[CuttaCalhoon]

Do I need Boot Camp?

I am a recent switcher; well not quite as I will still use windows along with MAC OS X on my new MacBook. I decided to go for three partitions: OSX, Shared Data (FAT 32), and Win XP (Fat 32). I followed Two Years Two Days - Bootcamp and other stuff to create the three partitions and install XP, not using Boot Camp.

When I first created the three partitions, I downloaded Boot Camp to create the driver CD for XP. I then followed the instructions listed in the link above to install XP on the last partition. I initially chose NTFS file format for XP; however, my XP CD was corrupted: I had to created a XP CD with SP2, using my original XP CD (This sites provides details on how to do this: http://www.theeldergeek.com/slipstreamed_xpsp2_cd.htm), but I used the wrong labeling format (ISO 1 instead of Joliet). Hence, some of my files during the installation of XP were not found.

I had to quit XP installation. I created a new CD, and tried to reinstall but I could not as there was some conflict with the XP files that were already installed. I decided to start over, but I could not erase the partition that I started putting XP on it because it was in NTFS format. So I had to reinstall OS X and start over. This time however, I did not download Boot Camp because I already made the driver CD, and I was not using Boot Camp to create the partitions.

I was able to now install XP when I re burnt the CD using Joliet. I used FAT32 this time for the XP partition. My drive is under 32 GB; moreover, I do not want to be stuck again have to reinstall MAC OS X to erase the NTFS drive. With FAT 32, I can erase the XP partition using disk utility in the OS X install CD. For NTFS, I would have had to re partition all the drives, erase them clean, and reinstall OS X.

My question: Is having Windows XP installed without Boot Camp on my Mac OSX partition OK? I have not re-downloaded boot camp after I restarted from the beginning and reinstalled OS X. When you read the boot camp manual, on page 18 it says boot camp lets you select the operating system on the fly by rebooting and holding down the Option key (alt). However, I do not have boot camp, and I can still select which operating system to boot into by holding down the option key as my MacBook starts up. The GUI is exactly the same as the one on page 18 of the boot camp manual.

I understand I will need boot camp to create a new driver CD in the future if new drivers are available. However, will I be fine running windows and MAC OS X without boot camp right now?

Would appreciate your thoughts.

[cms]

Boot Camp merely facilitates what you have already done: partitioned your drive, created a WinXP drivers disk and installed dual-boot functionality with the ability to switch between them as you describe. Once done, you certainly don't NEED to keep it on your hard drive in order for all these things to continue to happen without any problems. AFAIK, its only real purpose once the Windows installation is complete is to restore your startup disk to a single volume without erasing your Mac OS partition too.

[CuttaCalhoon]

CMS, thank you. Though I have the dual boot functionality that you described above without having Boot Camp installed. I guess Boot Camp does not provide the dual boot functionality. It must come from somewhere else?

Regarding the startup disk comment, how can i find out if my startup disk is one volume. When I go to startup disk under preference in Mac OS X, i have the option to choose which OS to have as my default startup.

[cms]

Originally Posted by CuttaCalhoon 

CMS, thank you. Though I have the dual boot functionality that you described above without having Boot Camp installed. I guess Boot Camp does not provide the dual boot functionality. It must come from somewhere else?

Sorry -- not sure I understand your question. I am also guessing this post is in the wrong forum, so expect it to be moved.

Meanwhile, you say you are able to boot in both Windows XP and Mac OS = dual boot functionality, which is what the initial install of Boot Camp enabled you to do. Boot Camp is just a GUI to prepare your system, partition your drive and create a disk with Windows XP drivers to enable your Intel Mac hardware to run Windows XP and use all the hardware features (video, audio, networking, USB, webcam), etc., that are available to you in your Mac OS pre-install.

To answer your question re. startup disks: Your MacBook has only one physical drive. Boot Camp has partitioned this into two volumes, one for Mac, one for Windows XP. If you chose to use Boot Camp to restore your startup disk, you would simply erase the Windows partition and revert to a single volume on your hard drive. This can of course be done in other ways too, but because your disk is a single physical drive, not without losing your Mac OS partition also.

[CuttaCalhoon]

[QUOTE=cms;3361917]
Meanwhile, you say you are able to boot in both Windows XP and Mac OS = dual boot functionality, which is what the initial install of Boot Camp enabled you to do. /QUOTE]

Dear CMS, I first installed boot camp and used it to only create the driver CD, as I wanted to have three partitions. So I followed the instructions in the link above to install windows on my 3rd partition. However, my windows XP install failed somewhere during installation. This installed some files on the partition, but I could not boot up in windows. I also could not erase all files on the partition because it was in ntfs format. So I repartitioned all drives back into one. This enabled me to erase the previous windows install, but i also erased everything on my mac os x partition, and i lost boot camp. I then reinstalled mac OS X. But I did not reinstall boot camp, as I already had the driver CD from my previous attempt. I then sucssefully installed windows.

Hence, there was no boot camp ever installed as i had to erase everything, but I am still able to boot into both windows and OS X. So I assume boot camp is not responsible for the dual boot functionality.

[cms]

OK, now I understand your question....

Yes, you are right. Boot Camp is not needed to enable dual-boot functionality on a Mac. It is already built into the Mac OS, as evidenced if you have external bootable firewire drives attached, a bootable disk in your disk drive at startup or have access to a network boot drive. Holding down the alt key at startup will bring up all bootable options on-screen.

[CuttaCalhoon]

Cool. Thanks a ton for the info