Issues with Boot Camp (OSX)
 

So I installed Boot Camp Beta back in 2006. Installed a few games in Windows, used some applications that required Windows, fine. Installed Parallels last spring.. and it never worked properly. So I uninstalled it, but haven't booted into Windows since sometime last summer.

Tried booting into Windows today to complete an employment test/survey that requires Firefox or IE running IN Windows (how inconvenient!). Can't get the internet to work. Not via wireless, not via ethernet. Confused, thought my service went out. Booted back into OSX, internet service is fine. Angry.

I decided a while ago that I want to reformat my harddrive on my MBP and start over since I never use the Windows partition anymore. I tried opening Boot Camp to see about managing my partitions.. and I can't even open it. The Beta version expired. To use Boot Camp, I have to pay $116 (with my student discount!) to upgrade to Leopard.

Is there any way I can reformat without having the partitions remain in place? I haven't reformatted a Mac with a partitioned harddrive before, so I want to make sure I don't royally screw something up. Maybe this is a stupid question, but I'm just worried that I'll try to do a clean install of OSX and end up with that bothersome Windows partition remaining. I DON'T WANT IT.

I've accepted the fact that I will have to go to a computer lab to complete this employment test. It still bothers me, though.

Okay, so I figured out how to remove the Windows partition, at least.. turns out I had to change the date on my MBP to a day prior to Sept 30, 2007 to be able to use Boot Camp Assistant again to remove the partition.

Now I have nearly 50 GB of free space again! HELL YES.

So, this is solved then? :D

You could also boot from your grey system disks and use the disk utility there to change partitions and ultimately reinstall if that is what you are after.

Yeah, it's solved.

I was considering booting from the system discs and performing a clean install, but I have a few programs on here I got from work (for working from home) and I would have to make a fuss to get them reinstalled again before I move, since I will be working remotely after I move for a while, too. Will do the clean install when I no longer need those programs.

Thanks!