Trouble with Bootcamp Assistant

Arthur Q. Juvenal

i'm trying to install windows xp on my macbook (running 10.6.3), and i'm running into a problem with bootcamp when i try to partition the disk. i've been getting an error message that reads as follows:

The disk cannot be partitioned because some files cannot be moved

Back up the disk and use Disk Utility to format it as a single Mac OS Extended (Journaled) volume. Restore your information to the disk and try using Boot Camp Assistant again.

my disk is already formatted in mac os extended (journaled), so what could be causing this problem? is there any way around this or do i need to reformat and restore everything to make a boot camp partition?

RBach

You've got a few options here:

1. Do as it says. Erase your hard drive, reinstall OSX, then try making the second partition with Boot Camp Assistant. Obviously, this is rather inconvenient to say the least.

2. Boot to your Snow Leopard install DVD and use Disk Utility from there to create a second partition. This will likely work, but based purely on my anecdotal evidence this isn't guaranteed. I've seen it still fail to resize the original Macintosh HD partition. I've also had Windows fail to install to the newly-created partition (I think this might have been user error, however). All you have to lose by trying this is your time, really.

3. Get some 3rd party disk defragmenting application and run it on the Mac partition. I haven't tried this one myself, but supposedly it works. Unfortunately, I believe all the OSX defrag utilities are commercial. If that's correct, then you're risking paying for something that might not work out in the end (and you may need only this once regardless).

Needless to say, backup anything important before doing any of these. Just in case. You should have backups, anyway.

Arthur Q. Juvenal

i backed up everything via time machine last night, so i hope all my settings will be intact if i choose to reinstall

regarding the second option though, wouldn't i need bootcamp assistant to make some sort of special, designated partition on which to install windows?

Arivia

For option 2, use disk utility to shrink your previous partition, make a second HFS+ partition, then just delete it. Boot Camp Assistant should/will be happy to use the unpartitioned space.

edit: this is assuming that disk utility won't make NTFS partitions; if it does, go hog wild.

RBach

Disk Utility won't do NTFS, but does do FAT/FAT32. When you create the second partition using Disk Utility on the DVD, just format it as what DU labels "MS-DOS (FAT)." You'll need to reformat it during the Windows install, anyway (even if you had created it with the BC Assistant). Yes, even if you intend to use XP on a FAT32 partition. If you fail to format during the Windows install it will fail to boot once it restarts to continue install.

As I alluded to, I've only had option 2 not work one time out of about a half dozen or so, and I suspect that instance was user error.

Arthur Q. Juvenal

okay then, i'll try out option 2

thanks for the replies

RBach

No problem. Let us know how it goes.

Arthur Q. Juvenal

so it seems that using the disk utility included on the install cd would erase my data anyway to create a new partition...

the only way to create a new partition without erasing data is to use the boot camp assistant?

RBach

What exactly did you do in Disk Utility? It's perfectly capable of resizing existing Mac OS partitions. Did you use the "Partition Scheme" dropdown menu (has selections for Current, 1 Partition, 2 Partitions, etc)? That will erase everything, yes. You should still be able to click on the + button below that, though. Should being the operative word.

Arthur Q. Juvenal

so i tried the "+" button to create a new partition without erasing my existing one, and ran into another error message:

Could not modify partition map because filesystem verification failed

i think i need to repair my disk...

Arthur Q. Juvenal

i repaired my disk and now everything is working perfectly

Pheezer

Arthur Q. Juvenal wrote: »

so i tried the "+" button to create a new partition without erasing my existing one, and ran into another error message:

Could not modify partition map because filesystem verification failed

i think i need to repair my disk...

This.

Any time something inexplicable is happening in OS X, use the repair function in Disk Utility. It's probably related to something that Disk Utility can fix automagically for you.