http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r20455399 en Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:30:19 EDT Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:30:19 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20477700 HEDP : *taps your Macbook with his chopsticks*

No good you understand? This is just my honest opinion but if another repair must be made after this, demand a new system entirely. It's enough BS that you need to go back and forth it's not like Apple compensates you for your time. My time is valuable to me and I hate for someone to tell me to be patient when it should of been working from the beginning or replaced altogether.

*goes back to eating his rice*]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20477700 Tue, 13 May 2008 20:11:31 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20477358 sporkme : Interesting failure. In the store they rely heavily on external FW drives for diagnosis and likely for putting the OS back on the thing. Odd that they didn't notice it (or maybe the depot did if it actually went out for service and didn't want to deal with the paperwork).]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20477358 Tue, 13 May 2008 19:01:19 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20477096 RadioDoc : Eeep...once you start down the slippery serial-failure slope you're almost always better off to pressure them to replace the whole thing. I hope it's not true in your case but there is a whiff of lemon in the air.
--
Toolmaster of La Grange.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20477096 Tue, 13 May 2008 18:08:17 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20476676 Gunni : I was back to an Apple Store yet again. When I got the MacBook back with the new HD, it already had Leopard installed. I thought I'd use it awhile just with Leopard and only later consider wiping the hard drive clean, partitioning it, then installing OSX & Windows again.

When I connected the firewire cable to move my data over, it wouldn't work. Tried several firewire cable: all failed.

Back to the Apple Store. Diagnosis; Firewire kaput. Since the port is connected to a circuit board, whole circuit board has to be replaced. Due to get it back later this week.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20476676 Tue, 13 May 2008 16:49:17 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20460446 HEDP : Bootcamp does the process differently, it tampers with your HFS partition in real time to allow to create a new partition. This is a delicate process, it's not that it cannot be done without issues, it's just that the expansion utility does not always work properly. Bootcamp is still rather new and still needs some work to be done to further stabilize it. Once the expansion utility works as intended it would more than likely be included in Disk Utility as a advanced option to increase or decrease partitions on the fly.

If you have further issues with your Macbook simply post in this forum, they will be more than be happy to assist. Just stay away from the koolaid and you will be alright. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20460446 Sat, 10 May 2008 05:59:10 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20459477 Gunni : Boy, you really know your stuff.

When I get my MacBook back, I will follow your advice and partition the new HD myself, using DU, before installing OSX & Windows XP. If I understand you correctly, when I set up those partitions, I will be able to specify that I want to set one up in HFS Extended Format and the other in FAT format.

A question then: is that all that Boot Camp really does? Basically just creates these two partitions, enabling you to chose which file format you want for each? I wonder why Apple didn't foresee the corruption issue and provide instructions as you have vice going the Boot Camp route.

Many thanks for taking the time to explain this. I'll turn to as soon as I get the MacBook back and post what happens here.

Bob]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20459477 Fri, 09 May 2008 22:18:25 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20458656 HEDP : Say you have a hard drive with 2000 blocks. When you want to create a Windows partition, what bootcamp does is slice the amount you requested to make a free space to create a new partition.

If your HFS partition is taking all 2000 blocks, (say you select 50/50) it will recreate the HFS partition basic data to reflect 1000 blocks. You now have 1000 blocks free, which Bootcamp basically creates a new partition but in FAT format.

When that fails, your HFS partition basic data becomes corrupt and causes filesystem errors. Bootcamp when it fails to complete this process, it does not step back to set the partition as it originally was, instead it leaves the unfinished partition info causing the filesystem to become unstable or just downright unusable sometimes giving you the little ? mark at startup because the system cannot find a valid OS X partition.

It would be smarter, that before you install OS X, that you load up the startup DVD/CD and under Disk Utility create two partitions. One in HFS Extended (Journaled) and another in FAT. Once that's done, go ahead and install OS X in the HFS Extended partition you created. Once your installation is done in your desktop you will notice the FAT disk available.

So if you had a 40GB HD, you will see a 20GB HFS (Mac partition) and a empty 20GB FAT (windows partition).

From there you can try installing windows again and the FAT partition you created will be available under the Windows setup menu. If you are still experiencing issues, be advised your HFS partition was never touched by Bootcamp, because you created it manually. So you should have no issues getting on to OS X desktop.

The firmware bootloader to select operating systems is holding down the option key right after the chime. Another and better alternative is refit bootloader which pops up a menu that you can select which OS you request to boot up in without the delay the firmware bootloader provides as it searches for other OSes installed on the system.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20458656 Fri, 09 May 2008 18:56:55 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20458527 Gunni : When you say - the moment Bootcamp fails to resize the HFS partition - you lose me.

Do you mean that if I decide I want a partition of X size and the stuff in it expands to Y, that I have to backup and reinstall everything?

If that is the case, If I set a sufficiently large partition and I use it judiciously, isn't it possible to avoid a case wherein the HFS partition would have to be resized?

Just asking, because I am a bit out of my comfort zone, knowledge wise, here.

Thanks,
Bob]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20458527 Fri, 09 May 2008 18:28:01 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20457753 HEDP : Lucky you, you seem to have a better experience than someone else with a Macbook currently on this forum.

I don't like Apple as I used to, but I will give where credit is due, and they quickly did the "no BS" policy and replaced what was defective. That's customer service, and that's how customer repair should be done. Of course they could of replaced the HD on the fly as it only takes 5 minutes if your quick, and then a simple install of the OS, but I am sure they have other repairs to do.

Don't use Bootcamp just yet, wait until another release comes out, if anything use a virtualization program like VMWare or Parallels. It's a much more effective way to work without the need to restart. If you insist though, the moment Bootcamp fails to resize the HFS partition, you might as well just start backing up data and reinstall.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20457753 Fri, 09 May 2008 15:34:43 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20457717 Gunni : To end this thread:

Took it to the Apple Store, explained the situation, they concurred that the problem was with the HD and will replace it today and call me back when it's done. No charge.

One more reason why you just gotta love Apple.

Bob]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20457717 Fri, 09 May 2008 15:26:12 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20457004 Gunni : Michael -

Thanks for the comments and input.

I have an appointment today at the Apple Store where they will see if they can dope out what's wrong. Will report the results back here. bob]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20457004 Fri, 09 May 2008 13:04:51 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20456988 HEDP : I think you screwed up your HFS partition somehow and your EFI partition is corrupt.

You will need to flash the EFI or set a master reset on it using refit as a bootloader. If the Bootcamp partitioning tool has failed to resize the HFS filesystem it does not retrace it steps and leaves the unfinished job in the filesystem. This will cause the filesystem to either become unstable to the point where you can't even backup your data.

If that has not happened, there is no reason for the system to be the way it's acting unless the EFI partition is screwed up.

Something extra happened that I think is not documented in your notes.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20456988 Fri, 09 May 2008 13:01:07 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20455853 Gunni : No luck. I should have mentioned that I tried that and I got a gray screen, on which the two HD partitions normally appear...but not now.

Just get the gray screen and, when I let go of the option key after two or three minutes, it continues to display the gray screen and nothing happens

Bob]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20455853 Fri, 09 May 2008 09:46:33 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20455531 tango_bob : What happens if you boot the MacBook, hold down the option key and go into the boot manager. You should see your Mac boot drive called Macintosh HD or something like that.
Select it hit enter and see what happens.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20455531 Fri, 09 May 2008 08:37:22 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20455399 Gunni : I am totally flummoxed by this one. I don't understand what's happening
and I don't know quite where to go or what to do.

I have tried carefully to document what I did as I went along.

Advice on where to go/what to do now would be most welcome.

Bob

**********
I have a MacBook running the latest version of OSX; it also has the most
recent update of Boot Camp installed and is running Windows XP, Home
Edition, SP2.

I booted up in Windows and tried to download and install the latest
Service Pack 3.

With the download in progress, it suddenly shifted to white text on a
blue background with the message:

The following file is corrupted, \system32\hal.dll>
Please reinstall a copy of this file.

I had to get this file from somewhere, so I tried to restart in Windows
and I got the same message as noted above.

I tried to reboot from the install CD of Windows XP, Home Edition, SP2
CD in the drive and again got the above warning.

I shut down by holding down the start button then hit the start button
again. I got to the Apple logo and the churning gearwheel, but after five
minutes, it got no further and I could not hear any disk activity.

I then tried starting up in Safe Mode: again much spinning of the the
gearwheel, but no startup.

I then ejected the Windows CD by holding down the touch-pad clicker and
restarted the MacBook using Disk Warrior 4.1

I got to the DW logo and the usual DW items in the desktop menu bar and
; it scanned for a long time, then the DW logo
disappeared and it went to a blue screen and the spinning gearwheel
appeared. It disappeared and the MacBook restarted to a gray screen and
went no further.

Ejected the DW disk by holding down the touch-pad clicker.

Booted up with Install CD

Under in the menubar, choose and it only
showed the Mac OS X 10.5 on the volume “Mac OS S install DVD.

Under in the menubar, choose Disk Utility. Gathered info
and it showed the Mac OS X Install DVD and something called Highlighting the latter, all the usual DU buttons were
grayed out and there was nothing I could do with DU.

Started up again in Target Disk Mode and, FINALLY, after about 10 minutes,
the normal FireWire icons labeled Macintosh HD and a second FireWire icon
labeled Windows appeared.

Double clicked on the Macintosh HD icon and got the SPWOD again for about
two minutes and the, the window that finally appeared, looked normal. I
went to each folder at the root level and compared it with the folders on my
iMac at that level and all appeared in order.

I launched Disk Utility in the iMac, selected the Macintosh HD of the
MacBook and chose . got an estimated time of 24 minutes to
check the drive but it took shorter. Ended with .

Then launched DiskWarrior, which was installed on my iMac. I graphed the
files on the MacBook HD. Result: only 2% if the files were out of order.

Tried to rebuild the MacBook HD with DW. I got this window; The directory
of the disk Macintosh HD cannot be rebuilt. The disk is still in use. Quit
all other applications or restart from Disk Warrior disk and they try
rebuilding again. If you report this error, please mention the error code
(2153, 4903).

Then tried, using DW, under Files, to . It
took about an hour to accomplish this and found nothing out of line.

That's where I stand now. Any ideas on where to go from here???]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20455399 Fri, 09 May 2008 07:32:29 EDT