Windows XP intalled with boot camp kill os X

hi

tonight my freind asked me to install xp on her mac with bootcamp (i dont know the model name, it is the new solid aluminium one).

any way so i started it up setting a 15GB part aside for xp, when it booted up in to xp it suggested a size closer to 130gb, so i closed the install thinking the partisioning went worng.

but when i reset all i got was a chime and a blank white screen.

i just want OS X back now

i have tryed booting with a leoperd cd i had laying around and hold C.
i tryed holding X
holding command+option+p+r

if you hold option you get nothing,
if the os x cd is in the drive it shows that but selecting it just makes the system reboot again,

any ideas, i would really not like to tell her that her new mac died at my hands



EDIT: WOW I did mean to post in here... sorry i will move it

Boot camp killed OS X

hi

tonight my freind asked me to install xp on her mac with bootcamp (i dont know the model name, it is the new solid aluminium one).

any way so i started it up setting a 15GB part aside for xp, when it booted up in to xp it suggested a size closer to 130gb, so i closed the install thinking the partisioning went worng.

but when i reset all i got was a chime and a blank white screen.

i just want OS X back now

i have tryed booting with a leoperd cd i had laying around and hold C.
i tryed holding X
holding command+option+p+r

if you hold option you get nothing,
if the os x cd is in the drive it shows that but selecting it just makes the system reboot again,

any ideas, i would really not like to tell her that her new mac died at my hands

thanks

NOTE: Merged crossposts

oh ok, it get it was ment to be moved here, ok

sorry about making a mess

If the partition map wasn't destroyed in the process, you should be able to hold the option key down to pick the OS X partition to start from. Perhaps your timing isn't quite right.

The way it works is that you start with the machine turned off. Turn it on, and immediately after the screen turns grey, press and continue holding the Option key (it might take 30 seconds or more). Then it should show you two partitions - one for Windows (possibly called "Untitled") and one for OS X. Double-click on the OS X partition and it should boot. Then, go back into the Boot Camp Assistant, be sure to print out and READ the installation guide (very important!) and revert back to one partition. Once this is done, backup the system and go from there.

If this works, you're lucky - but do consider this a lesson learned. Any time you make major changes to a hard drive, you should ALWAYS do a full backup. Always assume that something will go wrong and be sure you've covered your bases with a backup first. Nowadays, external hard drives are relatively inexpensive and should be top priority when purchasing a new computer.

Yeah, switch the Mac on holding down the 'option' key and you'll get Mac OS X and probably 'Windows' as options, just select Mac OS X. Cwa107 has explained the process well above.

The partition of 130Gb would've been the Mac OS HFS+ partition, so lucky you didn't hit delete > format!

There will be a 15Gb FAT32 partition on the drive, to continue installing XP, put the CD back in and at the partition section look for a 15Gb (15000Mb) partion and format that to FAT32 or NTFS to contiue installing XP.

HTH.

if you boot into Mac OS, you can just run Boot Camp again and delete the extra partition from there and start all over

not that lucky i am afraid,

after holding down option i get an arrow and it shows a pic of a cd and says Mac os x install DVD below but nowthing else, if i take the dvd out it comes up with nothing, any ideas?

It for sure sounds like you selected the 130GB Partition when the windows installer came up instead of the 15GB and you formatted that. If that is the case and it appears it is, your OSX is gone. You should be able to boot from your OSX DVD that came with the machine by holding down C after the startup sound. What OSX DVD are you using?

When you do get into the OSX installer you will have to run Disk Utility and partition the drive. Next time if you go with Bootcamp again, be VERY CAREFUL to select the smaller partition that Bootcamp creates and not the main OSX partition!

i am just using a 10.5 install dvd from another mates mac as the girl's is not available at the moment (very far away).

nothing really happens if i hold c. it just reboots again

The Install DVD's that come with your Mac are very Machine Specific! They will only work on a machine of exactly the same model and specs.

ahhh so now it comes out...

thanks mate, i am a bit of a mac noob (to be honest i have no love for them, i am a linux die hard)


looks like i will be going for a drive