Michael Sciascia
Level 1 (34 points)

Q: Why won't my Mac Pro 5,1 boot Snow Leopard?

My old Mac Pro 1,1 died.    I replaced it with a new Mac Pro 5,1.  (dual Westmere quad core)  Apple told me it would run Snow Leopard.  The new machine recognizes my old Snow Leopard hard drives as start-up disks but does not boot past the gray screen apple logo.   I was very good about keeping the operating systems up to date.   I am pretty sure that I have OS 10.6.8 installed...   I have two Snow Leopard disks that won't boot and a Leopard disk that also shows up as a start-up disk that does not boot either.  All stall at the gray screen Apple logo. 

 

 

What gives????

 

I am pretty disappointed.   I need Rosetta back!

 

Mike

Mac Pro

Posted on Dec 1, 2011 1:08 AM

by Michael Sciascia,Solvedanswer
Michael Sciascia Michael Sciascia
Level 1 (34 points)
A:

Well, the ruling from the Apple Care people is that it won't run anything but Lion and never will.   So much for the online and in store expertise of the Apple Store salesman who advised me that it would run Snow Leopard.   

 

Apparently the only way to get Snow Leopard to boot is to buy a refurbished Mac with Snow Leopard already installed....

 

As for Snow Leopard and Leopard showing up as valid choices in the Start-Up preferances panel....  they didn't seem to think that was a problem.

 

I'll be giving serious thought to returning the computer for a refund.

 

Ouch!

Posted on Dec 2, 2011 6:55 PM

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Michael Sciascia

Q: Why won't my Mac Pro 5,1 boot Snow Leopard?

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  • by The hatter,

    The hatter The hatter Dec 1, 2011 9:31 AM in response to Michael Sciascia
    Level 9 (60,935 points)
    Dec 1, 2011 9:31 AM in response to Michael Sciascia

    It should

     

    by default it uses 64 bit kernel

     

    OEM DVD was 10.6.4 but 10.6.3 may work

     

    yoy may have software drivers that aren't

     

    If it did not come with ANY DVD then will it boot into recovery mode?

     

    It is possible it has Lion firmware, net install, network based Apple Hardware Test.

  • by SiliconSam,

    SiliconSam SiliconSam Dec 1, 2011 9:38 AM in response to Michael Sciascia
    Level 1 (135 points)
    Dec 1, 2011 9:38 AM in response to Michael Sciascia

      Hard to tell, but are you trying to boot off of one of your old Mac Pro 1,1 hard disks installed in the new Pro?  Do you have any DVD's you can boot from instead?

     

      When I migrated from a G5 to my Pro, I booted right off the old G5 hard disk, and the system had to install a couple of files, but it did work.  Not saying I recommend it however.

  • by a brody,

    a brody a brody Dec 1, 2011 9:42 AM in response to Michael Sciascia
    Level 9 (66,781 points)
    Classic Mac OS
    Dec 1, 2011 9:42 AM in response to Michael Sciascia

    10.6.3 is the retail version of 10.6 that was last released.  If your Mac is newer than it, you will need to get the 10.6 installer disc that came with it for a nominal charge from AppleCare if it was lost.

    You can't use another Mac's installer discs.

  • by Michael Sciascia,

    Michael Sciascia Michael Sciascia Dec 1, 2011 7:45 PM in response to a brody
    Level 1 (34 points)
    Dec 1, 2011 7:45 PM in response to a brody

    I have Leopard and Snow Leopard family pack disks.   Perhaps I can re-install from those.

  • by The hatter,

    The hatter The hatter Dec 2, 2011 4:45 AM in response to Michael Sciascia
    Level 9 (60,935 points)
    Dec 2, 2011 4:45 AM in response to Michael Sciascia

    only 10..6.3+

  • by a brody,

    a brody a brody Dec 2, 2011 5:36 AM in response to Michael Sciascia
    Level 9 (66,781 points)
    Classic Mac OS
    Dec 2, 2011 5:36 AM in response to Michael Sciascia

    Actually none of those will work.  The Mac Pro 5,1 was released after March 15, 2010.   As such only the discs labelled Mac Pro will work.  If you lost them or they are damaged, call AppleCare for replacements.   They will charge a nominal fee.

    http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/?search_keywords=MacPro5,1

  • by The hatter,

    The hatter The hatter Dec 2, 2011 6:58 AM in response to a brody
    Level 9 (60,935 points)
    Dec 2, 2011 6:58 AM in response to a brody

    Technically... but in real world 10.6.3 does have minimal basic support so you can run Software Update. It will boot.

     

    It was one of those interim builds of OS X too, 10.6.4 which itself was a new build every week or two for first month's time.

  • by a brody,

    a brody a brody Dec 2, 2011 7:33 AM in response to The hatter
    Level 9 (66,781 points)
    Classic Mac OS
    Dec 2, 2011 7:33 AM in response to The hatter

    That is different than past post retail releases.  I didn't know that.  Thanks.

  • by FatMac>MacPro,

    FatMac>MacPro FatMac>MacPro Dec 2, 2011 8:42 AM in response to Michael Sciascia
    Level 5 (4,805 points)
    Dec 2, 2011 8:42 AM in response to Michael Sciascia

    Michael Sciascia wrote:

     

    My old Mac Pro 1,1 died.    I replaced it with a new Mac Pro 5,1.  (dual Westmere quad core)  Apple told me it would run Snow Leopard.  The new machine recognizes my old Snow Leopard hard drives as start-up disks but does not boot past the gray screen apple logo....

    ...I need Rosetta back!

    I took almost exactly the same route you have: 1,1 to 5,1 six core. And I booted off a clone of my 1,1 OS 10.6.8 boot disk which worked. However, before the purchase, I asked Apple Tech Support a number of times if a Mac Pro that came with Lion installed (i.e., after Lion's release date) would accept a Snow Leopard install and was told uniformly no, that it would have something built in (firmware?) to prevent it, so I ordered mine just before Lion was released. As The hatter says, it might have Lion firmware.

     

    Just for kicks, have you tried booting from the 1,1 disk in Safe Mode?

  • by The hatter,

    The hatter The hatter Dec 2, 2011 9:32 AM in response to FatMac>MacPro
    Level 9 (60,935 points)
    Dec 2, 2011 9:32 AM in response to FatMac>MacPro

    The refurbished store is always a good place to buy tested and reliable, and of course just post the firmware version of both yours and some others. We have seen 'downgrades' go just fine.

     

    Or, if you new Mac has Lion firmware then it has net-install and a mini-AHT ability in firmware and connected to Apple servers.

     

    I don't see why they crippled and took UEFI and turned it into a means to push and force upgrades. Not every Pro Suite and user is ready for Lion yet. Software upgrade costs, and some needs at minimum more than a little tweak and push. Buying the 2010 I guess just got harder unless Specials (they still sell those 2009s too)

  • by Michael Sciascia,Solvedanswer

    Michael Sciascia Michael Sciascia Dec 2, 2011 6:55 PM in response to Michael Sciascia
    Level 1 (34 points)
    Dec 2, 2011 6:55 PM in response to Michael Sciascia

    Well, the ruling from the Apple Care people is that it won't run anything but Lion and never will.   So much for the online and in store expertise of the Apple Store salesman who advised me that it would run Snow Leopard.   

     

    Apparently the only way to get Snow Leopard to boot is to buy a refurbished Mac with Snow Leopard already installed....

     

    As for Snow Leopard and Leopard showing up as valid choices in the Start-Up preferances panel....  they didn't seem to think that was a problem.

     

    I'll be giving serious thought to returning the computer for a refund.

     

    Ouch!

  • by The hatter,

    The hatter The hatter Dec 3, 2011 4:16 AM in response to Michael Sciascia
    Level 9 (60,935 points)
    Dec 3, 2011 4:16 AM in response to Michael Sciascia

    the only way to know and test is the EFI/SMC firmware version (system profile)

    I don't trust what anyone elsse says, marketing clueless, other than try it yourself hands on experience.

    So it sounds like they recently updated, and closed the avenue to pre-Lion OS forcing customers.

  • by daveseeley,

    daveseeley daveseeley Feb 26, 2014 5:27 PM in response to Michael Sciascia
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 26, 2014 5:27 PM in response to Michael Sciascia

    This is a very old post, but I found it when I tried and failed to boot my 2010 model 5,1 westmere 12 core from a Snow Leopard family pack install disk, in order to install the OS on a firewire attached hard drive.  I then tried to boot from my original install disks that came with the Mac Pro, and it booted just fine from that one.  My mac pro has never gone beyond Snow Leopard 10.6.8.... 

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Feb 26, 2014 8:55 PM in response to daveseeley
    Level 9 (60,719 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 26, 2014 8:55 PM in response to daveseeley
    Mac Pro

    Date introduced

    Original Mac OS X included
    (see Tips 1 and 3)

    Later Mac OS X included
    (see Tip 1)

    Mac OS X Build(s)
    (see Tip 2)

    Mac Pro (Late 2013)Dec 201310.9 13A4023
    Mac Pro (Mid 2012)Jun 201210.7.310.8, 10.8.311D2001, 12A269, 12D78
    Mac Pro (Mid 2010)Aug 201010.6.410.7, 10.7.2, 10.7.310F2521, 10F2554, 11A511a, 11C74, 11D2001
    Mac Pro with Mac OS X Server (Mid 2010)Aug 201010.6.410.7, 10.7.2, 10.7.3 (Server)10F2522, 11A511a, 11C74, 11D2001 (Server)
    Mac Pro (Early 2009)Mar 200910.5.610.69G3553, 10A432
    Mac Pro (Early 2008)

    Jan 2008

    10.5.1

    10.5.2, 10.5.4

    		9B2117, 9C2031, 9E25
    Mac Pro

    Aug 2006

    10.4.7

    10.4.8, 10.4.9, 10.4.10, 10.5

    		8K1079, 8N1430, 8N1250, 8K1124, 8P4037, 8R3032, 8R3041, 9A581, 9A3129

     

     

    from:

     

    MacOSX: versions (builds) for computers

     

    What this shows is that if you can build a verion of 10.6.8 using another Mac, starting from a "Full Retail" DVD (so that "drivers for every appropriate Mac" are included) it will boot the Mac Pro 5,1 from 2010. Users here have determined that, since the 2012 model uses the same firmware with no significant new hardware changes, it will actually boot that one as well.

     

    Starting with a DVD that "shipped in  the box" with a different model Mac will not include the right drivers, even after update.

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