Problem Installing Windows on a partition

I've created the partition via bootcamp, I'm following the instructions i printed out from boot camp, however, I get to the blue screen that says to pick the partition, i clicked the "Partition3 <bootcamp> [FAT32] Xgb and it goes to another blue screen that has me install it, now after this process i go back to the black screen and it says disc error and to click any button to reset...no buttons do anything. I redo this process, I get a new blue screen after I pic my partition but it's only to reinstall/replace the existing windows files...I replace...same problem. I restarted and held the option key, Clicked the Windows partition to load...Disk error. and it says click any button to reset, but no buttons work, again.

Anyone know what the problem is?

There is an issue I have encountered with some newer macs where no MBR is written for the Windows partition.

If you boot off the Windows install CD and then select recovery console and at the prompt type fixmbr it usually corrects the issue.

Wether this is the exact issue you getting I am unsure as we were generating the problem when ghosting Windows as opposed to actually installing it.

Another issue you can have is an error with the hall.dll file this is caused by having the incorrect partition specified in the boot.ini file on the Windows install.

To RageBiker:

I'm not sure exactly what's happening, but are you formatting the Boot Camp partition after it's selected? Without formatting it, you would definitely get a disk error when attempting to install.

Regards.

I never actually mannually clicked format drive or formatted the new partition, i created it and in the drop box it says it's in MS-DOS(fat) format. How do I format it?

The exact thing I did was...

Create the partition
Put in CD
restart and started install
Chose partition
Installed windows while in the blue screens
restarted
Chose the Windows partition by holding Option
Disk error.

Please refer to Page 10 of the Boot Camp setup manual. You must format the partition in order to proceed with the install.

If you are sure you have already formatted the drive C Boot Camp partition, and still get the error, then I suggest starting over. Start over by booting back to OS X and run the Boot Camp setup assistant again. Remove the partition and create it again.

Regards.

I Don't know what i'm doing wrong here...

I started over.

1. Partitioned a piece 17gb off for windows
2. Put in installation disk
3. Clicked start the installer
4. The computer restarts and goes to a blue screen that starts installing windows
5. after it completes, the computer restarts and a black screen comes up
"click any button to boot from disk" I click any key
6. Boots from CD, still blue screen goes and installs...again i guess
7. THen it comes to the top blue screen on page 8 of the bootcamp installation gudie
8. I pick partition <Bootcamp> [FAT32]
9. However...Now it doesn't go to the 2nd blue screen on page 8...I cant pick the format
10. Instead it goes to a blue screen that says windows is already installed in X folder and click L to replace it...I clicked L and it reinstalls and restarts and goes back to step 7

- I restart and boot from the windows partition....Disk Error....


It seems like there is no alternate route or there is nothing i'm missing...i'm following all the prompts and there don't seem to be any other ways

Which version of Windows are you trying to install? Something that I see right away that might be a problem is that in my past Bootcamp installations, once you select the Bootcamp partition (within the Windows installer), you have to format for Windows to install. Are you doing that, or just selecting the partition and installing?

To RageBiker:

This is the step that's tripping you up:

5. after it completes, the computer restarts and a black screen comes up "click any button to boot from disk" I click any key

Click to expand...

When you see this message, do not click any key. Doing that just starts the blue screen install process over again. You'll wind up in a loop that actually corrupts the installation. Just leave it alone and the installation will continue. What you're doing is causing it to boot from the CD again, and, at that point in the installation it no longer has to. Try again.

Regards.

86Apex said:

Which version of Windows are you trying to install? Something that I see right away that might be a problem is that in my past Bootcamp installations, once you select the Bootcamp partition (within the Windows installer), you have to format for Windows to install. Are you doing that, or just selecting the partition and installing?

Click to expand...

I have a windows XP professional CD with SP2 on it

It goes right from picking the partition to installing...no picking the format screen


chscag, I'll redo it all and try it again doing that and see how it goes, Thanks

Well now i have a new problem...I create the partition...put the CD in and click install and the computer restarts and it goes to a black screen with a _ in the top left. I retry and hold option when it restarts and the only options are the Mac OSX HD and the windows CD....what's the problem now...

Don't know about your new problem, but a quick Google search got me to the following link:

Bootcamp/XP Disk Error

Basically, start over and try again.

Yeah I came across that website as well...I will continue to try and see what happens, It seems like I can't find a way to format the disk though...that website talks about formating before starting windows...how do i do that? what do i click?

Bootcamp/XP Tutorial

Skip to about 5:30 in that video, you should be getting that screen before installation.

Ok well there lies the problem...at 5:30 when I click that partition...the next screen is not the format screen...

but now anyway i can't even load the disk...i click start the installation in bootcamp and it restarts to the CD and it's just a black screen with a white cursor in the top right corner...

Go into Boot Camp Assistant. Restore the HD into a single Mac OS X partition. Then just start from the beginning.

Also, what SP is on that XP disc do you know? I remember reading that anything earlier than the SP2 won't work in Boot Camp. I may be wrong though.

I've restored and restart from the beginning probably about 5-6 times...same result every time

and i have SP2 on the XP disk...it doesn't even load anymore..just a black screen with the white cursor in the left corner...it has loaded before but i have no idea why it's not now..or why the blue format screen didn't come up

More specifically I have XP Pro + SP2 that my friend burned onto a disk for me...it has worked successfully before on a windows computer, it's a very current version of XP that needs minimal installation but idk what's up with it

chscag said:

To RageBiker:

This is the step that's tripping you up:



When you see this message, do not click any key. Doing that just starts the blue screen install process over again. You'll wind up in a loop that actually corrupts the installation. Just leave it alone and the installation will continue. What you're doing is causing it to boot from the CD again, and, at that point in the installation it no longer has to. Try again.

Regards.

Click to expand...

Ok so it worked to the blue screen again and it got the screen that said "click any key" i didn't click anything....Disk Error.

It seems like the disc you're using just isn't compatible with Boot Camp, but that's just a guess. Don't know what else to tell you. Sorry. Do you have another installation disc you can try?

yeah that's the same conclusion i'm coming to as well...I guess i'll starting looking for an older XP CD or Vista CD laying around my house if I still have them, thanks for all the help!