Can I re-partition using bootcamp without getting a new copy of XP?

hi all...I have an OEM copy of Windows XP SP2 that I bought off of newegg...it works fine in bootcamp but i was wondering, if I repartition my harddrive to give a little bit more space to the XP side since I just bought a new external harddrive, will I have to reinstall XP and if so, will I need to get a new copy of XP or will it be able to reinstall on my machine despite me changing the amount of HD space?

You can actually keep your existing data. It's a little bit complicated, but here are the steps:

1. Make a special boot disc using BartPE with the DriveImageXML plugin. You will need your Windows CD for this. Basically it rips out the guts of your Windows CD to make a bare-bones "Live" Windows disc for running special applications such as DriveImageXML. Be sure to add the plugin before making the new CD:

http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

http://www.runtime.org/peb.htm

2. With a backup hard drive connected to your Mac, boot into the BartPE CD you created. Once it boots, go into programs and find the DriveImageXML plugin. You will want to create a full backup (clone) of the XP partition. Point the backup to your spare hard drive.

3. Once the backup is completed, boot into OS X and remove the Boot Camp partition. Then, create a new partition from scratch. It must be equal to or larger than the old partition.

4. Boot into the new partition using your Windows CD. Format the partition, but eject the disc (or turn off the computer) when it starts copying the Windows files over. You only need the Windows CD to format the partition for you using NTFS.

4. Boot into the BartPE again with the spare hard drive connected. Choose to Restore your backup to the freshly formatted partition from the spare hard drive. When you're done, eject and boot into the Windows side of Boot Camp. Everything should work fine.

Please, please, please backup your data before doing this. I make no guarantees. It's been about a year since I did this last and I'm not sure if I got it exactly right. Also, I can't remember if I used a Firewire or USB external drive as the spare. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!

thanks kaidomac...but i dont really care if the data stays, i just used it to play games and i have all the original install CD's...i just want to kno if the windows XP cd will work once i repartition the drive so there's no space...i jsut dont want to have to get another XP which ill never do...

I want to know this as well. If I load and register the xp oem disk on my macbook, then repartition and reinstall the disk, will microsoft security kick in and claim it as an illegal copy because it is already registered? I dont want to have to buy a new oem disk everytime I re-partition and re-install my hard-drive or if and when I get a new bigger hard-drive, will the same oem disk that I installed on the old hard-drive, still be installable on the new hard-drive?

No, in this case you don't need a new copy of XP. One of two things will happen:

1. XP will recognize the hardware and allow you to register online automatically (it usually allows you to register a few times on the same machine without having problems).

2. XP will see it as a "new install" and want you to get a new installation ID in order to activate it. All you have to do is call the number provided and tell them what you did; they will give you a number temporary number that will allow XP to activate online. You have to be clear that you have wiped the previous installation of XP off your machine or they will not give you a new installation ID (which is just a temporary number that allows you to activate your previously-activated key online, not a new Windows license key). I have done this probably 20 times on my existing XP license since I go upgrade my machines on a regular basis. Tip - when you first call, the robot voice will want you to say your installation ID out loud, but you can also type it in on your phone's keypad (much faster & less error from trying to read your voice).

Regardless, I would suggest following my instructions in the post above. Create a 10gb partition, install XP/drivers/programs/updates/activate XP/configure settings, then clone it to a backup drive. Then repartition according to my instructions and reclone to the new, larger partition. The benefit is threefold:

1. You have perfect backup of your XP partition
2. You never have to reactivate XP when you want to reinstall on the same machine (since you activate it before you do the clone backup)
3. Since the partition is small to begin with (10gb), you can always clone to a larger partition. This means in the future if you ever want to repartition again and perhaps make the partition smaller, you can simply reclone your backup to any size 10gb or greater.