Unable to start Windows following an attempt to format an unallocated drive.
Unable to start Windows following an attempt to format an unallocated drive.
I have a MacBook Pro running both macOS Big Sur and Windows 10. I reduced one partition to make room for Linux. rEFind is installed, allowing booting into all OSes. I started from my flash drive with PopOS. The advanced install wizard opened and then attempted to format the 128GB partition as ext4. It reported failure and left the drive unallocated. I immediately turned off the MacBook. I can still access macOS normally, but Windows remains unresponsive. I’m struggling to identify the issue and need guidance on next steps.
Launch Finder, navigate to the Go menu and select Computer. Verify if the BOOTCAMP drive is visible. You should notice your Windows partition, allowing you to explore its contents such as "Program Files (x86)" and "Windows" folders. If it appears, your Windows partition remains functional. To proceed, reset your NVRAM by holding Option+Command+P+R during boot; it will chime twice, then release. Reboot and hold the Option key to select the Windows partition in the Boot Picker, which should start Windows. If the partition isn’t displayed in Finder or appears empty, it likely means you’ve mistakenly erased the correct drive. You’ll need to use Boot Camp Assistant to reinstall Windows again.
I noticed the windows partition and all my files were present. I reset the nvram but it still wouldn’t boot. Then I made a manual backup of about 600gb from that partition to an external drive and reinstalled Windows. I’m gradually restoring the files now.
They're able to start from macOS even after the issue occurred.