02-18-2011, 10:12 PM

Hello,

How would I go about installing multiple operating systems on my Mac using Bootcamp? Lets say I wanted to install Windows and possibly Linux or Windows 8 when it comes out. I understand I should probably read through forums before doing so. Also, lets say I get a virus on the Windows OS, would it affect the Mac OS? And, is it possible to erase a partition? Finally, can I read and write on a partition using bootcamp (running Windows)?

Thank you Mac Forums

02-18-2011, 10:17 PM

you can read and write on FAT32 windows partitions, not NTFS. NTFS would be read only.
so 32GB or less.

you can read and write to NTFS with a third party driver supplied by paragon.

If you wanted to install a triple boot with linux you would have to use reFit, which isnt supported by Apple. ive never used it. you could alternatively use Linux in a VM: VirtualBox is a free option.

Windows 8 you will probably have to wait for an updated version of bootcamp for.

yes you can erase partitions, the virus wouldnt affect OSX. you could just wipe the windows partition.

The bootcamp Assistant in your utilities folder is very easy to use.

hope this helps

02-18-2011, 10:29 PM

Thank you so much So it is possible to write on a Fat32 partition? Would bootcamp explain this to me before I partitioned? I plan to split my hard-drive into 250GB for each OS.

02-18-2011, 10:35 PM

well, anything above 32GB must be formatted to NTFS, because windows doesnt like it.

it wont explain about it.

however its not so bad, you don't really need to write between i have found. you can read, so anything you need off either drive can be transferred to the OS you are working on. so if you had something on OSX you wanted to put onto windows, simply boot into windows and drag from the OSX partition onto the windows partition.

250GB will be fine, btw

02-18-2011, 10:38 PM

Great. Well, I actually plan to use my Windows partition ONLY for Onlive, which say takes up only around 15mb. Does Apple Support cover partitioning the hard drive or do you think it might void my warranty?

02-18-2011, 11:03 PM

Using boot camp will not allow you to have more than two OS's. I would recommend using rEFIt, it's what i use.

02-18-2011, 11:06 PM

Apple are the people that created bootcamp, and partitioning your hard drive will not void your warranty. obviously you should do a backup before messing with your drive, and only do any partitioning through OSX, not windows.

what is Onlive? i am not familiar.

02-18-2011, 11:17 PM

Read the stickies at the top of this forum. They will answer most of your questions.

Cheers

02-19-2011, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by robduckyworth

Apple are the people that created bootcamp, and partitioning your hard drive will not void your warranty. obviously you should do a backup before messing with your drive, and only do any partitioning through OSX, not windows.

what is Onlive? i am not familiar.

Onlive is a service that allows the user to play the latest and demanding games on ANY laptop/desktop with a good internet connection. Since the laptop doesn't do any of the work, it is only being used as a monitor/display. Super-computers in different parts of the USA do all the work. That is why I plan to partition. Onlive is compatible with both operating systems (Mac and Windows) but I prefer to use it on windows and do all my school work on Mac. Its a fun thing to have IF you have a good internet connection (which means highspeed and not dial up)

02-19-2011, 04:17 PM

Originally Posted by davyvfr

Onlive is a service that allows the user to play the latest and demanding games on ANY laptop/desktop with a good internet connection. Since the laptop doesn't do any of the work, it is only being used as a monitor/display. Super-computers in different parts of the USA do all the work. That is why I plan to partition. Onlive is compatible with both operating systems (Mac and Windows) but I prefer to use it on windows and do all my school work on Mac. Its a fun thing to have IF you have a good internet connection (which means highspeed and not dial up)

If that's true, I'd highly recommend saving yourself a ton of trouble and using Windows through a virtualization product like VMWare Fusion, Parallels or VirtualBox. This way, you don't have to bother with partitioning and you can run as many (or as few) OSes simultaneously as you so choose. Virtualization is far more flexible and there's no need to worry about damaging your filesystem or primary OS.

As SammySlim pointed out, the sticky at the top of this forum contains a wealth of information and you can save yourself hours of work by reviewing it and better understanding your options.