Please help, partitioning for Mac OS and Windows 7

Hi everyone,

I'm currently a PC user, purchasing a Macbook Pro and on my way converting/learning Mac so please help me.

I need Windows 7 so I will do Boot Camp for sure. My question is how to set up my hard drive with 3 partition, 1 for Mac, 1 for Windows and one for data storage.

My current 500Gb harddrive ( from Sony Vaio that failed me ) currently has 80Gb on partition C: ( Windows 7 ) and 420 Gb for Partition D ( Data, Pictures, Music )

When my Mac Book Pro arrives ( it comes with 250GB ). I will took out the hard drive and swap my old one in. I was thinking is it possible to install the Mac OS on partition C (80GB) then using BootCamp to split out 60 GB to Install Windows 7 ( leave 20GB for Mac OS X ?? ). Of course, I don't want to touch my 420GB of data.

Please let me know if this is doable ? Thank you

 

Hi. First of all, partitioning drives on MacOSX is surprisingly simple and you can create them on the fly, within the OS without fear!!

In order to install windows, you need to open the bootcamp utility (applications/utilities/boot camp assistant), after a few clicks you'll be presented with a screen allowing you partition the drive. Simply drag the separation bar to your desired size then click continue once you're happy, for a couple of minutes the system will be busy while it's creating a new partition - be aware, unlike Mac partitions you can't adjust the size once it's created but you can remove them and start over!

Step1


Step2


Step3


N.B. BootCamp works for multiple OS's, it won't format your new partition.


As for your third partition (data).
You can create this within disk utility (applications/utilities/disk utility), see here...

Step1

Step2


Hope this helps.

 

thanks Ultra Neo, I understand install Windows 7 via Bootcamp is fairly easy. My main concern is first to fresh install Mac OS X on my old hard drive, is it possible to do so ( will Apple provide DVD to install ? )

Because I already have the data on the harddrive and don't have extra backup storage, so can I install Mac OS X on 80GB partition C first, then split out ( say 60BG for Windows ). Will this work ??

thanks

 

Hi UltraNeo,

I've read through your post. Yet I haven't found the answer, so I guess I have to bother you one more time

My main problem is the hard drive I have currently have data( 80Gb Partition C, and 420 GB of data ), and I don't have extra back up storage. So can swap this hard drive into the Macbook Pro and do fresh install MacOS X on Partition C then split out 60Gb to install Windows ??

Thanks

 

oops double post

 

Whenever you buy a new Mac from Apple, inside the box amongst the manuals are a couple of restore DVD's. Now those are model specific so they won't work in any other machines other than the one supplied.

The first disk of the pair has several purposes, it'll double as the Mac's driver disk for when you decided to install windows and also contains the System files for when you need to reinstall MacOS. The Second disk usually contains all the bundled software some find useful.

Well, it's kinda complicated.

I'll assume your old drive will be partitioned in windows with a MasterBootBlock and so forth - this is where the issues begin...

Since MacOSX require the drive to be in a GUID partition table, it'll want to format the entire drive prior to installation thus wiping your data!!

So, as a solution, I would suggest you copy your data to the stock Mac HDD first (MacOSX read both FAT32 & NTFS, with software, it can write to the later too). If that means creating a new partition first at the end of the drive, so be it. If your old drive is bare then you'll need to buy a cheap USB enclosure to complete this process.. Alternatively, if there's vase amounts of data, you'll need to ofload it to another drive with sufficient space to accommodate. Unfortunately, as it stands there isn't a utility capable of converting MBR to GUID.

Once copied, format your old drive, install the MacOSX and continue from there. Does this make any sense?

To extend the Mac's capabilities I would download and install MacFuse, this utility will enable MacOSX to write to NTFS.

 

Adding to the above...

Just discovered, you could give iPartition a try, as it's able to Repartition without reformatting but I can't guarantee your data to be 100% safe.

 

Alright so I got the idea

Looks like it will be easier if I borrow hard drive space from friends, copy all my data in there, swap my old drive in Macbook Pro, install Mac OS X and Windows 7 then copy data back in ?

Thank you very much

 

That would be a safer bet!! Good luck dude.

 

I'll let you know the process. Now I'm just waiting for my MBP arrives . In the mean time reading Mac Switchers Guide really enjoyable

 

Ahh yeah, there some really interesting stories on there but I'm not really a 'switcher'. I still like my windows, even with all it's former hassles; Mac for me is just easier on the mind.

 

I wouldn't say I'm a switcher at all cuz I love Windows 7. Hence, the daily stuff like reading news/email, research, if the Mac OS X give me 7hrs of battery that is something to consider very useful so I think I will give Mac OS X a chance of exploring the "fancy" GUI

 

I'd take Apple's power rating with a pinch of salt... I heard they set their displays about 50% for testing. However, when you and I use our machines we'll probably set the brightness near full, add on some fan management software etc. Then again, I also heard from various other users, they're really happy with the new machines.

Getting to know the GUI may take you a little bit of time, cause things are done slightly differently and in most cases, it's more logically..

 

Well......brightness on 50% is not bad. I've seen some power ratings where I think they put brightness on 0 and stared at the computer screen without doing anything for the "battery life time".

 

i made a guide about this earlier , skip VM ware part
http://forum.notebookreview.com/apple-mac-os-x/494981-guide-using-bootcamp-partition-vmware-3-a.html

 

sorry for bumping this thread again, but I still wondering if I create third partition for data by using disk utility ( from Mac OS X ) then which format should I use so both OS X and Win 7 can access to it ? Can I use NTFS then use MacFuse like UltraNeo suggest ??

 

read my thread , i just posted a link , everything u want is explained