Boot Camp Flaw Leaves Some Users Fuming

Karl Cocknozzle writes "Some users who chose to install Apple's recent beta-offering of Boot Camp without basic precautions (like a full backup) have found themselves unable to boot their Macs to OS X. In a discussion thread on Apple's technical support Web site, more than a dozen users reported that Boot Camp successfully partitioned their hard drive and allowed them to install a working version of Windows, but then would no longer allow them to switch back. The download-agreement page for Boot Camp contains the explicit warning that Boot Camp is still 'Beta' software, and would not be supported if problems arose. On the whole, it sounds like the number of affected users is quite small, but may reflect a common lack of knowledge of what a 'beta' release really is: Not ready for prime-time."

Comments

Welcome to windows, suckers! ha ha ha!

[192939495969798999]

What a way to welcome users to Windows, with an introduction to our friend, Fdisk, as in now your disk is 'f'ed!

Anyhow, it is unfortunate, and hopefully it will be fixed shortly.

being only able to boot into windows

[moosesocks]

This is easily every mac user's worst nightmare.

Turning on your shiny new iMac to see it boot into windows no matter what you do.... the horror!

Fuming?

[jdwest]

Caveat freakin' emptor.

It Just Works

[Scoria]

Boot Camp is a highly educational product from the sadistic^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H mind of Steve Jobs. Those users came looking for an authentic Windows experience, and Apple delivered!

Beta software is buggy?

[morgan_greywolf]

Wow! I am like TOTALLY SHOCKED that something that Apple says is *beta* and that they refuse to, at this time, provide technical support for, is buggy!

After reading this thread, I was totally amazed at how many of the people didn't bother to back up their disk before installing something that alters your system's hard disk partitions. Duh. What do you expect?

Re:Beta software is buggy?

[Cheapy]

I've never understood the idea of releasing your programs as betas and then not giving *any* support if something goes wrong. It's basically saying "Here, this is a cool program. Report any bugs you have, but we won't fix any damage our code does."

Re:Beta software is buggy?

[k12linux]

After thinking about this some more... isn't this pretty much what Microsoft does with their programs when they release production paid-for versions?

Re:And this make the news?

[Billosaur]

And people, people, please figure out what a beta is... sheesh.

You mean this isn't like Google beta?

Google Beta?

[MasterC]

Karl Cocknozzle writes: ...common lack of knowledge of what a 'beta' release really is: Not ready for prime-time.

I take it Karl doesn't work for google?

priceless quotes

[Ohreally_factor]

Some of the posts on the relevant thread at the Apple site contain some priceless quotes from various disgruntled beta testers:

Apple should consider taking Boot Cramp off distribution immediately ! I am going to keep putting posts in here just to keep this one at the top of the list.... someone from Apple NEEDS to see it and NEEDS to respond.

Add my name to the growing list. Same problem as reported here by others. Would like to see a response from Apple.

Apple? This isn't a minor glitch, but a major problem. Barring erasing my drive and reinstalling OS X, I am stuck with an Apple laptop that only runs Windows. Any feedback? I don't want solutions that entail using the command line. I would like something from Apple saying that they recognise the problem and are working on it.

I am speaking as a career software developer and lifelong Apple devotee. But i'm not touching boot camp again while in Beta and will still be wary beyond that. Apple should have held onto their cards a little longer.

Re:priceless quotes

[tktk]

I am speaking as a career software developer...

Anyone know the company he works for? I'd like to know what company to avoid.

Re:priceless quotes

[MasterC]

I am speaking as a career software developer and lifelong Apple devotee. But i'm not touching boot camp again while in Beta and will still be wary beyond that. Apple should have held onto their cards a little longer.

Hell's weather man:

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, just like in The Day After Tomorrow , this storm just snuck up on us and we totally did not see it coming. This major bigger-than-hurricane-sized storm has literally frozen Hell...

This just in: yes...yes, I see, yes...it has been confirmed that a Mac fanboy is...stuck in Windows world on his Apple laptop. We advise everyone to seek shelter immediately as we predict a rapid population influx from these disgruntled Mac fanboys.

Re:priceless quotes

[squizzz]

I like this one:

I purchased Disk Warrior for $90.00 and it says that it cannot fix it

:)

Re:priceless quotes

[Anonymous Coward]

Slashdot's footer quote seems especially apt right now:

FLASH! Intelligence of mankind decreasing. Details at ... uh, when the little hand is on the ....

Re:Well...

[__aaclcg7560]

Omega (assuming that the letters are on a circle or if your mind supports wrap-around) ;)

Steve Jobs as God

[chunews]

This Alpha branding may be part of their blessed strategy: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Jobs." iRevelation, 1:8

Re:1) get free software 2) make demands?

[PitaBred]

How's the saying go "Apple makes Macs large so their users won't accidentally insert them into their anus, and makes the corners round in case they manage to do so anyway"?

Re:Google's Fault

[Anonymous Coward]

You left a word out there, here's the correction:

Google is practicing something called "Open-ended Beta Testing" as opposed...

New Ellen Fleiss Ad

[Greedo]

I was installing Boot Camp on my MacBook. And it was, like, "beep beep beep beep beep".

And then, like, half my operating systems were gone. And I was, like, ....

It was a really good operating system, you know?

So I had to install OS X all over again.

It was, kinda ... a bummer.

I'm Ellen Fleiss, and I'm an early adopter.

So its true?

[delahappy]

Once you go windows you never go back.