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Triple Boot - Snow Leopard, Lion, Windows 7?

A

Ahheck01

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 7, 2006
494
45
Hello, all!

Have a BTO i7 iMac on the way, and want to triple boot into 10.6 as my primary, 10.7 as a dev partition, and Windows 7 for a bootcamp partition.

I know how to do two with bootcamp assistant - how do I do all three in a clean way?

Many thanks,

-Evan
 
I do lots of software development and just rely on virtual machines (I use Parallels) for Windows and Linux. For Lion I use an external drive (can't use a VM for that). As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather not muck around with partitioning the drive and I don't like booting *into* another OS when I can have two or three running simultaneously. Just put plenty of RAM into it.
 
You can just use Disk Utility to format the hard drive to two more partitions and install the operating systems to the partitions you create.

Also, using Parallels, VMWare Fusion, etc, is not the best way to experience the full OS.
 
imaketouchtheme said:
Also, using Parallels, VMWare Fusion, etc, is not the best way to experience the full OS.
Click to expand...

Depends on what you are trying to accomplish. It's easier to share files across environments with the VMs, which also makes backing up easier (I keep all my project files under OS X so they are backed up with TimeMachine as well as a single cloning operation. I also record instructional videos of various Windows CAD software via OS X capturing tools. Can't do that if I'm booted into Windows 7. Only negative I've seen is a slight performance loss that doesn't matter for program development and hardly matters with the CAD software. The i7 iMac is fast enough.
 
imaketouchtheme said:
You can just use Disk Utility to format the hard drive to two more partitions and install the operating systems to the partitions you create.

Also, using Parallels, VMWare Fusion, etc, is not the best way to experience the full OS.
Click to expand...

So when I boot, the mac will automatically recognize the OS installations on each partition, so when I hit Option while booting they'll all show up?
 
Yes. After you've installed the other two operating systems, you boot up the computer holding the Option key, and it will have three pictures of hard drives on the screen. You'll select which one you want based on what you named each partition.
 
imaketouchtheme said:
Yes. After you've installed the other two operating systems, you boot up the computer holding the Option key, and it will have three pictures of hard drives on the screen. You'll select which one you want based on what you named each partition.
Click to expand...

That easy, huh? I love mac...
 
Ahheck01 said:
That easy, huh? I love mac...
Click to expand...

Yep :). If you wanted Linux that's another matter entirely. But Mac makes it very easy to do Windows and as many MacOS installs that you want. I have 3 for software development - Leopard, Snow Leopard, and Lion D3. Plus Windows XP. It took a long time to initially get everything working, but it's worth it now.
 
When 1 partition: use bootcamp

Now partition the Mac partition into 2.

NOTE: you can only have total of 3 partitions when using bootcamp (without third party boot loaders)
 
Triple boot: Solved!!! :)

I have personally verified that this worked on my Macbook Pro 15 (2009)

Option 1: If you haven't upgraded to Lion

1. From one partition, install Bootcamp
2. Install Windows 7 (64-bit preferred)
3. Install a second Snow Leopard instance on a third partition
4. Upgrade the first Snow Leopard instance to Lion

Option 2: If you have upgraded to Lion and now lost the Windows 7 Bootcamp partition because you tried to install Snow Leopard in the third partition

1. Boot into Snow Leopard Install DVD and start Disk Utility (run Disk Utility in Snow Leopard might work as well)
2. Delete all partitions except the Lion partition
3. Create a new FAT32 partition (mimics a BootCamp partition)
4 Boot into Snow Leopard and run the BootCamp Assistant
5. Restore the hard drive into 1 Lion partition
6. Complete the steps for "Option 1"


What is the magic?

Bootcamp has a limitation of 4 partitions. People who tried Option 2 failed because they ended up with 5 partitions: EFI, Lion, Snow Leopard, Windows 7, and Lion Recovery. Adding the Snow Leopard partition before upgrading to Lion forces the Lion installer *not* to create the Lion Recovery partition.


Other tools I used:

- rEFIt to fix the MBR when Disk Utility seems to mess things up (DiskTest will probably work too)

- Winclone to back up my Windows 7 partition from my Snow Leopard partition

- SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Clone to back up my Lion/Snow Leopard partitions and boot from external hard drives
 
Windows XP on 2011 Mac

blevins321 said:
Yep :). If you wanted Linux that's another matter entirely. But Mac makes it very easy to do Windows and as many MacOS installs that you want. I have 3 for software development - Leopard, Snow Leopard, and Lion D3. Plus Windows XP. It took a long time to initially get everything working, but it's worth it now.
Click to expand...

Can you share, how did you get your 2011 Mac(s) boot into Win XP ? Thanks
 
vaskelovo said:
Can you share, how did you get your 2011 Mac(s) boot into Win XP ? Thanks
Click to expand...

Sorry, I didn't. I've changed my Signature since I wrote that posting...had a 2009 iMac at the time. I don't think the 2011s (or 2010's?) can boot XP directly. Might be better off with Parallels, VMWare, or VirtualBox.
 
I have SL and WIN & undr boot camp, but a friend of mine with the same setup, has Lion and WIN 7 on Bot camp, then installed SL on an external drive.
 
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