Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

My macbook will ONLY boot into the windows partition

W

whatismyname

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 12, 2009
4
0
Hey everyone.
Today, I was bored (i really regret this now) and i decided to install Windows XP onto my macbook. In boot camp assistant, I partitioned 32 gb for windows. After it partitioned, I inserted the windows disk and started installing. Everything was going fine, until it said where i wanted to install windows. It only gave me one choice, which was a partition of 131000 MB, which I thought (still think) was my OS X partition (Can someone please also tell me if it is okay for me to install windows on this partition?). Scared, I quit installation and ejected the CD. When I restarted my macbook, it led to a black screen with the blinking underscore line thingy (sorry I'm fairly computer illiterate). I restarted again, this time holding option, and it only gave me the choice of booting into my windows partition that has nothing on it. Can someone please help? =(
I'm terribly sorry if I sound really stupid or like a novice, I'm just really scared :(

Thanks SOO much to whoever can help!
 
Right... I have a feeling that the partition it gave you was correct. However, not sure why it isn't bringing up your Mac partition.

I hope you have a backup
 
The thing is, I haven't installed windows yet. Should I just go ahead and install it on the 131000 mb partition (the only partition recognized during installation)?
 
Did you really partition your disk? When installing mine I could clearly see both the bootcamp and the OSX partitions!
Most say that installing windows on the same partition may cause trouble to your system files.. I wouldn`t recommend doing it at all.
At least do a global backup first!
 
Sigh
yes i do have a backup, except I really don't feel like installing OS X again -_-
but if that's my last option, then whatever
 
I would pop in my Mac OS X install CD and try an Archive and Install. It might be able to salvage your original data without having to reformat. But i doubt it.
 
Yes, I've done that whole hold option during startup thing, and it only showed Windows
 
You know the instructions that accompany BootCamp, you must follow them very very carefully. From what I remember, I was scared too, but that was back with the x1900XT card and 23 ACD issue
 
I've been booting into Vista alone for a few weeks now, and haven't touched OS X in all that time... It's not as bad as they say. Vista's usable.

It's not OS X, but it's usable.
 
A few questions that might help you find the answer. First: Are you sure you successfully partitioned the hard drive? As in, did two drives show up on your desktop in OSX? If you did, are you sure that you formated as FAT32 or NTFS in the Master Boot Record mode? If not, that may be why you only see that one partition.

Second, are you sure that it ONLY showed the one 131000MB partition? It should show at least one other at all times, one that is ~200MB, that OSX always sets aside? Perhaps only one or perhaps none of the drives would be labeled, they would only appear as "Partition 2" or something like that...

Third, did you DO anything when you popped in the XP disk? Did you click OK to anything? Or did you just get to selecting a drive and quit there? Some options that the Install disk will give you may seem fairly innocuous if you are not computer-literate, but could indeed wipe out your OSX partition.

If any of those questions don't help, try a few things. Power cycle your macbook. That is, take out the battery, unplug the power, then hold the power button for 5 seconds. Then try booting and see if OSX shows up. If all this fails, then just do a restore. If you have been using time machine, you do not have to "re-install" OSX like you are complaining about. You are simply copying your "old" OSX install right back to where it was. It is a relatively painless process, and will only take up to a few hours if you have a large disk.

dsnort said:
( One more reason to NEVER let Windows near ANY working computer! )
Click to expand...

Oh good lord. Windows is just fine. This is a case of user error through and through. That, or drive failure, which is not Windows' fault. Get over it :rolleyes:

ZeroCorpse said:
I've been booting into Vista alone for a few weeks now, and haven't touched OS X in all that time... It's not as bad as they say. Vista's usable.

It's not OS X, but it's usable.
Click to expand...

A little off topic there bud... Good for you and all but... Well, I don't want to sound like a jerk, but... No one cares. The OP is running (attempting to run?) WinXP, not Vista, and your comment really does nothing to attempt to help him/her...
 
illegallydead said:
Oh good lord. Windows is just fine. This is a case of user error through and through. That, or drive failure, which is not Windows' fault. Get over it :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Wow, I am constantly amazed at the inability of people on this forum to recognize a joke when they hear it. I guess I'm going to have to start using these, :)D), liberaly for the particularly dense or unimaginative!:rolleyes:


illegallydead said:
Windows is just fine.
Click to expand...

Windows apologists always remind me of an old joke.

An elderly man and wife are at home. They have just finished dinner, the wife goes to the kitchen to finish the dishes, the husband goes to sit on the front porch.

Suddenly the wife hears a commotion from the porch, she rushes out to see what's happening. She finds her husband sitting in a rocking chair, wailing and moaning.

"What's wrong with you old man?" she asks.

"There's a nail in this chair, and it's sticking me!" he replies.

"Well, why don't you get up, you old fool?"

"Oh, I'll get used to it"

Yeah, windows is just dandy.:)D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D, just to be clear)
 
dsnort said:
Wow, I am constantly amazed at the inability of people on this forum to recognize a joke when they hear it. I guess I'm going to have to start using these, :)D), liberaly for the particularly dense or unimaginative!:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Well, judging by the attitudes of some on this forum, I have generally learned to take comments like yours for their exact meaning. There are enough people on here that have deluded themselves into thinking that Windows is some sort of plague that I felt that I was taking the safer route by assuming what I did.
Yes, in the absence of body language, a well placed :D might be helpful. Sorry if I sounded dense, lol :)


dsnort said:
Windows apologists always remind me of an old joke.

An elderly man and wife are at home.
<snip>
"Oh, I'll get used to it"

Yeah, windows is just dandy.:)D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D, just to be clear)
Click to expand...

I would not call myself a Windows apologist, and don't see how calling Windows "dandy" makes me such. I have simply used both OSX and Windows enough to know that while I prefer OSX, Windows (and especially Win7) is something that I would have no problem running on a daily basis. By your analogy, I would say that OSX is an itch in the old man's jeans, and that Windows is maybe a splinter, only annoying when you sit on it wrong ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back