HP Probook 4530s Dual boot Win 7/ OSX

[prabs99]

I read the sticky guides in the front to install OSX. OSX installs great and works fine. I have the Win 7 on a partition (fully backed up). What is the process to keep both, with dual boot? I tried it both ways, installed OSX first, but when I try to restore the Win 7 partition, it cannot as it is a MBR backup. I tried to create a MBR OSX install, but could not do it. Do I have any options?

Thanks

 

[RehabMan]

I read the sticky guides in the front to install OSX. OSX installs great and works fine. I have the Win 7 on a partition (fully backed up). What is the process to keep both, with dual boot? I tried it both ways, installed OSX first, but when I try to restore the Win 7 partition, it cannot as it is a MBR backup. I tried to create a MBR OSX install, but could not do it. Do I have any options?

Thanks

You would have to restore your Windows partition in Linux with something like gparted (or some other partition copy software). Then you'd have to fix the Windows boot files (\BOOT\BCD) at the (Windows Recovery Environment) command line using BCDEDIT. Don't forget to install the Windows PBR (partition boot record) with BOOTREC. After that, use gptsync in Linux to recreate the MBR/GPT hybrid. It involves a fair bit of skill and familiarity with the Windows (DOS) command line tools as well as some work in Linux.

If you don't have those skills, it is probably easier to simply re-install Windows (dual boot guide: http://www.tonymacx86.com/multi-booting/96000-guide-dual-booting-mountain-lion-windows-8-a.html), and restore your data from the backup you already have.

 

[prabs99]

Thanks. I went with the fresh install method and restored the partitions. Everything works except for facetime and imessage.