Could not partition Hard Drive for Windows

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Level 1

11 points

Could not partition Hard Drive for Windows

Hi,

I am trying to install Windows 11 on my 2017 iMac (intel i5, 27") using BootCamp assistant. I have downloaded Windows 11 as x64 ISO, and when I click "Continue" on Bootcamp Assistant, it tells me that my disk cannot partition more than 0GB. When I try to create a partition manually using Disk Utility, I cannot create a partition of over 27.7GB (if I try to, it will revert back to 27.7GB). Any ideas on how to fix this and download Windows?

Thanks

iMac 27″, macOS 14.4

Posted on Jul 12, 2024 1:22 PM

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Answer 1

HWTech

Level 9

60,428 points

Jul 13, 2024 9:22 PM in response to Alboiart

First, I don't think you can install Windows 11 directly. I believe you first need to install Windows 10, then upgrade to Windows 11. Windows 11 has some hardware requirements which a Mac does not meet, so you will need to address those requirements if you want to use Windows 11.

How much Free storage space is there on the internal drive? Ignore the "Available" storage space since it is very misleading and doesn't mean what you may think it means. Keep in mind you need to always have at least 20GB+ of Free storage space at all times for the normal operation of macOS.....even more Free space depending on your workload. And Apple's Bootcamp documentation mentions that you need at least 64GB of Free storage space to install Windows 10, although if you are using more than 64GB of memory, then you may need even more Free storage space for sleep/hibernation.

Boot Camp Assistant User Guide for Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Alboiart Author

Level 1

11 points

Aug 4, 2024 7:25 PM in response to HWTech

Sorry for the late reply, here is the output to the first command:

/dev/disk0 (internal, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *28.0 GB    disk0
   1:                        EFI EFI                     314.6 MB   disk0s1
   2:                 Apple_APFS Container disk2         27.7 GB    disk0s2

/dev/disk1 (internal, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *1.0 TB     disk1
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk1s1
   2:                 Apple_APFS Container disk2         1000.0 GB  disk1s2

/dev/disk2 (synthesized):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      APFS Container Scheme -                      +1.0 TB     disk2
                                 Physical Stores disk1s2, disk0s2
   1:                APFS Volume Macintosh HD - Data     777.8 GB   disk2s1
   2:                APFS Volume Preboot                 3.5 GB     disk2s2
   3:                APFS Volume Recovery                1.2 GB     disk2s3
   4:                APFS Volume Macintosh HD            11.9 GB    disk2s4
   5:              APFS Snapshot com.apple.os.update-... 11.9 GB    disk2s4s1
   6:                APFS Volume VM                      2.1 GB     disk2s6

Second output

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Answer 3

Alboiart Author

Level 1

11 points

Jul 14, 2024 8:54 AM in response to HWTech

I have a total of 1 Terabyte of storage on my Mac, and have used about 225gb. I have 775gb of storage left. Which should be more than enough.

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Answer 4

Alboiart Author

Level 1

11 points

Aug 5, 2024 8:04 PM in response to HWTech

So, I would do that, however, Bootcamp Assistant doesn't even let me click continue. Here are some screenshots of the issue:

After this, I click "Continue", and there is a loading bar at the bottom. When that bar stops "thinking", this shows up:

So, if I could, I would gladly download Windows 10 and then upgrade, but I don't know how to get past this issue.

Thank you for all your help

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Answer 5

HWTech

Level 9

60,428 points

Jul 15, 2024 7:23 PM in response to Alboiart

Is that 775GB value listed as Free space or Available space?

Disconnect all external storage devices to minimize the information when using the following commands. Run the following commands in the Terminal app and post the complete output of both commands so we can get a better look at the drive layout of the internal drive:

diskutil  list  internal

diskutil  ap  list

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Answer 6

HWTech

Level 9

60,428 points

Aug 5, 2024 5:41 PM in response to Alboiart

I think the system is getting confused by your Fusion Drive setup. 27.7GB is the size APFS Container on the SSD part of the Fusion Drive. Bootcamp Assistant should be resizing the APFS Container on the Hard Drive portion of the Fusion Drive.

I don't know what to tell you except to start by installing Windows 10 using Bootcamp Assistant, then upgrading to Windows 11. Apple's Bootcamp instructions only mention using Windows 10.

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Answer 7

HWTech

Level 9

60,428 points

Aug 7, 2024 5:42 PM in response to Alboiart

Using Disk Utility, check how much Free storage space is listed for the Data volume. Ignore the "Available" value since it is very misleading.

Then try running Bootcamp Assistant again to see what values and errors it reports.

What version of macOS are you using here?

When you are using Bootcamp Assistant, what item are you selecting to reconfigure the partition sizes? I believe you should be selecting the Fusion Drive item, but I'm not certain as it could be the hidden APFS Container on the hard drive.

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