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A while ago I wrote about how to set up a modern Mac to boot into Windows (or Linux), as well as Mac OS, but using three hard drive partitions. As standard, the Mac OS Boot Camp utility only works with two (see Tips for setting up Bootcamp with three partitions)

Due to the amount of video and photos I’m creating now, I wanted to get rid of that third hard drive partition so as to make more space for Mac OS. But deleting the additional partitions caused Windows on the Boot Camp partition to stop working. If this happens to you here’s how to fix, or to avoid:

To avoid the problem – Instead of deleting the additional partition, resize it to be the smallest amount possible (in my case about 800MB) instead using Disk Utility. This third partition should be between the Mac partition and the Boot Camp partition on your disk.

To fix, if you’ve already deleted it and gone to two partitions:
- Resize the Mac OS partition to be about 900MB smaller.
- Create a new 3rd partition in the newly unused disk space and call it the same name as your original 3rd partition.
- That’s it!

Don’t touch the actual Boot Camp partition at any time with Disk Utility or the Boot Camp utility during the above steps, unless you feel braver than me.

The problem symptoms are: Some/most, but not all, 3rd party iPhone applications quit immediately after they are launched. Built-in applications — like mail, safari, calendar, ipod — continue to work fine. The problem applications include both paid and free applications.

I had this a few times over the summer with v2.0 and v2.1 versions of the iPhone OS, and thought Apple had fixed it. Apparently not, as it happened again earlier with v2.2.

The best fix I’ve found is to uninstall a free application that has the above problem. Then, on the phone, re-install it from the App store. This seems to kick the DRM on the iPhone to accept that everything is after all fine. After which, all the applications start working again (not just the one that has been re-installed).

Interesting piece in yesterday’s Sunday Times (can’t see it on their website). According to them, banks that ask for the account holder’s name, alongside the account number and sort code, don’t use it when making the transfer.

Worse, if a person transfer money into the wrong account inadvertently by typing the wrong sort code or account number, but does enter the correct person’s name… UK banks will continue to complete the transfer, even though the recipient’s account name does not match.

Consumers in this situation have no recourse to their bank, under current law, but would have to sue the recipient to return the cash.

Quicktime video playback wasn’t working at all within Firefox on the Mac. Safari was fine. I did the usual thing and Googled the problem — always a good idea with any tech issue — and found lots of people had the same experience. But I couldn’t see a fix anywhere.

I found Adblock (original add-on) was the cause. I uninstalled it and I switched to Adblock Plus instead, and Quicktime now works fine in Firefox.

Every time I set up a new computer it seems to take ages. I’ve wondered how much of that pain were subjective perceptions caused by the number of clicks / restarts vs the actual time taken.

This time I kept note.

The new laptop has both Windows XP and Mac OS installed. I can make comparisons as both Mac and Windows are using the same hardware.

Scorecard Windows XP, using bootcamp. (Note, this could have taken longer: I downloaded Windows updates on an above average speed connection (12Mbps), apps had been downloaded ahead):-

• Windows = 23 minutes for XP itself (SP2).
• Windows updates = 42 minutes. Included four reboots to install and update Windows.
• Drivers = 14m… another reboot
• Windows applications = 124 minutes, including a further two reboots.

Windows total = 203 minutes, or 23 minutes over three hours, with seven reboots. But I’ve not still not migrated across all my data yet or tweaked all the numerous application preferences. The worst of it was that I had to be present for every minute.

Mac OS = Unsure exactly, as I didn’t need to do much and left it running, probably about three hours in total.

The Mac ‘migration assistant’ is one of the Mac’s best kept secrets. It will transfer everything from either another Mac or a Time Machine backup. For me, it copied across all my applications (including third party ones, both paid and free), preferences and documents. I left it running which made it feel painless.

I fell of my chair when I realised what it had successfully done and how much effort it saved me.

Migrating to a Mac is about as painful as migrating from one PC to another. But migrating from an old Mac to a new one is absolutely simple, provided both run Leopard.

Travel booking website thetrainline offers buyers the option of choosing a seat neat to a power socket (alongside, direction of travel, with table, near luggage rack, near toilet.)

Works on the UK’s west and east coast main line routes. Not sure about others. Pointed out by a friend that’s used it.

This was a lot easier than I thought. Background – Bootcamp is the name for the part of Mac OS that enables modern Macs to have Windows installed alongside Mac OS. On start-up a user can choose whether to run Windows or Mac. Normally, Bootcamp setup only allows a user to split a hard drive into two parts.

I read the guide here first which looked scary. But things seemed to have changed since:

• Disk utility can split a hard drive into three, without deleting data. This avoids the need to back up that way or restore a disk image afterwards.
• Time machine, part of the most recent Leopard version of Mac OS, enables easier backups.

The process worked like this:

1. Back up Mac with Time Machine. As this was a new Mac it was quick.
2. Boot from the Mac OS install CD by holding ‘c’ while the Mac powers up.
3. Exit the Mac OS installer app and run Disk Utility, which is listed on the menu.
4. I chose to set up three partitions as follows: 32Gb FAT32 last; 20Gb unformatted middle; remainder Mac OS. I understand it’s important that Windows is on the last partition.
5. Boot from the Windows CD, follow the install prompts to install into the last 32Gb partition.
6. Don’t alter the partitions using Windows installer.
7. I chose to do a “quick format” of the drive, although I’d already formatted it in Disk Utility.
8. When Windows installer asks to reboot hold the ‘c’ key to boot from the CD.
9. Boot into Windows. Install the Bootcamp drivers from the Mac OS CD.

Tip: the above was on a brand new Mac. Previously, I’ve set up Bootcamp on an older Mac and had problems. I was using the Bootcamp application itself to split the drive into two parts. Bootcamp refused, despite there being ample free drive space. The problem seemed to be that the drive was fragmented and the Bootcamp installer wouldn’t re-arrange files. After defragging, the install all went smoothly.

Update – Fixing 3 Partitions and Boot Camp Problems, published August 10, 2009.