Problems with Disk Utility

Joined
Dec 6, 2013
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Your Mac's Specs
15" Early-2011 MBP, 2GHz i7, 4GB RAM
Im having problems with Disk Utility trying to put windows 7 on my 2011 MacBook Pro. I'll start with some background on the computer. Originally it was OS X 10.8 and I added windows 7 successfully through disk utility. After adding windows I updated to OS X 10.9. I then added Ubuntu Server 13.10 and had problems mounting the iso, I ended up mounting it on another mac. No problems partitioning the disk although I did end up deleting the windows partition.

Now, when trying to add a partition it gets stuck on "Preparing to partition disk" and doesn't change state. I am trying to add a 35GB partition. The problem with mounting the iso still exists.

Would it be something I did wrong while installing Ubuntu Server? Is it fixable? Maybe there is a limit to the number of partitions I can have?
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
How are you trying to partition? Are you using Boot Camp or doing it with Disk Utility? The Boot Camp assistant will not work since the disk is already partitioned. Also, a screen shot of what the partition screen looks like from Disk Utility would help.

I might add that any time you install Ubuntu where you already have Windows installed can be a problem because of GRUB.
 
OP
N
Joined
Dec 6, 2013
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Your Mac's Specs
15" Early-2011 MBP, 2GHz i7, 4GB RAM
Im using disk utility to partition. I like to see what Im doing and not trust it to the computer. Here is a screenshot of disk utility:

ScreenShot2013-12-06at53244PM_zpsbf3af9f3.png


I am using this as a guide for triple booting OS X, Windows, and ubuntu. I was not aware of GRUB being a problem.
 
Joined
Nov 28, 2007
Messages
25,564
Reaction score
486
Points
83
Location
Blue Mountains NSW Australia
Your Mac's Specs
Silver M1 iMac 512/16/8/8 macOS 11.6
And BootCamp must have a Mac with one single partition formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) drive to install Windows.
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
It looks like you've got the Ubuntu partition before your Macintosh HD partition? Also, are you running Ubuntu desktop 13.10 in addition to Ubuntu server 13.10? What version of OS X do you have loaded because I can't see a recovery partition?

And yes, GRUB can be a problem because it has a tendency to overwrite the boot sector if you're not careful. In your screenshot I do not see your EFI partition. And I guess you were using rEFIt as your boot manager?
 
OP
N
Joined
Dec 6, 2013
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Your Mac's Specs
15" Early-2011 MBP, 2GHz i7, 4GB RAM
It looks like you've got the Ubuntu partition before your Macintosh HD partition? Also, are you running Ubuntu desktop 13.10 in addition to Ubuntu server 13.10? What version of OS X do you have loaded because I can't see a recovery partition?

And yes, GRUB can be a problem because it has a tendency to overwrite the boot sector if you're not careful. In your screenshot I do not see your EFI partition. And I guess you were using rEFIt as your boot manager?

Sorry for the late reply, got caught up in Gran Turismo 6.

It should be the Macintosh HD partition first. Ubuntu was installed later. I was planning on doing Ubuntu desktop also before I had lost Windows. Ubuntu desktop was never on my laptop. I am currently running 10.9 Mavericks. Do I need a recovery partition for 10.9? I am not sure what the EFI partition is for or if I have one. Yes I am using rEFIt for my boot manager.
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
It should be the Macintosh HD partition first. Ubuntu was installed later. I was planning on doing Ubuntu desktop also before I had lost Windows. Ubuntu desktop was never on my laptop. I am currently running 10.9 Mavericks. Do I need a recovery partition for 10.9? I am not sure what the EFI partition is for or if I have one. Yes I am using rEFIt for my boot manager.

Well, you can see from your own screen shot that your Macintosh HD is not the first partition and both your EFI and Recovery partitions are not showing up. There is also unallocated space at the end of the drive. You can also see that your partition lineup is way off when you compare it to the LifeHacker example used for triple booting.

I've worked with rEFIt before and it installs itself to the EFI partition on your drive and then takes over the boot function from the Mac EFI. This is why GRUB can be a real pain to control because it wants to install itself in the boot sector.

I'm really at a loss as to what's going on with your setup. It may be best to backup whatever you can and start over.
 
OP
N
Joined
Dec 6, 2013
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Your Mac's Specs
15" Early-2011 MBP, 2GHz i7, 4GB RAM
Ok I'll be backing up the Mac side soon and starting over. I really appreciate your help with this.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top