Windows, Mac Os and a third partition

This post could be just a reminder for me but something very useful for a someone else that tried to install Windows and Mac Os X avoiding the bootcamp limitations: supporting more than 2 partitions.

Why anyone would need this tricky partitioning system? Well, first of all a third partition in an exchange format such as FAT32 will allow both operative systems to exchange files painless.

Second because one day the 3rd partition could host Linux for example :-).

Here it comes the procedure:

1) Launch the Mac Leopard Setup Disk (LSD from now one :-) )
2) Setup 3 partitions in this order (MAC FS, MAC FS, FAT32)*
3) Install Leopard in the first one
4) When Leopard is installed reboot
5) (holding the ALT key)** Insert the Windows Disk and install it in the third partition (NTFS (better) or FAT)
6) Follow the reboot mechanism of the Windows Setup until the installation is completed
7) Reboot with the LSD
8) Erase the middle partition with the FAT32 system
9) DONE

optional 10) If you want to install Linux in the FAT32 partition, remember to have the bootloader written on the Linux partition and not on the MBR!

* You should be able to setup as many partitions as you desire but they all must be NON-Microsoft type formatted before installing windows, otherwise Windows will put the MBR data in the first available one which could not be the one you want!!!!

** The ALT key will allow you to decide at every reboot which partition/disk to use as bootstrap.


I hope someone will find this any helpful :-)

Virgilio