Flaw discovered in Boot Camp
updated 05:15 pm EDT, Thu April 13, 2006
Boot Camp flaw found
Numerous Intel Mac owners are reporting problems on Apple's support forums with the company's Boot Camp software, and some users even say that they are stuck with Windows because their Mac OS partitions no longer boot after completing the installation. Boot Camp is a program designed to provide the new Apple systems with the ability to boot both Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. More than a dozen users have said they are stuck without the ability to boot back into Mac OS X, according to Techworld.com. "It all worked fine until I wanted to start up OS X. Then the startup screen never progressed. I actually left and came back an hour later and it was still just the gear thing spinning around," wrote one user.
While Apple has said from the moment it released Boot Camp that the product was a beta release and that it would not offer support, some users are requesting that the company take action.
"This isn't a minor glitch, but a major problem. Barring erasing my drive and reinstalling OS X, I am stuck with an Apple laptop that only runs Windows," another user wrote. "I don't want solutions that entail using the command line. I would like something from Apple saying that they recognize the problem and are working on it."
Some Intel Mac owners reported being able to repair the problem using Apple utilities such as Repair Disk, or command-line tools. Still others erased their hard drives to re-install Mac OS X, restoring their data from backups, according to the report.
The definition of Beta...
04/13, 05:36pm reply
...USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
That's why the docs for Boot Camp suggest you backup all of your important data.
Just be happy the Apple responded to the "hacks" out there with a semi-stable solution that won't void the warranty.
Sometimes, I think a good majority of the Mac community is nothing more than a bunch of whiners.
sammaffei
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2004
Beta software
04/13, 05:36pm reply
It's beta software.
Those people installed it at their own risk. While Apple will probably fix the problems by the time Leopard ships, they aren't obligated to help people with this specific problem, especially if a reformat and reinstall fixes the problem.
Should have backed up beforehand.
Person Man
Professional Poster
Joined: Jun 2001
RTFM
04/13, 05:37pm reply
These people ended up with a corrupt swapfile because they did not read the instructions and they continued to run applications in the background while running bootcamp despite the clear instructions in the manual to quit all applications as the first step.
aristotles
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2004
Minority
04/13, 05:45pm reply
Go to the discussion forums on Apple's site. You'll find these people are a very small minority of Boot Camp's users. While I empathize with their plight, my install works flawlessly. I do have to echo the others comments about it being BETA. Don't do it if you aren't prepared to wipe and start over.
Arislan
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Feb 2004
First Mac OS X virus
04/13, 05:52pm reply
First Mac OS X virus, Windows XP!!!!!
RyanG3
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2001
What Flaw?
04/13, 05:57pm reply
The ONLY flaw is people AREN'T paying attention to the warning on Apple's Website that says THIS IS PREVIEW SOFTWARE. Do NOT use it on a Computer where your data is Valuable.
If you don't understand that one statement, then you shouldn't be surprised if you have problems, and don't complain about it after. You are taking a risk.
That's just my take on it
lsrdsc
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2004
Silly Users
04/13, 06:05pm reply
How hard is it to understand the concept of BETA software. If you have mission critical data/software on your computer, NEVER put BETA software on that machine.
If you do...tough titties. RTM and KNOW what to expect in advance.
lamewing
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2004
Much Ado about Nothing
04/13, 06:05pm reply
Many of the users didn't follow the instructions and simply deleted their MacOS partitions out of ignorance.
If you are beta testing software it should be done with proper care.
acraft
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2005
Purpose of Beta Software
04/13, 06:12pm reply
Is to find bugs like this, you are testing for Apple.
"I would like something from Apple saying that they recognize the problem and are working on it."
They are working on it, and they've already told you this. It's called Leopard.
Spacemoose
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Feb 2004
People need to upgrade..
04/13, 06:14pm reply
..their computing horsepower. If you can't fix this problem on your own, you have no business playing with beta software that mucks about with partitioning. 'Nuff said.
godrifle
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2006