December 1, 2009

Apple Boot Camp: Windows XP displays “Disk Error” message during initial setup

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Symptoms

If you attempt to install Microsoft Windows XP without first formatting a partition using the Windows installer, this message may appear in Windows XP:

“Press any key to boot from CD. Disk Error. Press any key to restart.”

Products Affected

Boot Camp, Mac OS X 10.5, Microsoft Windows XP

Resolution

  1. Restart the computer.
  2. Hold down the Option key during restart to run Startup Manager.
  3. Once Startup Manager appears, select a Mac OS X volume.
  4. Launch Boot Camp Assistant.
  5. Select Create or Remove a Windows Partition and click Restore.
  6. Launch Boot Camp Assistant again and create a Windows partition of the desired size.
  7. Insert Windows install disc and start installation.
  8. Format the Windows partition named ‘BOOTCAMP’ before continuing with the rest of the Windows XP setup process.

Important:  Do not use the “Leave the current file system intact (no changes)” or “Convert the partition to NTFS” options.

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