Boot Camp Assistant Retarded

P

Perishingflames

Registered
Hi,

I recently bought a copy of Windows XP and used Boot Camp Assistant to install Windows. I set the partition size to 12 GB, but somehow it thought I meant 38 GB... The install of Windows was great (besides the fact I wanted to format it as FAT but since it did it as over 36 GB, it did not offer the option..) and its working fine (besides the fact that it screwed up my time on the mac hd), but now I would like to start over and format it as FAT. How can I do this? I have tried again to see if it was a coincidence that it used the wrong size, and it still did it wrong, but under 36 GB that time so I could choose FAT, but it said a comment like it would have to use NTSF and I would not be able to access the files on the HD from another hard drive.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
If you choose the first default setting for the Windows partition in Boot Camp, which is 32GB, then you will be able to choose either NTFS or fat32. If you choose to use 36GB, then that's too large for a fat32 partition in the Windows installer. The largest partition that you can format fat32 during the Windows install is 32GB, not 36GB. That's why 32GB is one of the default settings in Boot Camp. If you choose that setting (32GB), then you will be OK with Fat32 when the Windows installer gets to that format screen.
The partition size limit for fat32 is not a Boot Camp limitation, as you don't format the partition that you create _until_ you are in the Windows installer.

You can always start over with Boot Camp. Just run Boot Camp, and the setup will ask you if you want to remove the Windows partition that you created. Do that, then run Boot Camp again after your Mac is restarted. You can then create the Windows partition again (with the size that you want)
I have used Boot Camp to set up partitions and install Windows at least 50 times under both Tiger and Leopard, and the Boot Camp partition is never any other size than what I have set. The only problem I have is at the format screen (in the Windows installer) when I have made some mistakes when using the wrong partition. Leopard Boot Camp makes that harder to do wrong!
Assuming you now have Windows XP with service pack 2 (and not some OEM version specific for one brand of PC), you would be choosing the partition labeled C:
That should be the correct one, eh?
 
Yes, I know all that, and I did buy a full copy of Windows XP with SP2, and unlike last time, the C: is showing up as the Boot Camp partition, but it just isn't the size I want.

After some research, I learned some people were having problems because their startup disk wasn't the hard drive they were trying to partition, and it did the wrong partition size because of it. Well, lately when I started up my computer it would come to a black screen with some text saying like insert a hard drive and restart (hard drive undefined?) so I would have to start up using the option key, then selecting my hard drive. When I went into the startup disk preferences, none were highlighted, so I chose my macintosh HD and I removed the partition and started over, and now the disk appears to be the right size, though I am not sure it will stay that way..

I'll tell you how it goes when I install again. Hopefully it will let me use the activation key again.
 
Install of Windows worked great.

One problem I have now, though, is when trying to access the Program Files and other folders on the Windows hard drive using the Mac is that the folders are often locked. When I try to unlock them, the box won't uncheck. I can just drag items easily to it, but I have to authenticate it, and the 'admin' is not always around to type in their password. Any help?

P.s. I tried using this solution:
If the item you are trying to unlock is a folder,use these steps:

1. Open Terminal (/Applications/Utilities).
2. Type this, followed by a space: sudo chflags -R nouchg
3. Drag the folder you would like to unlock into the Terminal window.
4. Press Return.
5. Enter your password and press Return.
Click to expand...

.. but when I go to type in my password, nothing happens, just a gray box there.

Also, how can I access the Mac HD when booted in Windows? I checked in My Computer but it is not showing up.

Thanks :)
 
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How do you access the Mac partition when you are booted to Windows, when Windows doesn't see it at all (apparently)?
MacDrive is a good choice, you have to install it on Windows. And, you have to buy it. Another reason to love Microsoft.

And how to copy files to (apparently) locked folders on the Windows partition?
The simpler way - is to use an external drive of some kind. Copy the files to that drive. Copy them to your desired location while you are booted to Windows.
Another option, which makes the whole 'how do I copy files between Windows and OS X' question easy - is to use Parallels Desktop. Copying files anywhere is a simple drag-n-drop - the way the Mac is supposed to work, and, the way Windows would work, if someone at Microsoft could figure that out (you'd think!)
What kind of files are you desperate to copy into Windows?
 
How do you access the Mac partition when you are booted to Windows, when Windows doesn't see it at all (apparently)?
Click to expand...

Huh? I cannot access the Mac partition when in Windows, as I cannot see it in My Computer. I was talking about accessing locked folders ON the Windows partition from FINDER when booted in Mac.

And I like that external HD idea, because I do have one handy.
 
That's right (I was just restating your question, sorry for the confusion) - Windows won't see the Mac partition at all. So you have to use some software that will see the Mac partition when you are booted to Windows, such as MacDrive. My remark was meant to demonstrate that Windows is not as wonderful as some folks would have you think. Maybe there's someone out there that appreciates these hidden pitfalls in Windows, but I sure don't! MS still doesn't seem to recognize that other OSes even exist, and that's just another example.
If you need to share files from Windows to the Mac, then simply copy those files to your external drive while you are booted to Windows.
Don't ignore the file size limits if you are working with video files. Fat32 limits the file size to a maximum of 4GB.
What kind of files are you trying to move between the Mac and Windows partitions?
 
I am trying to move some programs and other files that I used when I had Q EMU.

And I am trying to move from Mac-Windows, but I still have to authenticate when moving to the Lacie Disk. Maybe I can set permissions for the Windows partition or Lacie Disk?
 
Get Info on your external drive, and check the box for "ignore ownership on this volume"
OR, authenticate when asked.
You really should have an admin account for what you are trying to do. An admin account, or an admin name and password are needed to change most of these settings.
Don't you own (and have control) of the Mac that you are using?
 
Yes, and no. Hopefully I will be made admin soon so there shouldn't be much problems. Though, Apple really didn't set it up well so you would have to Authenticate when moving files or unlock all the folders on the Windows drive..
 
Think about that for a moment. If the system wants permission to copy something, it is not assuming that everything is safe, and wants you (as the user) to know that something is about to happen that the system considers might be unsafe, or not secure. It's the system asking for your approval to continue. Why should that be a problem?
Better than Windows not asking at all, or now with Vista, not trusting _anything_ that happens.
If you are using an administrator account, then the system would not need to ask so often, although deleting files from certain areas on your system will ALWAYS ask for permission. Consider it a protective measure that actually helps you. If that gets totally annoying, you can always enable the root user, and log in as the root. You can then move anything anywhere, including deleting active system files, and the system won't warn you that you may be doing something hazardous to the health of your system... Most posters here would not consider that a good way to use your Mac...
 
Well I am an admin now but I still cannot unlock those folders.. And as for moving, authenticating works, but then no matter what file I am moving it will complain: "The operation cannot be completed because you do not have sufficient privileges for some of the items."

Now whats all this crap about FAT being able to access/write files to it? Seems not.


Oh and btw I did try the external HD for transferring, but it won't show up in Windows. Probably because its formatted to be bootable from Mac OS X. I also tried partitioning it, but the only options involve Mac OS X stuff, and the partition won't get smaller than 30 GB when I drag the bar down, I want it around 2-3.
 
You can manually set the partition size in Disk Utility. You are not restricted just to the slider. Click on the selected partition, and double-click on the Size box, then type in the size that you prefer, and click the Partition button.

Seems that you are trying to move some items that you don't need to move, or your system doesn't want to make it easy :)
If you really want to, anyway, you can enable the root user, log in as root, and move anything you like. Go to your Mac Help for more info on how to do that on your system. Be sure to read all the warnings about using root user.
Yes, fat32 is read/write for both Windows and OS X including Classic/OS 9

Do you have your external drive set to ignore ownership? That's in your Get Info on that drive, under Ownership & Permissions tab/check 'ignore ownership on this volume'
 
Ah figured out the problem. It would not let me move files to the locked folders on the Windows partition, even after I authenticated. Is there a way to unlock these folders? Just unchecking the unlock button doesn't work, it won't stay unlocked.
 
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