Dual boot 10.5.6 and Windows 7

Hi folks, (I know there's a dual boot section already, but trawlled that and couldn't find this specific configuration)

Kind-of newbie question. I've had ideneb 1.4 (10.5.6) running happily for some time now and yesterday decided to experiment by making the computer dual boot with windows 7.

I have no needed files on this netbook, so did the following...

1. Installed windows 7, completely erasing the contents, just to see if it would work. It did.
2. Used ideneb v.1.4. Made partition using disk utility - first partition named 'Mac' - about 70GB - format MacOS journalled. Second partition named WIN7 - about 50GB - formatted as MSDOS fat 32
3. Continued through the Ideneb installation, repaired permissions used tools to get me to where I was originally. OS x working fine.
4. Started up with windows 7 installation disc - the installation screen points to only the WIN7 partition as available (says disc has capacity of 50GB). However, says this needs to be erased and formatted in HTFS formatting (I think it was that). So I do this and Windows 7 installs - usual updates and restarts.
5. At this point if I interrupt the BIOS screen to pick a drive to start from I can only see the windows 7 assigned partition. So windows 7 works fine, but cannot see os 10.5.6.
6. So I reinsert the ideneb disc and reinstall os 10.5.6 on the mac partition and on restart it automatically runs windows. Cannot see the os x partition if I press F12. Cannot see the grey screen with the apple logo.

So I've got win7 to work fine. I THINK os x is also available to me on the other partition, but just can't get to it! Problem is this is where my experience ends as I'm no good with command lines etc. Can anyone help as I could just completely erase and go back to my trusted 10.5.6 platform, but would like to learn how these things work properly.

Thanks!

 

use google ffs
google dual boot idebneb windows 7
not hard
Get easybcd and add an entry for mac x86 or something along those lines if you dont want to google.

 

Thanks for being so understanding, (ffs)

Have been googling and researching for the best part of a day now. Used easy bcd so windows would recognise the mac partition. Restarted and I firstly get the black windows startup screen - with the option to start from the windows 7 or the mac partition. So far so good. When I selected the mac partition darwin loaded up and so did 10.5.6. But sadly the keyboard doesn't work - wasn't getting any response at all.

Reinstalled the mac partition using ideneb and now when I select from startup the apple screen hangs and there's a no entry symbol on screen.

Am now in the process of reinstalling the mac partition, just in case there was a disc error the last time round.

I appreciate that it must be frustrating that us inexperienced users may well ask the same/similar questions time and time again, but also appreciate that if we've made the effort to post a note we will have done some research already, have become confused or simply overwhelmed, are willing to learn and just want a helping hand. I personally find this experience exciting as I have not done anything like it before and I know that I will figure it out with the aid of helpful people. I could simply return the system to 10.5.6, but then I wouldn't have learned anything.

 

Fqir enough. Did you try reinstalling the voodoops2 kexts before you completely erased the mac partition?

 

Hi Rory,

No I didn't (this is where my inexperience lacks I'm afraid). Because I couldn't use the keyboard for anything when the mac was running I went straight to reinstalling using ideneb - every time I would try and launch a pkg file or run an app it would ask me for the admin password which I couldn't input. That time round I pretty much installed all the options from ideneb's customise screen. This time round I'm being more cautious. I've done a complete erase of the mac partition (including overwriting the drive with zeros) and I'm being more conservative on the customise screen - just installing what I know I need.

I'm almost there with the (re)install and will keep you posted.


Sunster

 

Okay, success, all works. Thought I would check and double check before I posted.

I can't say what was the reason why it worked this time. However, I do think that doing a full wiped erase with disk utility (took about 20 mins) helped as it completely scrubbed all trace of the faulty system.

Once I installed 10.5.6 I made sure that I didn't look at the windows 7 system until I had installed the tools, shutdown sound, keyboard, GMA950 etc. and repaired permissions.

So now I get the windows boot manager start up screen with the option to start windows or mac. If I click windows it starts as normal. If I click mac it runs darwin and off it goes! I've noticed that on os 10 I can see the drive icon for the windows partition, and it's labelled as untitled - can't change or alter this as far as I can see, but that's a very minor issue.

 

Yep, will stay as untitled as by default Os X cannot write NTFS. But if you get paragon NTFS (im sure you can get it free somewhere ) or ntfs-3g (freeware, but never 100% reliable imo, wheras paragon is) you might be able to change it, but even if you can't, youlll be able to write on that partition!)

 

Cheers Rory, will look into it.

 

Thats ok. Alternatively, if it annoys you you can stop it automatically mounting. Cant think how but google has helped me do it before.