How do I view Macintosh HD in Windows 10 Bootcamp?

Question

Level 1

8 points

How do I view Macintosh HD in Windows 10 Bootcamp?

I was able to do this before on Windows 10.. but ever since I just did a fresh re-install and updated my Windows 10, I can no longer view or "read" my Macintosh HD from Windows Bootcamp. It just doesn't exist according to Windows Bootcamp.

I have gone on Boot Camp Assistant (in macOS) and downloaded the latest software, but when I try to install I get an error pop-up, and then it continues to install the rest of the drivers.

I am using the latest version of macOS (10.12.2) and Windows 10 (10.0.14393 Build 14393). Talked to Apple Support on the phone and of course didn't get much help 😟

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated thank you! I only need to be able to 'read' the Macintosh HD drive, I can live without writing to it.

MacBook Pro with Retina display, iOS 10.2

Posted on Dec 31, 2016 4:04 PM

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Answer 1

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Jan 1, 2017 4:22 PM in response to tr1s

The Windows Anniversary Update (1607) breaks the AppleHFS.sys and AppleMNT.sys. Unless you go back to the 1511_1 or 1511_2 releases, this will not work anymore. Also, if the OS X side is using CoreStorage, it is not designed to work. It only was intended to work if OS X volume is Mac OS X Extended (HFS+/JHFS+).

Please also see Windows 10 Anniversary + Boot Camp = no longer mounting Mac partition .

Also, you will need third-party software, if you want to read HFS+/JHFS+ on/after Anniversary Update.

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Answer 2

Hawkdive

Level 1

58 points

Jan 1, 2017 4:22 PM in response to tr1s

You can Install paragon HFS+ for Windows to get the full read and write access to HFS+ partition on Mac OS X from Windows. Install it under Windows. Though it is a paid software but you can use it for 20 days under trial for free.For reference see Is Paragon's "HFS+ for Windows" safe to use in Boot Camp Windows &/or Parallel 8 Windows?

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Answer 3

tr1s Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 1, 2017 6:23 PM in response to Loner T

Intersting, thank you.

I rolled it back to the previous version and it came back. I've purchased paragon software but it didn't work well with my Mac (kept crashing the hd after a month), so I've sworn off those third-party programs.

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Answer 4

tr1s Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 1, 2017 6:26 PM in response to Hawkdive

I've purchased paragon software but it didn't work well with my Mac (kept crashing the hd after a month), so I've sworn off those third-party programs. This was 2 years ago, I really want to try it again, assuming they've fixed the issue, but it doesn't seem worth it in case I have to re-install everything fresh again.

Thanks though!

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Answer 5

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Jan 1, 2017 6:40 PM in response to tr1s

tr1s wrote:

I rolled it back to the previous version and it came back.

I have (had) raised a bug with Apple Engineering. They closed it saying the driver is no longer supported. 😮

tr1s wrote:

I've purchased paragon software but it didn't work well with my Mac (kept crashing the hd after a month), so I've sworn off those third-party programs.

All such third-party file system drivers create race conditions with the built-in drivers. Now that the native HFS driver from Apple is no longer supported, Paragon HFS+ may be more stable on 1607 and later. The various NTFS drivers also have a similar conundrum. Unless these drivers replace the native versions or use a 'handshake' where one can yield to another, stability is questionable, at best.

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