Macbook pro will not start up after attempt at bootcamp

[Klam]

I've just tried to bootcamp windows onto my 15inch macbook pro.
Frist I used the bootcamp assistant, portioned it to give it 20gb of space.
Inserted a windows CD and then pressed install.

After, it restarted and loaded with a blue windows install screen.
After it loaded I pressed install windows, but saw there was no portioned space.
Natrualy I hit cancel since I didn't want to format my whole mac.

After hitting cancel windows installation (F3), it restarted my mac.
Once restarted, a grey screen appears (like the apple one) without the apple logo.
10-30 seconds after waiting it turns into a black screen with a _ blinking.
Well... after seeing that I tried to put in the mac install disk back into the mac
and it leaves me without a disk to install mac to (empty).


Can anyone help?
I do want to keep all my files that were on my mac.
(-doesn't have time machine- D: )

 

[MacDawg]

A little late now, but you should never attempt anything like this without a backup of your OSX partition

Have you tried booting holding down the option key yet?
Try that at least, just to see

Woof, Woof - Dawg

 

[Eraserhead]

If you reinstall (go for the smallest possible installation) you'll probably be able to get most of your data back with http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec (free) as it won't be overwritten on the disk so will probably be recoverable.

Obviously you are responsible for any data loss.

 

[Klam]

Thanks for the help.

I tried the Hold the option key and it gives me a windows and that's it.
and going to the windows option it only gives me that black screen with the _ again.


And... if I were to reinstall mac OS (if there's no other way) how would I go about doing that? since I cannot choose where to install the disk when I'm in the install window (for macs)

 

[gr8tfly]

You might try a Repair Disk.

Boot off your Leopard install disk (or disk one of the disks which came with your Mac). After selecting "language", you can launch Disk Utility from the menu bar.

However, if Windows tried to initialize the wrong partition, you probably lost the GUID GPT table. Then, you might be able to re-initialize with new GUID partition and, as suggested, do a small reinstall and try a file recovery app.

There's also a chance Disk Utility won't properly re-create the GUID partition map (missing the EFI partition, for one thing). I recently went through the same thing with another member and was ready to manually recreate the GPT map. Instead, I tried "tricking" Disk Utility by creating a new MBR, then create a new GUID partition. That did it - restoring the proper GPT (with EFI, etc.).

Note: any re-initialization (creating a new partition) will most likely result in losing any data on the drive. The suggestion of the small OS-X install, followed by using the data recovery app might work, but no guarantees.

Hopefully, just a Disk Repair will fix the problem and you'll only be left with an uncanny urge to backup your data (Time Machine, at a minimum).

 

[Eraserhead]

And... if I were to reinstall mac OS (if there's no other way) how would I go about doing that? since I cannot choose where to install the disk when I'm in the install window (for macs)

Choose the existing drive...

 

[gr8tfly]

Choose the existing drive...

If the partition table is corrupted (i.e. not GUID, or corrupt GUID), it won't show as an installable drive. I just have a feeling that's what happened...

 

[Eraserhead]

If the partition table is corrupted (i.e. not GUID, or corrupt GUID), it won't show as an installable drive. I just have a feeling that's what happened...

Oh OK, surely disk utility on the Mac OS X DVD would be able to restore that?

 

[gr8tfly]

Oh OK, surely disk utility on the Mac OS X DVD would be able to restore that?

You would think (as I did...). But, apparently if Windows puts a "real" MBR on, it can't. The OP in the other thread tried and tried (I couldn't believe Disk Utility would fail either), then I finally had them use the gpt utility (command line) to see what, if any, GUID was there. They had a single partition starting at block 0 and extending to the full size of their drive. As I mentioned, I was about to tell them how to manually rebuild the GPT partitions, but thought of that "trick" to try with Disk Utility. When Disk Utility put a MBR on, it was able to put the proper GPT partitions on. They could then restore from Time Machine and boot up normally. (They had previously done a restore from Time Machine successfully - except it wouldn't boot. They also could not install a fresh OS-X - I suspect for the same reason this OP can't).