Clone XP HDD to Bootcamp

I have a clone copy of my Windows XP hard drive and want to install it on my Mac. If I have to install Windows in bootcamp how can I move my cloned hard dive to the Mac?

macbook pro 15in, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Jan 2, 2010 10:48 AM

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6 replies

Jan 2, 2010 11:44 AM in response to jconn5

I'm also looking to achieve the same thing. I was successful in loading windows to a partition from a backup image, but that partition doesn't boot.

In what format is your cloned hard drive? I assume you have an image file .iso .dmg or soemthing. I recommend using Disk Utility to restore the partition from that. Be sure to select the image and then choose menu option Images --> "Scan Image for Restore" before you restore the image to the partition.

Jan 2, 2010 5:08 PM in response to jconn5

@jconn5:

Here is an "overview" of how to do this. If you're not an advanced user, you'll need to research more or wait for other users to elaborate.

1) use Boot Camp Assistant to allocate the new space for Windows. Cancel the process after it completes.

2) on your current Windows installation, add an entry in c:\boot.ini that references the location of the boot camp partition you just created on your Mac. This allows you to boot windows from the new location after its moved. This is typically partition 3 on most Macs. Run "diskutil list" in Terminal on your Mac to isolate the new partition number Windows will boot from. then, add this line to boot.ini:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Boot Camp" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

3) run SysPrep in Windows to allow it to be cloned. This is complicated and beyond the scope of my answer, so research it well.

4) connect your hard drive that contains Windows to your Mac and use Disk Utility to create a backup image of the windows partition.

5) follow these steps (except for #1 which you already did) restore your Boot Camp partion from your backup image and make it bootable: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10835653

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Clone XP HDD to Bootcamp

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