10.6 will not install on a late model MacBook Pro

Question

Level 1

9 points

10.6 will not install on a late model MacBook Pro

What a surprise ... FedEx just dropped off Snow Leopard and I popped the DVD into a less than a month old 2.8Ghz MacBook Pro running 10.5.8 with all other Apple software updated. I clicked on the Install Mac OSX icon, continue, agree to license and up comes a pic of my hard disk icon with a yellow triangle and exclamation point. When I select that disk (it's the only choice) to install I am told, "Mac OSX cannot be installed on "HD Name", because this disk cannot be used to start up your computer."

There are no other disks or peripherals of any kind connected.
The machine is running on the disk that I'm told "cannot be used to start up"
There are three user accounts. Only one is logged into and the account has admin

OK ... so I restart from the SL install DVD and select install ... same sequence, same result.

Ideas?

Here's the log:

Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: @(#)PROGRAM:Install PROJECT:Install-388
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: @(#)PROGRAM:Install Mac OS X PROJECT:InstallAssistant-48
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Hardware: MacBookPro5,3 @ 2.80 GHz (x 2), 4096 MB RAM
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Running OS Build: Mac OS X 10.5.8 (9L31a)
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Env: PATH=/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Env: GOOGLE_GILD_RUNTIME_FRAMEWORK_ABSOLUTE_PATH=/Library/Google/Frameworks/Gild.framework
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Env: TMPDIR=/var/folders/eC/eCq6ZczwH-mk6GFx-b9hUE +TI/-Tmp-/
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Env: SHELL=/bin/bash
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Env: HOME=/Users/P4
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Env: USER=P4
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Env: LOGNAME=P4
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Env: DISPLAY=/tmp/launch-wDlc9D/:0
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Env: SSH AUTHSOCK=/tmp/launch-BFthHF/Listeners
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Env: Apple PubSub_SocketRender=/tmp/launch-fi1aHB/Render
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Env: _CF_USER_TEXTENCODING=0x1F5:0:0
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Env: SECURITYSESSIONID=dae860
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Env: COMMAND_MODE=unix2003
Aug 28 14:41:09 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Env: Install Mac_OSXVersionString=@(#)PROGRAM:Install Mac OS X PROJECT:InstallAssistant-48
Aug 28 14:41:10 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Using install media product at /Volumes/Mac OS X Install DVD/System/Installation/Packages
Aug 28 14:41:10 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Will bless Mac OS X Install DVD (disk1s3)
Aug 28 14:41:14 prime-ivs-macbook-pro Install Mac OS X[332]: Disk Prime IV: not bootable

MacBook Pro 2.8 Ghz, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Aug 28, 2009 5:42 PM

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Answer 1

baltwo

Level 9

62,362 points

Aug 28, 2009 5:55 PM in response to jim_julian

Select Utilities and run Disk Utility. There's something amiss with the HD that needs fixing.

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Answer 2

Aug 28, 2009 5:58 PM in response to jim_julian

Do you use PGPDisk?

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Answer 3

Mac1987

Level 1

0 points

Aug 28, 2009 6:13 PM in response to jim_julian

I've spent the day dealing with AppleCare and the local Apple store on this issue. I've tried installing on 5 MacPros, 2 17" MBPs and one Mac Mini. The Mac Mini worked and all seven others got the exact same error you got.

I got the error while trying to install while logged in and by trying to install with booting off the SL disk. AppleCare thought the DVDs were bad and they seem to be using this as the answer to a number of problems. I went back to the Apple store and swapped all my DVDs and they also tested them there. Both the original set and the new set worked there but once again didn't work on mine.

AppleCare and the techs at the store are stumped at this point. I was going to be testing further but PGP has released a notice that if you're running PGP you should not install till PGP 10.0 comes out, which means that now I can't test any further until the new PGP release comes out.

Regardless, there does appear to be a serious issue here. Hopefully it will be fixed before PGP gets the next release out.

The seven Macs that failed were all Intel Macs and covered a variety of generations over the past few years. All were fully patched up to 10.5.8 and were running without issue.

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Answer 4

Mac1987

Level 1

0 points

Aug 28, 2009 6:16 PM in response to Mac1987

Some of these computers have PGP Desktop, however no Whole Desk Encryption products, but not all as far as I'm aware. In conversations with the Mac techs the thinking was that by booting off the DVD then software issues should be pretty much moot.

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Answer 5

CSD

Level 1

12 points

Aug 28, 2009 6:32 PM in response to Mac1987

I had the same error message on a macbook air. The message read "Mac OSX cannot be installed.....disk cannot be used to startup your computer". Spent an hour with Apple 2nd line support. LOTS of people having this problem. Resolved by booting off the LEOPARD disk, not snow leopard, running disk utility, and reducing the partition size of my only partition by a small amount (about 1GB). Took a long time to repartition. Rebooted off hard disk, inserted Snow Leopard, and the error message had gone. Installed OK.

Now I have the same problem with my MacPro........

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Answer 6

jim_julian Author

Level 1

9 points

Aug 28, 2009 6:59 PM in response to Daniel Nolen Iii

I do use PGP but not PGP disk, only the file encryption capability. I've seen the info that says PGP whole disk encryption is not compatible with 10.6. I have installed 10.6 on my iMac and the simple PGP file encryption functionality works fine.

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Answer 7

jake11

Level 1

34 points

Aug 28, 2009 7:26 PM in response to CSD

I originally got this error as well, but it was only when trying to initiate installation from the installer with the disk mounted under 10.5.

Rebooting and holding opt to choose the startup disk allowed be me to boot from the SL disk no problem.

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Answer 8

jlsparks

Level 1

10 points

Aug 28, 2009 7:29 PM in response to jake11

Easy fix I discovered earlier today when experiencing the same problem (after uninstalling PGP to no avail). Go into disk utility -> partition. Drag (in the lower right corner of your partition) the arrow up slightly. Release. Drag back down. Apply. Try to install SL now.

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Answer 9

Aug 28, 2009 8:16 PM in response to jlsparks

This would make sense, as the SL installer will actually create a temporary partition during install, and then delete it when its done. Maybe under some conditions it can not resize or create the partition.

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Answer 10

Aug 28, 2009 9:49 PM in response to jlsparks

This work-around did the trick for me. Worked like a champ and very simple. How ever did you discover this???

aps.

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Answer 11

jim_julian Author

Level 1

9 points

Aug 28, 2009 11:14 PM in response to jlsparks

jlsparks you get the prize! Problem solved. Thank you very much my friend. MacBook Pro now running like a champ on 10.6

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Answer 12

jlsparks

Level 1

10 points

Aug 29, 2009 4:58 AM in response to Armando Stettner

Weird, isn't it? It became sort of evident that the problem was with the drive. After using applejack again to test the drive (clean), it occurred that SL was looking for a partition change. Glad it work for you too!!!

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Answer 13

j2farm

Level 1

0 points

Aug 31, 2009 2:06 AM in response to jlsparks

This fix worked for me - installed perfectly no problems

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Answer 14

Aug 31, 2009 2:29 AM in response to jim_julian

This didn't work for me (probably because a Linux installation had messed up the partition table) but the following did:
1) Enter Single-User mode by holding apple-s during boot
2) on the console enter: fsck -fy (this may take a while)
3) run the last command so many times until it says your HD is okay

Message was edited by: apfelfresser

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Answer 15

Sep 2, 2009 6:23 PM in response to apfelfresser

I tried all of the above and none of them are working for me. I have a dual-boot setup with ubuntu. Drive checks out fine by fsck and disk utility. Any ideas?

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