09-02-2007, 09:26 AM

Hi,

I have installed WinXP on my iMac via a FAT32 80Gig partition. This works fine but my mp3 player's software only works on Windows. I therefore need access to my music from XP.

Does Bootcamp allow one to create a shared partition which both os's can access? Is there a way for XP to access files on mac?

Thanks,

Barry.

09-02-2007, 09:53 AM

Well you could just as well make iTunes store music on your Windows XP partition and that will be accessible while using Windows. Just keep whatever files you want to be accessed by both OSes on the Windows partition...

09-02-2007, 10:41 AM

Thanks very much for your reply. The problem is that myself and my girlfriend both have 20G players - thats 40Gs of music that we need to access from XP. The XP partition is 32Gs - the largest permitted for FAT32, therefore I won't have much room for anything else if I squeeze all my music into the Xp partition. Any other suggestions? /Barry

09-02-2007, 11:25 AM

Who said largest partition for Fat32 is 32GB? I have so many of these Fatty drives running around with 250GB partitions. I don't think Windows allows it, but from disk utility in OS X, you can just select the drive, format, and select MS-DOS...

09-02-2007, 11:37 AM

Thanks again. i meant bootcamp doesn't let me create a fat32 partition for xp greater than 32G. Can I use the disk utility to create a partition that both os x and xp can read?

09-02-2007, 12:41 PM

Yep. Just select the partition and format it to MS DOS file system which is Fat32...

09-02-2007, 02:09 PM

I'm sorry but I'm still not sure about what I need to do. Can I split my first partition (where os x resides) without wiping it, with the intention of storing my music on the third partition (formatted as MsDos)? If so, how do I do this using the disk utility?

09-02-2007, 05:46 PM

Splitting the OS X partition without wiping it is not what a gentle human being should attempt.

As for a solution for you, here's what I propose. Its a bit long drawn, but it should work.

1: Delete the existing bootcamp partition using the bootcamp assistant.
2: Use the bootcamp assistant to split the partition again. Make it whatever size is enough for you.
3: Install Windows XP or Vista while formatting the drive as NTFS.
4: Boot into OS X. Format the drive where you just installed Vista or XP as MS DOS.
5: Run the bootcamp assistant again and select "start the installer".
6: When you are installing xp, just select "Leave my file system intact".
7: Install XP.

On the other hand, you could install this software MacDrive for xp, which allows you to read OS X partition without any problems. It shows up as just another drive in explorer. Only I hope no virus affects the OS X partition from there....cause it will be exposed.