quick OS X fresh install boot camp question (MP 2006 1,1)

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Level 1

74 points

quick OS X fresh install boot camp question (MP 2006 1,1)

i have a pair of drives in my 2006 1,1 mac pro with one containing a partition of mountain lion (as i recall) along with a boot camp partition of windows XP and the second hard drive containing a CLONE of the mountain lion partition along with a boot camp partition of windows 7.

can i do a fresh RE-INSTALL of mountain lion on the OS X partition and basically keep the two boot camp partitions intact and in use on this 2006 machine?

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.5), Boot Camp of Windows 7 + Windows XP

Posted on Mar 30, 2015 9:55 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

lllaass

Level 10

210,411 points

Mar 30, 2015 9:57 AM in response to hotwheels22

Yes it should work fine. However, make sure you backup before you try since glitches sometimes occur. I would make clones if you can.

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Answer 2

The hatter

Level 9

60,980 points

Mar 30, 2015 10:11 AM in response to hotwheels22

ML would be a hack on 1,1 and it re numbers partition ID number I believe. Still opposdd to XP and better off on a Windows only hdd.

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Answer 3

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Mar 30, 2015 11:39 AM in response to hotwheels22

Re-install of OSX will overwrite the current MBR, which may need to re-built using GPT Fdisk.

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Answer 4

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

74 points

Mar 30, 2015 2:17 PM in response to The hatter

hi hatter. sorry, yes i guess i am on 10.7.5 on the mac pro 1,1, which is lion.

can i ask you what you mean by "Windows only hdd"?

i mean, you are saying that you would like to see a /single/ partition on /each/ hard drive in the mac pro with one single boot camp installation?

if so, i currently have OS X AND windows 7 boot camp on one HDD and a CLONE of OS X and windows XP boot camp on the other HDD.

are you saying i should nuke the OS X install and just leave the mac pro 1,1 (once i get it working again) to only have XP and Boot Camp installs?

is there a good way to do this?

THANKS

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Answer 5

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

74 points

Mar 30, 2015 2:20 PM in response to Loner T

hi LT.

so GPT Fdisk sounds a tad trickier than i can try on my own and overwriting the MBR sounds a bit complicated as well - however i can get help with this.

can i ask you to read my questions to hatter and advise as to what you think i should consider an "end state" for the mac pro 1,1?

i mean, I CAN apparently get the boot camp install of windows 7 onto the 2012 mac pro eventually and if so is there a good way for me to leave the 1,1 as a "windows XP only" machine?

i would really like to not get rid of my boot camp install of XP for at least a little while until i am sure i have things working and i may in fact actually /need/ the XP Boot Camp to be working here shortly (even though i know i can get some kind of virtualized version working on the 2012)...

thoughts? advice?

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Answer 6

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Mar 30, 2015 4:04 PM in response to hotwheels22

Not to steal The hatter 's thunder, but what is being suggested is that a MP disk which does not have OS X and is less than 2TB in size can be formatted as MBR-only disk when XP is installed, which Windows understands, and you do not have to deal with the vagaries of a hybrid MBR. Otherwise you deal with a GPT/MBR combination. Resizing partitions on the MBR-only disk is also allowed without having to manipulate the hybrid MBR.

A GPT/MBR combination disk can also be converted to a MBR-only disk via GPT Fdisk, provided you do not have anything else (like OS X) which needs a GPT to function. If you need steps, let me know.

The MP 1,1 can be a pure Windows machine, if the WXP is on a standalone MBR only disk, if you leave the XP only disk in the MP. If it has a Hybrid MBR, you have to use Alt/Option, if necessary, to boot into Windows. Since the OS X disk has been removed,

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Answer 7

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

74 points

Mar 30, 2015 6:08 PM in response to Loner T

yeah. LT, hatter. /thank/ you for breaking this down for me.

so assuming I can reclaim the Mac Pro 1,1 from video issues can you help me figure out how to get an XP only disk? I have the existing partition with XP that sits next to a partition of OSX. I also have a WinClone backup of the XP install (thanks hatter). I also have a new 1 or 2 TB blank disk lying around.

thank you!

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