Windows 7 SP1

[Proxin]

Hey guys,

I just tried to install Windows 7 Service Pack 1 on my computer... I received an Error 0x800fa12.

I read here that this error is caused by Windows not being the active partition. I do not want to set it as the active partition, though, because I have Chameleon working like a dream and am not sure whether it will work this well again.

 

Has anyone with Chameleon gotten this to work, by setting Windows as the active partition, then doing the update, then setting it back to whatever it was before the operation? What should I do?

 

Regards,

Proxin

[HFW]

I had the same problem.

 

In short, don't worry about it. Set the Windows partition as active and reboot.

 

Long version with steps I took to get SP1 installed:

 

(The following assumes you went with the bootcamp route, with OSX and Windows on the same HD)

 

All you have to do is set the Windows partition as active with Disk Management or diskpart, reboot, install SP1, and then, when you can use Windows again, set your OSX partition (or EFI partition if that's where Chameleon is installed) as active using diskpart

 

if you don't know how to do that:

 

open command prompt & run diskpart

type the following hitting return after each line:

select disk 0 (or whichever disk drive number is your OSX drive list disk)

select partition *OSX/EFI partition number here* (list partition for a list)

active

exit

exit

 

Reboot and hope it worked

 

Worked for me.

 

btw, you can shorten the commands with diskpart. E.G: par instead of partition. I find it a time saver.

[Proxin]

I had the same problem.

 

In short, don't worry about it. Set the Windows partition as active and reboot.

 

Long version with steps I took to get SP1 installed:

 

(The following assumes you went with the bootcamp route, with OSX and Windows on the same HD)

 

All you have to do is set the Windows partition as active with Disk Management or diskpart, reboot, install SP1, and then, when you can use Windows again, set your OSX partition (or EFI partition if that's where Chameleon is installed) as active using diskpart

 

if you don't know how to do that:

 

open command prompt & run diskpart

type the following hitting return after each line:

select disk 0 (or whichever disk drive number is your OSX drive list disk)

select partition *OSX/EFI partition number here* (list partition for a list)

active

exit

exit

 

Reboot and hope it worked

 

Worked for me.

 

btw, you can shorten the commands with diskpart. E.G: par instead of partition. I find it a time saver.

 

HFW,

Thanks for your response.

 

I didn't install through BootCamp, I am on an HP laptop with Chameleon bootloader installed to tri-boot Windows, OSX, and Ubuntu...

Will this still work then?

Also, I am worried about what will happen if diskpart does not recognize my OSX partition. Since Windows cannot recognize OSX partitions, wouldn't it leave me stranded on Windows?

[palote]

HFW,

Thanks for your response.

 

I didn't install through BootCamp, I am on an HP laptop with Chameleon bootloader installed to tri-boot Windows, OSX, and Ubuntu...

Will this still work then?

Also, I am worried about what will happen if diskpart does not recognize my OSX partition. Since Windows cannot recognize OSX partitions, wouldn't it leave me stranded on Windows?

 

+1

 

I set the System Reserve partition to active and now I get stuck when loading hard disk. To get throw chamaleon I neeed to take off the sata windows disk.

 

Which partition do I need to set as active now?

 

Can i format that small partition windows created when windows was installed?

 

Thanks in adavance!

[Gringo Vermelho]

Can i format that small partition windows created when windows was installed?

 

No.. and yes.

 

Google "System Reserved Partition" and make up your own mind.

[palote]

No.. and yes.

 

Google "System Reserved Partition" and make up your own mind.

 

 

I read that i can format it a nd then do a boot repair with w7 install disk..

 

What do you think?

 

Cheers

[MacWiesel]

Hi,

 

i tried to install win7sp1 w/o luck. System-reserved partition is active.

 

My setting is:

Windows 7 x64 on one Disk and OSX 10.6.6 with Chameleon as bootloader on another disk:

 

Disk0 > Win7 Sys-reserved (System, Active) | c: (Boot, Page File, Crashdump) | d: (NTFS)
Disk1 > OSX EFI (system partition) | Main partition
Disk2 > G: 250 GB NTFS

 

Tried installing through Windows Update as well as SP1 Standalone, but always get the Error Code: 0x800F0A12

 

Do I have to set Disk0 Partition 2 as Active as well? Or any other hint how to install the SP1?

 

Thx

[Proxin]

Hi,

 

i tried to install win7sp1 w/o luck. System-reserved partition is active.

 

My setting is:

Windows 7 x64 on one Disk and OSX 10.6.6 with Chameleon as bootloader on another disk:

 

Disk0 > Win7 Sys-reserved (System, Active) | c: (Boot, Page File, Crashdump) | d: (NTFS)
 Disk1 > OSX EFI (system partition) | Main partition
 Disk2 > G: 250 GB NTFS

 

Tried installing through Windows Update as well as SP1 Standalone, but always get the Error Code: 0x800F0A12

 

Do I have to set Disk0 Partition 2 as Active as well? Or any other hint how to install the SP1?

 

Thx

 

Hi there,

 

Yes, try that, set Disk0 Partition 2 as Active, this should work if you have your Windows installed on C: (which it looks like you do since you have Boot on Disk0 Partition 2).

After this is done, you can simply set your Chameleon partition active again through the same process. For mine it didn't work to do through the GUI, as Windows didn't recognize the OSX disk to be bootable. So I had to do it manually through diskpart.

 

Hope this helps, please share your results...

 

Best,

-Proxin

[Gringo Vermelho]

There is a way to install Chameleon to your Windows drive without breaking Windows, no need to faff around with making partitions active afterwards etc etc.

 

Google/Forum Search 'fdisk440'

 

Sorry I can't provide more details, I always use separate drives for OS X and Windows so I don't have any practical experience with the procedure. But I assure you it's possible.

[MacWiesel]

Hi there,

 

Yes, try that, set Disk0 Partition 2 as Active, this should work if you have your Windows installed on C: (which it looks like you do since you have Boot on Disk0 Partition 2).

After this is done, you can simply set your Chameleon partition active again through the same process. For mine it didn't work to do through the GUI, as Windows didn't recognize the OSX disk to be bootable. So I had to do it manually through diskpart.

 

Hope this helps, please share your results...

 

Best,

-Proxin

 

[WARNING PLEASE READ]

Hi,

I followed your advice to set the Partition where Windows is installed (Partition 2) as active and tried installing the SP1-standalone version.

It did NOT work and I got the usual error code.

So i thought: Maybe it just needs a good old reboot but than got me into trouble:

1. I got stuck in Bootup-Mode and couldn't even access BIOS Settings or Bootoptions!!

- the last line was:

SATAII_1.WDC..xxx
  Ultra DMA Mode-5 SMART Capable but Disabled

2. After removing Win7 HDD I was able to access BIOS and was able to start from Windows 7 CD and planned on reverting the "Active"-Process but...

3. Hotplugging the HDD's back in stopped the Win7-CD from working.

4. OSX booted if Win7-HDD was unplugged.

5. To fix the problem I had to use another PC with Windows (it was XP) installed, plug the Win7-HDD in with a SATA-To-USB-Adapter and set the Windows-Bootpartition zu ACTIVE again.

 

After that everything worked normally.

 

So that was no solution. Any other?

[mulcyber]

[WARNING PLEASE READ]

Hi,

 

4. OSX booted if Win7-HDD was unplugged.

5. To fix the problem I had to use another PC with Windows (it was XP) installed, plug the Win7-HDD in with a SATA-To-USB-Adapter and set the Windows-Bootpartition zu ACTIVE again.

 

After that everything worked normally.

 

So that was no solution. Any other?

 

For shrinking partitions it is probably better to use Windows. For

other work on partitions, use free Gparted, a rescue boot cd, to set

flags, label, etc. it's much quicker.

 

A failed SP3 for Windows XP nearly killed one computer I worked on.

 

My idea is for you to make a clone backup of your SL partition to

a 16GB usb stick. Perhaps you will have to delete your SL install

and later restore it from your usb clone. I use CCC Everything

method = Carbon Copy Cloner.

 

If your MBR is working now, with Chameleon booting three OS, make

a backup of your MBR. They have utilities or the linux dd command.

MS has made a Windows 7 recovery disk available for free. Restore

your mbr so that you can boot Windows. Now install Windows 7 SP1.

I think your partitions are: 100mb hidden, Windows7, EFI? and SL.

 

I don't think you have to delete the SL partition and restore it, but

be prepared. One difference between a computer professional and a

"Power User" is that the pro knows that one must make backups.

 

Here is the link on how to make a manual install of Chameleon, not the EFI

location method (Gringo's) which I use because I have a separate drive.

http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2009/11/how...ually-from.html

Use a newer chameleon version than his example.

 

The only step to boot Chameleon in your situation that is needed, is

to put boot0 into the MBR. This is the backup plan to restoring your

saved MBR from the working tri-boot. Your other Chameleon boot

files are on your SL partition. They will be there if in case worse comes

to worse, you have to restore SL from your backup (full clone is good).

 

I think SP1 for Win7 probably reboots once or twice during the install

so that your Chameleon in the MBR interferes with that.

 

Shortly: make backups. Restore your Win mbr with a recovery cd.

Set cd to boot first in Bios. I think this will work. If something goes

wrong you are prepared. When those updates, or upgrades to new

version of Windows fail, they often leave caches of what they were

intended to do next during a normal install. And they keep repeating

or try to, the next step. The files/folder for the upgrade are kept

somewhere on your drive which is not so easy to find or delete; one

needs a recovery cd and a command prompt. Not system restore to earlier.

[MacWiesel]

Thx for the response.

 

With SL partition I guess you mean the Snow Leopard Partition right?

 

I really want to avoid messing with recovering bootloaders and stuff...a broken bootloader was often the reason I f***ed up my system.

 

So I'd prefer another solution if possible. Why is the MAKE ACTIVE solution not working for me?

 

I think the difference between a PRO and a POWER USER is that the PRO knows WHY he's doing what he does! (Backup should be compulsory even for a POWER USER )

 

Unfortunately I am more of a POWER USER type: Trial and Error plus Copy and Paste!

 

So: Why is the MAKE ACTIVE solution not working in my environment and what else could one do in my situtation w/o messing/overwriting with the bootloader?

 

Thx

 

/edit: clarification

[mulcyber]

So I'd prefer another solution if possible. Why is the MAKE ACTIVE solution not working for me?

 

I

So: Why is the MAKE ACTIVE solution not working in my environment and what else could one do in my situtation w/o messing/overwriting with the bootloader?

 

/edit: clarification

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_boot_record

 

"The conventional MBR code from PC DOS and MS-DOS, and widely used elsewhere, expects the fdisk partition table scheme to be in use, and scans the list of partitions in the MBR's embedded partition table to find the only one that is marked with the active flag. It then loads and runs the volume boot record (VBR) of the active partition."

 

How does a Windows program, SP1, read the MBR, so that it can then

discover which partition is active, when your MBR is written in OS X

Chameleon? I think it's trying to read the contents of a book when the

cover of the book is glued shut and can't be opened. What authoritative

Windows information told you that the solution to the error message you

received was to mark a Windows partition as active, in your environment?

 

0x800fa12

When clicking on the Go online link Microsoft mentions the several reasons that could lead to this error.

1. The system partition isn’t automatically mounted, or made accessible to Windows, during startup.

 

"expects the fdisk partition table scheme to be in use, and scans the list of partitions in the MBR's embedded partition table to find the only one that is marked with the active flag."

 

What automatically mounts the Windows partition? The Windows MBR being read process.

If you can directly boot Windows, it's because Windows owns the MBR not Chameleon;

the Windows partition is already set to active or you can't directly boot to Windows.

If Windows is booting directly, then SP1 will also boot correctly.

If a car doesn't start, putting gas in the tank is an imaginary solution if the problem is a dead battery.

 

"(Backup should be compulsory even for a POWER USER wink_anim.gif )"

Can one assume then, that you have your MBR backed up since you believe it's critical?!

[MacWiesel]

Hello,

 

I just want to report back (ok it's been a while) that I'm still not able to use Windows SP1 but it's not OSX fault. I detached all other HDD's and booted directly into Win7 and installed SP1 successfully. Unfortunately after that Windows Update didn't work anymore. The reason is most probably the use of VISTALISATOR, a language pack changer. So back to square one and think of another solution.

 

Thanks for helping (the other day).