Yesterday I decided to remove my Windows XP partition from my MacBook Pro and double it's size. Unfortunately, while running my Windows XP install disk, I deleted my OS X partition. I now have a barely functioning Windows XP taking up 100 GB of space and the rest of my 250 GB drive is raw space, and I can't figure out how to reinstall OS X. I have a back of my OS X partition on an external drive, but I don't see how I can use it to restore my lost OS.
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Urgent: Mac OS X is gone. I now own a $2000 paperweight
- Thread starter Billychu
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Insert the OS X disc and hold "c" while turning on the computer, it will boot from the DVD, and you can reinstall the OS, and then restore from your backup and all will be fine. 
I've tried this. It doesn't load the disk and goes to XP.Insert the OS X disc and hold "c" while turning on the computer, it will boot from the DVD, and you can reinstall the OS, and then restore from your backup and all will be fine.
Try holding the Alt/Option key immediately after pressing the power button, until you get to a screen with a picture of a hard drive and a CD. Use the arrow keys and Enter to choose the CD.
There's no other reason the disk couldn't be appearing, right? I just tested the drive and an audio CD worked (but I don't have any drivers on XP so I couldn't listen to it). Could the disc be damaged? Or did I screw something up and my Mac won't recognize even if I get a new one?
Which DVD are you using? Retail Leopard DVD or the gray restore discs? If using the gray discs, did you put in disc 1 (I don't know if disc 2 will boot)?
when you insert your grey disk #1, and hold down the option button, select the CD to boot from. When the Mac OS X installer opens, look up at the top menu bar where the apple logo is. There should be an option for utilities. Select it and scroll down to the application "Disk Utility". When that opens, click on your hard drive. Select it and in the window there is a button that says format. Click on that one and format your hard drive using Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Once you erase your HD, you then can reboot, and boot from the CD again, and proceed with normal instalation where you select your hard drive, and yadda yadda.
If you need more help, PM me.
-Scott
If you need more help, PM me.
-Scott
Already did that. But my hard drive wasn't appearing at first. I had to restart.