doesn't get the same clutter as XP - no registry, no programs installing files in 6-7 places on the harddrive and leaving them behind when they leave, no defragging needed - basically no reason to reinstall it on a regular basis. For this reason alone I think partitioning is more trouble than its worth.

 

[Neil321]

Thanks Neil, but that didnt work. I explained in a PM.

When I get to that point I dont know what volume scheme to select. If I select 1 partition I can do everything BUT the drive size window isnt highlighted. I cant tell it what gigabyte size to make the partition. If I try 2 partitions I can do everything, but Im affraid of over writing my existing Mac HD.

Also, I sure dont remember any partition tab up top!

UNLESS you mean the Volume scheme tab????


Also, when it asks you for the partition type, all the types but ONE are Macintosh. You seem to HAVE to select FAT, and yet Im wanting 80 Gigs to partition. That would seem to contridict itself??? If FAT can only be 32 or less???

Oh, and install disc one Id guess?

DAMN, this is making be feel stupid.

when you click on the drive left pane the tabs should go first aid > erase > partition >raid > restore

PM sent oh tom Im off the to the pub now as it's just gone opening time here in the Uk and i needs me beer

give me a pm later if your still not sorted it

I agree, what is with all this crazy partitioning?

The thing is your wandered onto a old thread,that it seems ( no dis respect intended ) you know nothing about as it's a continuation of another thread

 

[PeaceOut]

I agree, what is with all this crazy partitioning? I can understand getting some organisation, but thats what folders are for.

One thing to bear in mind, when I was on Windows I used to reinstall XP at least every 6 months to a year, I saved everything onto a second drive so they'd be safe when I wiped the first drive, I could see this also being accomplished with a partition. But Mac OS X doesn't get the same clutter as XP - no registry, no programs installing files in 6-7 places on the harddrive and leaving them behind when they leave, no defragging needed - basically no reason to reinstall it on a regular basis. For this reason alone I think partitioning is more trouble than its worth.

you make an interesting point. I guess I'll give this a try and if it doesn't work out for me, I'll go back to my old ways.

What about defrags? How do you know Mac defrags on the fly?

 

[MacBookProJoe]

Well, after spending the last two hours in XP configuring things, Im so glad to be back here..... The more time I spend inside system 10 the less I want to go back to windoze.

Ah, peace at last......

 

[Delameko]

you make an interesting point. I guess I'll give this a try and if it doesn't work out for me, I'll go back to my old ways.

What about defrags? How do you know Mac defrags on the fly?

Apple can say it better than I can

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25668

 

[PeaceOut]

Well, after spending the last two hours in XP configuring things, Im so glad to be back here..... The more time I spend inside system 10 the less I want to go back to windoze.

Ah, peace at last......

So what was the solution to your problem?

 

[PeaceOut]

That article gives you reasons why you do not need to defrag...not information that Macs do it for you.

• Hard disk capacity is generally much greater now than a few years ago. With more free space available, the file system doesn't need to fill up every "nook and cranny." Mac OS Extended formatting (HFS Plus) avoids reusing space from deleted files as much as possible, to avoid prematurely filling small areas of recently-freed space.
• Mac OS X 10.2 and later includes delayed allocation for Mac OS X Extended-formatted volumes. This allows a number of small allocations to be combined into a single large allocation in one area of the disk.
• Fragmentation was often caused by continually appending data to existing files, especially with resource forks. With faster hard drives and better caching, as well as the new application packaging format, many applications simply rewrite the entire file each time. Mac OS X 10.3 Panther can also automatically defragment such slow-growing files. This process is sometimes known as "Hot-File-Adaptive-Clustering."
• Aggressive read-ahead and write-behind caching means that minor fragmentation has less effect on perceived system performance.

Defraging is by nature a necessity regardless of how advance technology gets. All of your stuff thrown everywhere will seem cleaner in a bigger house but it's still stuff thrown everywhere. Cleaning and organization is always mandatory. But I guess there are people out there that don't really care as long as it works. It's a Performance > Efficiency world *sigh*.

OSX is on the right path reducing the amount of fragmented files by using delayed allocation but just how effective is it?

I'm surprised that OSX doesn't provide us with a utility to defrag. It tells us to go buy a 3rd party software.