Windows partition unaccessible after upgrading to El Capitan

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Level 1

8 points

Windows partition unaccessible after upgrading to El Capitan

I recently upgraded my 2013 MBP to El Capitan and since then, I haven't been able to access my bootcamp windows partition.

The allocated space is still taken up by the partition and writing "diskutil list" in Terminal gives the following:

There aren't really any important files on the Windows partition, so having to reinstall it is merely an inconvenience. I would, however, like to know if there is a way to simply restore the partition to its previous state.

Posted on Oct 13, 2015 8:38 AM

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Answer 1

Oct 13, 2015 9:26 AM in response to Rinsletify

Have you tried rebooting with the Option key down at the chime? That invokes Startup Manager and the Windows partition may be accessible there. Select it to see if it will start up.

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Answer 2

Rinsletify Author

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8 points

Oct 13, 2015 9:46 AM in response to FatMac-MacPro

I usually hold down the Alternative key to invoke the Startup Manager, but the only option I get to choose from is the Macintosh HD. Nothing happens if I hold down the Option key while rebooting. I am also unable to select windows partition as the default Startup disc in System Preferences.

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Answer 3

Oct 13, 2015 10:38 AM in response to Rinsletify

I'd suggest raising your question in the Windows Compatibility Community; there you'll find users with considerable Boot Camp expertise. I run Windows, etc., using Virtual Machines instead.

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Answer 4

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Oct 13, 2015 10:41 AM in response to Rinsletify

If you notice, your 250GB disk has two parts, 190GB and 40GB, and you have about 20GB unaccounted for. This is where the lost NTFS header is likely resident.

Please post the output of the following commands.

diskutil cs list

sudo gpt -vv -r show /dev/disk0

sudo fdisk /dev/disk0

The "sudo" commands will prompt for your password, and it will not be echoed back. You may also see a warning about improper use of "sudo" and potential data loss due to "abuse" of the command.

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Answer 5

Rinsletify Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 13, 2015 11:16 AM in response to Loner T

The command "diskutil cs list" gave the following response:

The command "sudo gpt -vv -r show /dev/disk0" gave the following response:

The command "sudo fdisk /dev/disk0" gave the following response:

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Answer 6

Rinsletify Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 13, 2015 11:23 AM in response to Loner T

If I use the Disc Utility application I can see that my harddisk has indeed been divided into 3 parts.

The Macintosh HD
20 gb of free space
40 gb without name

I am supposedly able to manipulate the size of these three partitions with the Disc Utility Application, but I wanted to exhaust all my options before I started trying that.

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Answer 7

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Oct 13, 2015 11:26 AM in response to Rinsletify

Do not use Disk Utility, it will make the problems worse. Can you use El Capitan has deleted my bootcamp windows partition as a reference and start a Testdisk scan?

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Answer 8

Rinsletify Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 13, 2015 12:03 PM in response to Loner T

Ohh boy, that seems like an adventure.

Before I begin, can I ask you what my options are? It seems to me that using Disc Utility to combine the three partitions and just reinstalling windows would be a more efficient solution to an amateur like myself. You don't seem to like that idea, however, so can I ask you what's wrong with Disc Utility?

Or can I perhaps use Time Machine to go back to Mavericks? I did create a backup just before upgrading to El Capitan.

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Answer 9

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Oct 13, 2015 3:22 PM in response to Rinsletify

Your options are

1. Backup OSX via TM, boot into Internet Recovery, erase internal disk, restore from TM. Re-install Windows.

2. Use BCA to remove Windows, merge partitions to get all the disk space in a contiguous chunk, re-install OSX for Recovery HD, and use BCA to re-install Windows.

3. Use the Testdisk and GPT Fdisk to look of roost NTFS headers, modify the partition based on Testdisk results using GPT Fdisk, reboot and test.

If your Windows is a clean new installation, #1 is the easiest. If you do not want to re-install Windows, #3 works. #3 is pretty straightforward. Do not be daunted by all the gobble-de-gook. 😉. IT may help you in the future when Windows has been in use and you do not/cannot re-install Windows.

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Answer 10

Rinsletify Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 13, 2015 12:59 PM in response to Loner T

Option number 2 is looking pretty simple to me. Why do I have to re-install OS X though? Will merging the partitions create a poorly utilized HD?

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Answer 11

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Oct 13, 2015 1:02 PM in response to Rinsletify

The Free space chunk between Recovery HD and Bootcamp partition will not get added back to your main partition and will remain lost space. This requires merging Recovery HD into OSX and than coalescing the Free Space. The merge leaves no Recovery HD on your Mac which can lead to future problems.

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Answer 12

Rinsletify Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 13, 2015 2:09 PM in response to Loner T

I have now successfully merged the partitions and re-installed OS X. However, I am unsure about the state of my Recovery HD. According to -diskutil list I still have 650 mb dedicated to the Recovery HD, but I can't choose it with the startup manager. I seem to remember being offered the option before upgrading to El Capitan though I have never actually used it.

I'm honestly not sure whether I fully understand the purpose of the Recovery HD as I have all my backups on an external HD. Do I even have a problem right now?

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Answer 13

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Oct 13, 2015 2:19 PM in response to Rinsletify

Boot your Mac and hold Command+R. If you see a spinning globe, your local Recovery HD is corrupt, otherwise you are in local recovery if the Recovery console comes up.

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