tango_bob
VIP
join:2001-12-16
Evanston, IL
clubs: | reply to Gunni
Re: [OS X] Believe Windows on my MacBook has hosed it!
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. |
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Gunni
join:2005-12-06
Bethesda, MD
| 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 |
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HEDP
join:2008-04-27
Miami, FL
| 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. |
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Gunni
join:2005-12-06
Bethesda, MD | 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 |
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Gunni
join:2005-12-06
Bethesda, MD
| reply to HEDP
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 |
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HEDP
join:2008-04-27
Miami, FL
| 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. |
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Gunni
join:2005-12-06
Bethesda, MD
| 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 |
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HEDP
join:2008-04-27
Miami, FL
| 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. |
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Gunni
join:2005-12-06
Bethesda, MD
| 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 |
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HEDP
join:2008-04-27
Miami, FL
edit:
May 10th, @05:59AM
| 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. |
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Gunni
join:2005-12-06
Bethesda, MD
| 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. |
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RadioDoc
Sortofadog
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
Chicago, IL
 ·AT&T Midwest
| 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. |
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sporkme
drop the crantini and move it, sister
Premium,MVM
join:2000-07-01
Netcong, NJ
| reply to Gunni
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). |
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HEDP
join:2008-04-27
Miami, FL
| reply to RadioDoc
*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* |
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