Trouble partitioning with bootcamp

[ammusk]

Today I decided install Win 7 on my MBP and while partitioning the HDD using bootcamp I encountered the following error.

Consequently, I used the Disk Utility in order to partition the drive. However it too failed (even for smaller sizes).

How do I go about partitioning the hard drive?

Erase everything and restore from backup?

 

[MacDawg]

You do not have enough free contiguous space

Some have success with iDefrag, but that is hit or miss

Your best option is to clone your internal HDD to an external HDD
Boot from the clone
Erase your internal HDD with Disk Utility
Restore your clone
Boot from the internal HDD
Run Bootcamp Assistant again

 

[ammusk]

You do not have enough free contiguous space

Some have success with iDefrag, but that is hit or miss

Your best option is to clone your internal HDD to an external HDD
Boot from the clone
Erase your internal HDD with Disk Utility
Restore your clone
Boot from the internal HDD
Run Bootcamp Assistant again

I have a time machine backup. How does that work?

 

[MacDawg]

I have a time machine backup. How does that work?

You should be able to boot from your install disc
Run Disk Utility from the disc
Erase your internal HDD
Use the install disc to restore from your Time Machine Backup

 

[ammusk]

You should be able to boot from your install disc
Run Disk Utility from the disc
Erase your internal HDD
Use the install disc to restore from your Time Machine Backup

Thanks! I followed your directions and windows is up and running, although I have a few more questions.

How do I resize the windows partition incase I need more space?

The color setting on windows doesn't seem correct. How do I correct it? I tried the "calibrate display color' but it didn't help much.

 

[Norskman]

Thanks! I followed your directions and windows is up and running, although I have a few more questions.

How do I resize the windows partition incase I need more space?

You can't. This is the problem I had. I set up a Win7 Boot Camp when I got my MBP and used the default 32GB since it was just an RC1 release and I'd have to redo it anyways. Little did I know what I was in for.

So last week I got the 6 month expiration warning on my Win7 RC1. I had a retail 7 Ultimate ready, just had not taken the time. I was also running out of space. Perfect time to go with a bigger partition.

Not so fast. Since I'd put my entire image gallery, mp3 collection, movies, you name it, on there I did not have any large enough block of free space to install on.

All was not lost. I hooked up an external HD, moved all my big files, image collections etc to it and now I had a big enough space for the bigger Boot Camp. It has to all be in one physical chunk on the HD.

iDefrag offers a compacting tool that will move all data together achieving the same result, but it can't be run on your OS disk, so you have to take it out and run it as a second disk to do it. Not an option for me at that time.

If you still can I'd do it now. Delete the Boot Camp partition and redo it before you fill the disk up too much.

 

[MacDawg]

There is a guide for resizing here

The best way I have found is to use Winclone to clone the Bootcamp Partition and use Bootcamp Assistant to delete and reinstall a new partition. Then restore the clone.