Boot Camp (#8): Mac OS X not booting properly after partitioning; MacBook Pro hotter when running Windows?; more

CNET staff

Sept. 2, 2009 6:42 a.m. PT

3 min read

Mac OS X not booting properly after partitioning Several users are reporting an issue where Mac OS X will not startup properly after partitioning the startup drive with Boot Camp and installing Windows XP.

For these users, Windows XP boots normally, but the Mac OS X startup process stalls at the "spinning gear" stage of the boot process, or results in a kernel panic.

Fixes

Starting up from Mac OS X DVD and repairing disk In some cases, this issue can be resolved by starting up from the Mac OS X installation DVD that shipped with the Intel-based Mac in question (insert the disc, then startup while holding the "C" key), then accessing the "Utilities" menu, selecting Disk Utility and repairing the disk.

Boot into single user mode and move swapfile Try booting your Mac into single user mode by holding down the Command and S keys during startup, then entering the following commands (pressing return after each):

/sbin/mount -uw /

mkdir /var/vm/backup

mv /var/vm/swapfile0 /var/vm/backup/

reboot

Re-installing Mac OS X Failing the above, you may have to erase your Mac OS X partition and re-install Mac OS X.

This can be accomplished by starting up from the Mac OS X installation DVD accessing the "Utilities" menu and selecting Disk Utility, then choosing the Mac partition that is problematic and clicking the "Erase" button. You can then proceed with a normal Mac OS X installation on the newly formatted partition.

MacBook Pro hotter when running Windows? Some users are reporting that the surface temperature of their MacBook Pros elevate significantly when running Windows XP -- an issue we've yet to experience in-house.

If you are having a similar problem, please let us know.

More on Keyboard input not being recognized We continue to report on an issue where keyboard input is suddenly not recognized when running Windows XP -- a problem generally resolved by either restarting or disconnecting then re-connecting the keyboard.

One reader writes:

"No problems installing Windows XP SP2, but in use, on a couple of occasions, the keyboard simply stops working. Even logging out of Windows fails to revive it. A reboot always restores contact. No pattern that I can see so far. Most times it will work fine for hours. Other times, it'll lose contact after a fairly short (20 minutes) time."

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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