Reinstalling OSX or XP while Boot Camped

[NickM]

If I have OSX and XP successfully installed with Boot Camp, and I want to reinstall OSX, would it be as simple as it should be?

For example, once I reinstall OSX, will I just need to reinstall Boot Camp, and it will recognize the XP installation on the other partition? And it will continue from there like it was before? (and vice-versa... if I wanted to reinstall the XP part)

I ask because I've used dual-boot XP/Vista for a long time, and frequently ran into problems when trying to just reinstall ONE of them, but not the other...usually ended up having to reinstall them both.

Thanks

 

[richard.mac]

OS X and Windows are installed on different partitions so if you reinstalled OS X it wouldnt overwrite your Windows installation. in the OS X installer just pick your OS X partition "Macintosh HD" or whatever its called if you renamed it.

 

[NickM]

OS X and Windows are installed on different partitions so if you reinstalled OS X it wouldnt overwrite your Windows installation. in the OS X installer just pick your OS X partition "Macintosh HD" or whatever its called if you renamed it.

Yes, I understand that, but my question was directed more at how Boot Camp would handle it... having a new install of only ONE of the operating systems.

I'm guessing that once I reinstall one of the OS's, I'll just have to reinstall Boot Camp? Then it should recognize the newly isntalled OS, then it will re-configure accordingly?

 

[richard.mac]

no you wont its as simple as it should be (without getting into the technical stuff as i cant be bothered as im hungover )

 

[NickM]

no you wont its as simple as it should be (without getting into the technical stuff as i cant be bothered as im hungover )

Let's say for example I want to reinstall the OSX partition, but not the XP one.
I reinstall OSX, then that's it?
Will I need to reinstall Boot Camp, or will it configure that as OSX installs?

What if I wanted to reinstall XP only?
In that case, I'd need to reinstall Boot Camp also, right?


Trial and error, I guess...
I was just hoping to be told for sure to avoid wasting time

 

[richard.mac]

your over analysing it wayyy too much! this is Macs were talking about here.

Boot Camp has already been set up and Windows is on a different partition. if you remove OS X you will still be able to boot into Windows by entering the EFI boot chooser by holding option on startup.

Boot Camp is just a name that Apple gave to BIOS emulation that allows you to install Windows on a Mac. Boot Camp Assistant does all the work for you which is creating a partition and then boots you into the Windows installer CD and installs Windows on that partition. if you reinstall Windows youll still have Boot Camp Assistant on your OS X partition. if you want to remove Windows altogether you use Boot Camp Assistant to do that.

 

[NickM]

Maybe my question isn't coming through clear enough...
Let me try again...


If I simply reinstall one of the operating systems, but not the other, will that screw up Boot Camp? (Will I need to reinstall Boot Camp also?)
Will Boot Camp recognize the newly installed OS, even though Boot Camp was installed first?

 

[iLog.Genius]

Maybe my question isn't coming through clear enough...
Let me try again...


If I simply reinstall one of the operating systems, but not the other, will that screw up Boot Camp? (Will I need to reinstall Boot Camp also?)
Will Boot Camp recognize the newly installed OS, even though Boot Camp was installed first?

Hah, OK let's try this here.

Just to make it clear "Boot Camp" = nothing more than a guide to help you install Windows, that's it.

When you create a partition, think of it as having a another hard drive installed. One partition (or hard drive) has OS X, the other has windows. So if you decide to reinstall OS X nothing will be affected (BOOT CAMP IS NOT WINDOWS and doesn't "exist" after you created your partition and started to install windows).

So again, reinstalling OS X does nothing. Windows or whatever you want to call it will be unaffected.

 

[ThirteenXIII]

*edit, the above post kind of iterated what i was getting at aswell, heh.

Maybe my question isn't coming through clear enough...
Let me try again...


If I simply reinstall one of the operating systems, but not the other, will that screw up Boot Camp? (Will I need to reinstall Boot Camp also?)
Will Boot Camp recognize the newly installed OS, even though Boot Camp was installed first?

why not just try it out and find out?

make a back up of windows with WInClone if your uncomfortable with doing a reinstall with the windows partition installed.


just think of it this way....you made two partitions, one for OSX and one for Windows. It is the same drive, BUT it pretends as if its TWO physical drives, so if you totally erase OSX from its side/drive it will not affect the BootCamp/Windows partition, that partition has all the install files, EFI firmware all stored in in its partition and they do not overlap.

the only way to totally erase either side/both at once is to do a full erase and repartitioning of the drive or if you select the wrong partition.

thats the point of a partition its allocated its space and what is was designed for...

 

[NickM]

Wow... there's some major internet communication and understanding barrier going on here.
I'm a noob to Macs, not computers. I understand very well what partitions are and how they work. I've used a dual-boot PC for years...in both configurations of partitioned single drives, as well as multiple hard drives.
I guess I'll just have to find out for myself to answer my question.
Maybe I wasn't phrasing it correctly to get my idea across...

Thanks for the helpful attempts, though, guys.

 

[raymondu999]

Ok, let me see if I can do this. "Boot Camp" only partitions your drive. That's it. The rest is done by the EFI/BIOS. So there was never any configuration to be done. It's all "configured" deep in the BIOS. Comprende?

 

[NickM]

So, to answer my question...
If I reinstall one of the operating systems, I WON'T need to do anything else...correct? The boot menu will automatically point to the newly installed OS, because it's in the same place that the previous installation was... ?

One more horrible noob question...

How do I boot from CD? To reinstall Windows, if I wanted to.

 

[ThirteenXIII]

So, to answer my question...
If I reinstall one of the operating systems, I WON'T need to do anything else...correct? The boot menu will automatically point to the newly installed OS, because it's in the same place that the previous installation was... ?

Pretty much....

One more horrible noob question...

How do I boot from CD? To reinstall Windows, if I wanted to.

you can hold down option at boot. then select the disc.
id recommend doing it through bootcamp.
start up bootcamp utility, select the partition, then place the disc in and let it install that small efi partition so it shows up at boot and in the system prefs.

and thats all it takes.

 

[NickM]

Pretty much....




you can hold down option at boot. then select the disc.
id recommend doing it through bootcamp.
start up bootcamp utility, select the partition, then place the disc in and let it install that small efi partition so it shows up at boot and in the system prefs.

and thats all it takes.

Sweet. Thanks a lot.