Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cj1976]

Is there any way to remove OS X from a Macbook and run Windows 7? I was given a Macbook Pro and I installed W7 on a partition. Now I'm running out of space on that partition and since I never use OS X, it seems like a waste of hard drive space. If I can't completely remove OS X, maybe I can reduce it's partition to a minimal size. What software can I use to do this?

[ulsanchris]

can't you just format the drive which osx is on.

[six]

first of all, that's a fairly gross use of the computer, since OSX is awesome!

but if you really want to do that, you have to redo the partitioning. your best bet is to wipe the drive, format it as all mac os journaled, install OSX and make sure to do the CUSTOMIZE install option. remove all the bloatware and nonessential OSX software. after that, use boot camp and your win7 install disc to install windows 7 on a partition. do not use the FAT32 option as that will limit you to 32 gigs. you can change the partitions for either OS to 5 gigs tops.

so, good luck with your tomfoolery.

[tatertot]

If you boot into OS X you can resize the HFS partition (OS X partition) using the "Disk Utility" program. Follow the instructions below:

1) Click the "Applications" icon, then "Utilities", then "Disk Utility."

2) Inside Disk Utility, select the HDD in the left pane (not the partition, but the hard drive itself). Then in the right pane select the "Partition" tab.

3) From there, you can select the "Macintosh HD" (or something similarly named) and set the size to a new value (if you just set it to like 1 GB, it'll automatically set it as the minimum size). An unloaded OS X install can be as little as around 6-8 GB.

4) Click the + button to add a new partition, set it as FAT and set the size to the maximum size. Click "Apply" and reboot into Windows.

5) Using Windows, reformat the new partition as NTFS.

That should take care of your problem. However, I remember hearing something like Windows has a maximum number of 4 partitions on a single disk, and the OS X system creates 3 partitions just for itself (but you can only see one). So, you might have trouble seeing the new partition in Windows, but I don't know for sure. It's worth a try.

Unfortunately, you can't (easily) just delete OS X and install Windows only on a Macbook (Pro) because Apple computers use EFI bootloaders instead of BIOS. I'm pretty sure it can be done using a third-party bootloader, but I haven't tried it because I like using OS X.

Good luck!

P.S. I saw that six posted some help while I was writing this, but I decided to go ahead and post it because I spent some time writing these instructions

[cj1976]

Thanks for the guide. Seems fairly straightforward actually. OS X isn't bad, but Windows 7 does everything I want and there are certain programs and websites I use that won't run on OSX. I really need that hard drive space, so I'm going to give it a shot.

[six]

in my opinion, you should give OSX a chance and run a virtual machine for any windows-only applications you have to have. most programs that aren't cross-platform take minimal system resources and can be run easily from a virtual windows. OSX has a lot of really slick features that you need to really use the OS to suss out. if you do, I recommend getting a program called Quicksilver, as it's awesome. plus, win7 crashes too much

[shostahoosier]

yeah..this is the strangest thing I've ever heard.

It seems like it would be less trouble to run OSX, and then run a virtual machine for the window things the extra things you need to do. All of the active x (crap) runs fine in parallels for me. But then again, I dont know what you're using the mac for (research, science, etc....)

I would almost tell you to sell the MBP (they have great resale value if they're not too old) and get a cheaper wintel machine.

[darkjedidave]

I suggest researching Boot Camp.

[cj1976]

I use the laptop for all the usual reasons ie: internet, movies (KM Player is the best movie player out IMO), some gaming, Office applications etc. Also, I have it networked to my desktop (running W7) to share files and a printer. It seems a bit pointless switching to OSX (and reinstalling windows in a virtual environment) when there are no real advantages. The only thing I can do on OSX that I can't in W7 is plug in my guitar and use Garageband or Logic. However, I have a Hackintosh set up on my PC that I use for that.
Anyway, back on topic. I'm going to attempt the partition resize tonight and see how that goes. Cheaper than buying external storage...

[shostahoosier]

[tatertot]

As an alternative to the process I wrote above, there is another way if you don't mind reinstalling Windows. In that case, just open the "Bootcamp Assistant" program inside the Applications -> Utilities folder and use it to delete the Windows partition that already exists. Then, create a new Windows partition using Bootcamp (any size you like). Make sure your Windows install CD is in the drive and use Bootcamp to reboot into the installer. Then you can install Windows normally and restore your data. This will certainly work, but you have to be willing to reinstall Windows to do it this way.

It isn't necessarily better than the other method, but this way you will end up with only 1 NTFS partition instead of 2. And, like I said before, Windows might have trouble seeing the new partition if you use the above method (the other method isn't particularly time consuming or difficult, so I would try it first if you don't mind having the other partition).

[six]

The advantage to the method I posted is that you will make sure you fully utilize any available disk space by stripping OSX down to its bare essentials first before running any boot camp partitioning wizardry to pare down the HD to further disuse.

furthermore, saying there are "no advantages to OSX" is still a lie but since personal experience says that each person perceives OSX differently, I can't tell you exactly why OSX is better than win7. it just crashes less frequently. and does what you want. so you should use it.