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iMac 2019 Mojave bootcamp stuck at partitioning disk

Z

zerozoneice

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 26, 2013
391
123
iMac is brand new, 2TB fusiondrive, Radeon Pro 580X.
I cannot seem to get past "partitioning drive..." it takes ages and nothing moves past half-way or so.
Tried 3 different Windows 10 ISOs, same thing.
Only thing that works is to delete the OSXReserved and BOOTCAMP partitions manually in diskutility and restore the 2TB fusion partition :)

any ideas pls?
 
Google - "fusion drive bootcamp mojave" - there are others complaining... but I didn't read through them to see if there's a fix.
I just ordered the 2019 last night, I really wanted to get it from store today, but I have to wait a few days because SSD configs are not in stores, nor track pad option. :cool: But I just didn't want the fusion drive. Consider swapping it out if you can't resolve this.

(I ordered through apple education store, shipped to home, 10% discount, ssshhhhh) I ordered OWC RAM (best warranty and service) $205 for 16GB x 2 total 40GB

I have a 6TB USB 3 drive I'll plug directly in the back for plenty of storage. I hate to be "that guy" and suggest returning it, but I want you to be happy for years to come.
 
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8CoreWhore said:
Google - "fusion drive bootcamp mojave" - there are others complaining... but I didn't read through them to see if there's a fix.
I just ordered the 2019 last night, I really wanted to get it from store today, but I have to wait a few days because SSD configs are not in stores, nor track pad option. :cool: But I just didn't want the fusion drive. Consider swapping it out if you can't resolve this.
Click to expand...

yea i saw them as well but no solution described.
i'm on chat now with apple support, they are aware of this issue, many reports so far.
it seems related to fusiondrives.

i'll post the solution if it works for me whatever they suggest me to try out.
 
zerozoneice said:
yea i saw them as well but no solution described.
i'm on chat now with apple support, they are aware of this issue, many reports so far.
it seems related to fusiondrives.

i'll post the solution if it works for me whatever they suggest me to try out.
Click to expand...

I edited above...
 
8CoreWhore said:
I hate to be "that guy" and suggest returning it, but I want you to be happy for years to come.
Click to expand...

thanks whore :))))))))
apple gave me some steps to try in recovery but i told them straight: the experience of a new machine is killed right from the start, what a pity. Apple engineers are aware of the fusion drive issues and are working to fix it.
I'll report back after i come back from recovery...
[doublepost=1560200663][/doublepost]support steps didn't help, i'll try more tomorrow...i can't believe this crap.
 
zerozoneice said:
thanks whore :))))))))
apple gave me some steps to try in recovery but i told them straight: the experience of a new machine is killed right from the start, what a pity. Apple engineers are aware of the fusion drive issues and are working to fix it.
I'll report back after i come back from recovery...
[doublepost=1560200663][/doublepost]support steps didn't help, i'll try more tomorrow...i can't believe this crap.
Click to expand...


And it's been like this for awhile.
 
i suspect the culprit is APFS, which is the default FS on Mojave even on Fusiondrives.
i'll convert to HFS+ and retry bootcamp later tonight.
 
could this be planned obsolence by apple?
force users into dumping fusion setup in favor of ssd, if they want to do windows?
issue's been for a long time, starting with the "3TB fusiondrive bootcamp" saga....
could also be an indicator that next iMac will be ssd-only, that is if they continue with intel and windows via bootcamp still an option.

remember windows had an ARM build a while back ;)
 
ok so issue is reported all over the net, but no official response from Apple yet:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250408781?page=2
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250393882?page=2
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250380776?page=2
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250371879
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250377859
etc....

So basically if you ever want to install windows on bootcamp, stay away from fusion drives and Mojave.

I'll revert to HFS+ later today using this...hopefully BC works on HFS+ and Fusiondrive
https://www.paragon-software.com/home/apfs-hfs-converter/
 
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zerozoneice said:
ok so issue is reported all over the net, but no official response from Apple yet:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250408781?page=2
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250393882?page=2
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250380776?page=2
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250371879
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250377859
etc....

So basically if you ever want to install windows on bootcamp, stay away from fusion drives and Mojave.

I'll revert to HFS+ later today using this...hopefully BC works on HFS+ and Fusiondrive
https://www.paragon-software.com/home/apfs-hfs-converter/
Click to expand...

There is another thread on this forum where the OP was running Mojave HFS+ fusion (with Boot Camp) and the system response was slow to the point of being unusable. This was on a 2012 Mini, which is dual-SATA so maybe it will work better on the iMac with PCIe/SATA - I don't know. If you try this, report back on how it works. For the OP, the Mojave installer would not convert the HFS+ fusion drive to APFS fusion until the Boot Camp partition was removed.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mojave-on-mac-mini-2012-not-working.2183991/#post-27443917

Also be aware that people with Mojave HFS+ (non-Fusion) SSD systems report that Mojave OS updates won't run on HFS+ SSD systems.
 
treekram said:
There is another thread on this forum where the OP was running Mojave HFS+ fusion (with Boot Camp) and the system response was slow to the point of being unusable. This was on a 2012 Mini, which is dual-SATA so maybe it will work better on the iMac with PCIe/SATA - I don't know. If you try this, report back on how it works. For the OP, the Mojave installer would not convert the HFS+ fusion drive to APFS fusion until the Boot Camp partition was removed.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mojave-on-mac-mini-2012-not-working.2183991/#post-27443917

Also be aware that people with Mojave HFS+ (non-Fusion) SSD systems report that Mojave OS updates won't run on HFS+ SSD systems.
Click to expand...

that's something completely different, why am i reading all that?
i am on mojave from factory and want to install bootcamp
i am on apfs and want to convert to hfs+
i am NOT on SSD

the paragon util did not convert the drive. it asks for a temporary volume, i created one on macintosh hd as hfs+ or exfat, but its created as apfs no matter what fs i tell it to do. then the paragon util simply says cannot convert.

i wonder if i erase everything from recovery and format the macintosh hd as hfs+, will it stick? then reinstall macos...
this is a mojave recovery so....

anyway this is beyond my patience threshold, so i already kinda don't care anymore what games i can install in windows to test....this is a ******** experience.
[doublepost=1560282950][/doublepost]ok so i'm typing this from safari in recovery.
there;s no way to convert or erase or format anything except in APFS.
i suspect i need to break the fusion, containers and format them separately as HFS+ and then re-create the fusion.
SERIOUSLY APPLE???????????????????????????????
 
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zerozoneice said:
that's something completely different.
i am on mojave from factory and want to install bootcamp
i am on apfs and want to convert to hfs+

the paragon util did not convert the drive. it asks for a temporary volume, i created one on macintosh hd as hfs+ or exfat, but its created as apfs no matter what fs i tell it to do. then the paragon util simply says cannot convert.

i wonder if i erase everything from recovery and format the macintosh hd as hfs+, will it stick? then reinstall macos...
this is a mojave recovery so....

anyway this is beyond my patience threshold, so i already kinda don't care anymore what games i can install in windows to test....this is a ******** experience.
Click to expand...

The situation with the other post and yours is quite different, I would agree, but the bottom line is that Mojave HFS+ Fusion was unusable for that OP. The differences between the two situations may mean that it would work on your configuration.

If you can live without Windows, my advice - you can certainly take it or leave it - is to just use the iMac as it came configured - APFS Fusion, no Boot Camp and try Boot Camp later when (if) Apple comes up with a solution. Even if you succeed in getting HFS+ Fusion with Boot Camp working, you'll have a system configured in a way that Apple doesn't like and when that happens, it will take ongoing work to maintain unless you plan to stay on the current version of Mojave going forward.
 
treekram said:
The situation with the other post and yours is quite different, I would agree, but the bottom line is that Mojave HFS+ Fusion was unusable for that OP. The differences between the two situations may mean that it would work on your configuration.

If you can live without Windows, my advice - you can certainly take it or leave it - is to just use the iMac as it came configured - APFS Fusion, no Boot Camp and try Boot Camp later when (if) Apple comes up with a solution. Even if you succeed in getting HFS+ Fusion with Boot Camp working, you'll have a system configured in a way that Apple doesn't like and when that happens, it will take ongoing work to maintain unless you plan to stay on the current version of Mojave going forward.
Click to expand...

i need windows for gaming obviously.
what are the alternatives? install windows on external T5 SSD and boot into it via option key on imac restart?

or make a bootable stick with an older high sierra installer and try to install that with hfs+ as default?
 
zerozoneice said:
i need windows for gaming obviously.
what are the alternatives? install windows on external T5 SSD and boot into it via option key on imac restart?

or make a bootable stick with an older high sierra installer and try to install that with hfs+ as default?
Click to expand...

I misunderstood your previous post - I thought you were about ready to throw in the towel with Windows on the Mac.

Boot Camp on Fusion computers (when it was working) would put the Boot Camp partition on the HDD - I would doubt that it would be any different once Apple gets this working on Mojave APFS. I don't know if this presents a problem in what you want to do.

The standard Boot Camp install will not put Windows on an external disk. There are ways around this but it takes some work. The following link is just one guide available on what needs to be done:
https://www.imore.com/how-install-windows-10-your-mac-mini-external-drive

You can also install Windows without Boot Camp although I don't know that it's any easier. This is one set of instructions:
https://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-8-1-on-mac-without-boot-camp/
(I don't know about this guide - it's showing the older version of Disk Utility even though the article was supposedly updated in April 2019).

You cannot install High Sierra on your iMac if it's a 2019 model (vs. a 2017 model sold in 2019).

If the instructions for doing Windows on an external disk or without Boot Camp is something you don't want to do, the alternative if your iMac is in within the return period is to return it and get a SSD-only configuration.

If this is frustrating, vent on Apple. We're just the messengers here.
 
thanks, yea i know, i vented enough with their chat support :) now i have to call applecare apparently to get in touch with some escalation engineer on my case.

windows is a must, so yeah, i'll keep trying. I'm still in the return period if nothing works.
windows in bootcamp on fusiondrives runs only from the HDD, it doesn't touch the SSD at all...known issue
 
ok so I got a 1TB Samsung T5 drive
I tried to follow the guide here https://9to5mac.com/2017/08/31/how-windows-10-mac-boot-camp-external-drive-video/ but it's useless. It tells you to format the SSD to MacOS Extended Journaled, then as next step connect it to the Windows VM and expect to see an EFI and a large partition which you should format in NTFS???!!!!! WTF

I'm now trying this one
using Rufus, except I don't have a separate windows machine but will use it as VM.
By the way, VMWare Fusion does not recognise the HFS+ T5 once you replug....another minus for the 9to5mac tutorial...

And of course Parallels forces you to register before giving access to the freshly installed VM. So I scrapped this crap as well, now trying with VirtualBox....

================
I made it!
A combination of both tutorials above. Rufus gave me issues even on an windows machine to format the T5. Ended up with WintoUSB which worked perfect. Selected my bootdrive as Windows in MacOS "Startup Disk / Settings". Now i'm configuring Windows and preparing for some gaming tests tomorrow. Speeds are great on the T5, can't really tell it's external :) 540MB/s read, 480MB/s write.
================
Ontopic: the AppleCare engineer sent me some articles to erase the drive in internet recovery and make the windows partition smaller ?!? Duhh, I tried them for the sake of trying, but BC still hang at partitioning disk. That's when I decided to go external T5 way
 
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I partied too soon.....there is no sound in bootcamp....
Anyway i ran some Battlefield 5 and even in the intro "level", the fan speed picked up considerably to the level that i was like "wow, never heard an iMac that loud before".

I noticed the same thing in MacOS benchmarks such as Cinebench 20 or Heaven (GPU temp up to 86C).

So i guess all in all, this machine does not justify the price, nerves and failed configs and wasted time.....at least for my use case scenario. It will be returned.
 
zerozoneice said:
thanks, yea i know, i vented enough with their chat support :) now i have to call applecare apparently to get in touch with some escalation engineer on my case. windows is a must, so yeah, i'll keep trying. I'm still in the return period if nothing works.
windows in bootcamp on fusiondrives runs only from the HDD, it doesn't touch the SSD at all...known issue
Click to expand...

Having made this mistake myself, and waited til beyond the return period to realize the full extent of the pita of this, & by then having it cost me a thousand extra dollars to sell the system and replace it with an SSD model, I’d 100% recommend the return. If you need to run Windows on a Mac, go SSD only. Fusion drives don’t cut it, for a number of reasons.
 
ThunderSkunk said:
Having made this mistake myself, and waited til beyond the return period to realize the full extent of the pita of this, & by then having it cost me a thousand extra dollars to sell the system and replace it with an SSD model, I’d 100% recommend the return. If you need to run Windows on a Mac, go SSD only. Fusion drives don’t cut it, for a number of reasons.
Click to expand...

it's not just that. it's the whole experience. wasted 3 whole days on this.

judging from how loud the fans get and what temperatures it reaches, it's pretty clear this design is nearing EOL. I mean it's a i5 and 580X, not i7 and Vega48.. my last iMac was a late 2015 with M395 and it never ever got so loud as this one. So i'm comparing apples to apples (pun intended), not just some other PC or Mac with this 2019 iMac model.

and it kinda hit me now just how expensive this thing was compared to a similar powered PC (even as hackintosh) :)
i already filed for return.

I'm seriously wondering if anyone at Apple actually opened up a brand new '19 model with fusion and tried to repro the issues we all have....you bundle Bootcamp with the OS, well, we expect it to work in any configuration.
 
MatthewCawley said:
Not too late for me, thank you :)
Click to expand...

I'm on a Mac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017) and I was using Bootcamp flawlessly playing VR and all kinds of games.

When I updated to Mojave and was going for a fresh format of the mac, I ran into the same issue as you*.

*> Stuck at partioning (50 %).

I spent weeks on trying to solve it, followed all guides.

It is simply not working anymore, I can't use my VR, I can't use some Windows APPs that I need for my dev.

Not only that, the bullsh*t we're being told about Macs being VR ready is utter nonsense. Tracking does not work at all when you run HTC Vive Pro on Mojave, (and yes, I've tried everything there too). Same setup and conf made everything work perfect on Bootcamp.

This is very unfortunate, I do enjoy my two big thunderbolt monitors and being able to easily switch between MAC or PC.

Now I'm waiting for a solution online, or from Apple. If nothing comes up I am forced to buy a PC with separate monitors, money I could spend on other things.

Does anybody have a solution yet?
[doublepost=1562777367][/doublepost]I am trying to Bootcamp update in the previous post, we'll see if it works.
 
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