Problems with Boot Camp - PLEASE HELP!

I'm having problems with Boot Camp. Here's what's happening. I ran Boot Camp Assistant, partitioning a 32GB BOOTCAMP drive. I insert my copy of XP and start the installation. My MBP restarts and boots into the Windows Setup. I let it run through the initial actions. I press ENTER to proceed, F8 to accept the license agreement, then when I get to the part where I should be able to select the Partition 3 BOOTCAMP drive (as it says in the Apple Boot Camp Manual) there is only a Partition 1 Unknown drive. It is the only drive to choose from and its a C: drive. I can't figure out why after I run boot camp the partitioned drive doesn't appear as an option in the windows installation. Please help!!!

Are you sure that the unknown drive partition isn't the one you just made?

It is unknown because you havent formatted it yet. Just format it and go on with the installation and you should be fine.

Strukt said:

It is unknown because you havent formatted it yet. Just format it and go on with the installation and you should be fine.

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Absolutely do not do that...

If you have not done anything to your partition scheme before bootcamp, it should be labeled as partition 3 in the windows installation just like the instructions say.

The unknown partition that you are seeing is most likely your mac partition. It is unknown because it is formatted with HFS+. If you choose that partition and format it with the windows installer it will destroy your partition scheme and erase your OS X installation.

And btw: Bootcamp does format partitions it creates with FAT32.

Whatever you do, do not continue and format that unknown partition unless you are 100% sure that's the partition that bootcamp is creating (which most likely its not)...

EDIT: For troubleshooting purposes, what does windows say the size of this "unknown" partition is...

I found out the unknown drive was my mac partition the hard way. I went through with the install on it and it wiped my hard drive clean. I had to start from the Leopard Discs and reinstall.

Sorry about my suggestion! Sometimes the brain doesn't think straight, i had nothing but good intentions though , It seems like you got it to work anyway and didn't damage anything.

CarlConti08 said:

I found out the unknown drive was my mac partition the hard way. I went through with the install on it and it wiped my hard drive clean. I had to start from the Leopard Discs and reinstall.

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I'm sorry to hear that... Installing windows through bootcamp is a semi-risky thing to do...

Did you have a backup of your data?

I had a partial backup as I had recently gotten my MBP, but not everything was backed up. I think I just lost a few music and video files, but ive been able to redownload those so not much damage was done.

Here are some pictures of whats going on:

Partitioned the 32GB BOOTCAMP drive formatted FAT32

Starting the installation

Boots into windows setup

Press Enter to continue

License Agreement. I press F8 to accept

Get to the part where I should be able to let windows setup format the bootcamp drive but theres only one unknown disk.