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Level 1

10 points

Can I go back to OSX 10.5? Snow Leopard is just too buggy to use.

*Is there a way to go back to 10.5 without a clean install?*

The reason I went to Snow Leopard was the claim of 80% reduction in initial Time Machine backup, having bought a new Time Capsule (old one having failed) it took all weekend to backup with lots of failures and false starts. (for about 100Gb of info - even on Firewire 800 it took 14hrs to a LaCie drive)
Now I seem to have endless crashes - it seems ironically especially with Mac's own software, I can't save a pages document without crashing, Grab crashes, numbers crashes, safari crashes, files take an eternity to open if they open at all. I just spend hours looking at the beach ball. It also crashes the whole system and I just get the pointer on a black screen - can't use force quit, only a hard reboot brings it back to life.

It really wasn't a good idea installing Snow Leopard. Maybe in a few months when they have sorted it out, but in the meantime, does anyone know if I can revert to OSX 10.5 without doing a clean install? No, I didn't have a recent time machine backup - because the first Time Capsule I bought failed after about 14 months!

macbook pro 17, Mac OS X (10.6)

Posted on Sep 2, 2009 3:56 PM

Best reply

William Lloyd

Level 7

21,311 points

Posted on Sep 2, 2009 3:59 PM

Archive & Install is the closest you'll be able to get, and IMO it's risky. I think a clean install is the best bet.

That said, Snow Leopard really is not "too buggy to use" for many of us. I have none of the issues you are seeing around endless crashes. It's not typical of the OS; there is something odd with your setup, and it may be worth a little tinkering to try and find out what the cause is.

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86 replies

Sep 3, 2009 12:43 PM in response to Apollo8

I guess that's what I am saying. There are plenty of people (myself included) that are using Safari with NO issues what so ever (I'm responding to these USING Safari). I'm using them on hardware that is less and more than a year old.

If it was a problem with Safari or SL how then is it that it works for many people and a few are having issues.

Most people that are not having issues are not going to post that they are not having issues. The people that post are the people that ARE having issues and the people trying to help those people. To blame Apple rather than think that something might be wrong with the particular machine (Corrupt files, permissions, add-ons, ad infinitum...).

Peace,
Iggy

Apollo8

Level 1

8 points

Sep 3, 2009 1:00 PM in response to James Schnoor

James,

I understand what you are saying.

Other people are saying other things:

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/backstage/comments/problems-with-mac-os-x-10.6- snow-leopard-join-the-sizable-minority/

What I am saying is I think that if apple releases a system update and it has an "install" button without some warning that if you press the install button your laptop may well not be useful to you for a few weeks and you'll spend frustrated hours trying to fix it with no success until day "X", that Apple has made a mistake. There were no instructions about a clean install, backing up, using disk utility to erase your drive...there was an "Install" button.There were no instructions about updating flash and java and corruptions and disk permissions, and there were none because Apple has instilled a belief that they will do it right for you, that an Apple product is easier to use than a Windows product because Apple cares about the user experience. My point is that they are caring less and less about that user, and In SL a good deal of problems are occurring. (see the link above...you would be in the 60% of the people not having trouble, I'm in the 40% having trouble) If the button said "handicap my laptop" I would not have pressed it.

a brody

Level 10

83,347 points

Sep 3, 2009 1:37 PM in response to Apollo8

There were no instructions about a clean install, backing up, using disk utility to erase your drive...there was an "Install" button

Open your Snow Leopard DVD.

Additional instructions reveal other installation options.
Before saying there are none, dig deeper in your disc. They are there.

SdeS Author

Level 1

10 points

Sep 3, 2009 1:56 PM in response to a brody

Dear Apollo 8, Thank you, your link brings this thread back on track. A majority are enjoying a pretty much painless and fluffy transfer to SL, whilst a significant minority, and it seems to be mostly laptop users are having a nightmare with it. I'm not enough of an Apple expert to make any kind of survey of this, but read an article by someone who is and I see all the parallels with my situation.

I started this thread because my Apple programs were crashing with stunning regularity on my Apple laptop having installed a new Apple OS. Many other people are experiencing the same 'anecdotal' issues.

(I totally understand the frustrations of third party apps crashing too, but I consider the responsibility for that cannot really be laid solely on Apple's doorstep)

As for things like corrupt file permissions - yes I've had endless problems with those on previous releases - but why oh why do I need my file permissions to be so hideously complex? I lived for years of OS8 & 9 with the 'limited' permissions without a problem, I can't remember the last time I actually set file permissions, but every time I try to use an app like 'chronosync' the only problems are the permissions which seem to endlessly change even when files haven't been touched......anyhow, back to SL.

Why should starting a new account make things not crash? What have I done to my account that makes it crash, because unless I know that, I'm going to do all the same things again, like writing emails, pages documents, using grab, text edit, safari etc etc, so presumably I'm just going to blunder in there again like the fool that I am and corrupt it all again. Any suggestions for not doing that?

SdeS Author

Level 1

10 points

Sep 3, 2009 2:01 PM in response to SdeS

P.S. Sorry not to mark some of the responses here as "helpful" - *the "helpful" option has gone* - I get only "solved" which it clearly isn't.

*Is this a bug?*

Sep 3, 2009 2:06 PM in response to SdeS

*Is this a bug?*

No. You're only allowed two "helpful"s.

Matt

SdeS Author

Level 1

10 points

Sep 3, 2009 2:11 PM in response to Matthew Morgan

3 x "helpful" = 1 x "solved"?

if only.

Sep 3, 2009 10:28 PM in response to SdeS

Buggy is a good word to describe SL, although I would precede it with a Slightly. The biggest "buggy" is the continual crashes of Aperture. I have started to unload all of my plugins for that product, and that seems to relive the issue. Photoshop Elements 6, however, is another story; it crashes regularly since installing SL.

I do blame Apple for all the technical reasons that the applications are failing. More importantly, I blame myself for becoming complacent with Apple's fairly decent track record of smooth releases. I can truthfully say; my next major release upgrade will be six months after the release. I have far too many things to do instead of de-loading software in the hopes of stabilizing my computer.

Shame on you Apple.

PHAT ROB

Level 1

72 points

Sep 3, 2009 11:18 PM in response to SdeS

I'm so sorry I went to SL, My computer is close to useless. I can't use my printer(HP deskjet f2120) which used to serve me well until Slow leopard was installed. My USB hard drive would not open so I had to break out the emac to transfer files, then reformat the drive on SL. My computer is non compatible with a lot the music peripherals I use. I called tech support and they said I would have to wait for the next update in about a month or so... sorry. I called the Apple Store in two locations (Walnut Creek and Pleasanton, Ca.) for help and they are not answering their phone. I'm quite sure it's because people are having problems with Snow Leopard.

Never thought I would see the day I would have to run to my Window's Vista PC to get my work done. Hey...at least it works. Apple may have dropped the ball on this one. Cmon Apple.... get it together!

Sep 4, 2009 12:05 AM in response to SdeS

Sorry to hear you're having problems.Maybe you had some corruption prior to your update that has carried over or a hardware failure.

I installed Snow Leopard on the 28th and have had no problems. I've run all applications on my iMac and my MBP, all seem fine. 10.6 as been great from jump street, might be the first time a point 0 has performed so well. Including all iLife apps, Grab, Safari, Mail, MS Office 08, CS4, my HP Ps C3100 printer, and the external TOSHIBA CD/DVDW SD-R5372 DVD burner. I've lost some Logitech LCC functionality but Logitech promises an update in a week or so -- where have they been the past few months?

Do back up your essential data separately from Time Machine and Time Capsule, then try a clean install and migrate your data back in manageable chunks to see if something re-manifests your problem.

Hope you resolve your problems.

Sep 4, 2009 12:16 AM in response to Macishman

Worth noting that Canon released a driver update for the MX860 - I have a MX850 that works like a Charm with the new driver updates. Hope this helps!

Sep 4, 2009 12:46 AM in response to SdeS

First point, yes you can revert - you use your backup.

If you didn't make a backup, then no you can't and I don't see why you should be able to. In this day and age hard disks are so dirt cheap, and with software like Time Machine I think it's perfectly acceptable for Apple to assume you've made a backup. Defect Time Capsule is no excuse, any disk will do. For work, where only my workfiles are backed up, I dug up an old 100Gb Firewire drive to backup the system partition.

And what are you expecting Apple to sort out? Your crashes?!? If it took all weekend to back up 100Gb I'd suggest there's something seriously wrong with your existing installation. So it's hardly suprising if things still dont work. Why dont you just do a fresh install?

Now I'm a frequent critic of Apple, but I have to defend them here. I can assure you they haven't released an unstable update, the problem lies with you.

With the exception of the admittedly annoying Spaces Mouse-Button bug, and having to recouple my Bluetooth devices, my upgrade has been painless. Any other problems I'm having, have nothing to do with the stability of SL, but compatability with existing SW. They'll get ironed out in time and it's the price you pay for jumping onto the bandwagon on day one.

There's a golden rule with computer software (be it OS or App) - never by version ".0" and if you really have to, expect teething problems!

SdeS Author

Level 1

10 points

Sep 4, 2009 1:41 AM in response to Rich in Berlin

Thanks Rich, all V V Helpful.

First point, I do have a backup, just not a time machine / time capsule one - you're right - there's no excuse for not having one.

Second point, am I expecting Apple to sort out "my crashes"?!?! erm, yes please. Where it's Apple software on Apple hardware with no 3rd party plugins and Apple OS I don't feel I am being especially unreasonable.

My existing installation "seriously wrong" - perhaps you're absolutely right, but why? - it was an "erase and install" about 4 months back, and if you can tell me the likely causes of whatever invisible corruptions are there, and I can assure you the Apple helpline can't, I would find that very "helpful". As I said before, otherwise I'm going to be in the same 'corrupted' place again in a few months.

As the article that was linked above outlines, you are in the 60 - 70% with no problems. Well done.

Another "anecdotal" case of no problems with install can be added to the statistics pile but doesn't necessarily do a great deal to help the "significant minority"

" just do a fresh install", well yes, of course, that's the best part of a days faff, but yes, I agree it is the way forward, sorry, I mean backwards don't I.

Sep 4, 2009 2:59 PM in response to Bruce Lukaszewicz

For elements, go to your username>library>preferences and delete:

com.adobe.Photoshop.Elements.plist
Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 paths
Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 settings
Opera preferences

If you have PSE 4, it's the same files but I think the settings and paths are under Photoshop Elements without the "adobe" in front of them.

I'm assuming this isn't a restore from time machine, which needs something different.

Sep 4, 2009 3:04 PM in response to SdeS

Yes this is definately not characteristic of snow leopard. Some others may have said (as I havn't read the whole thread) you have installed snow on top of an already corrupt system. A new install always brings problems to the surface.

You also should ensure you run repair permissions and all scripts plus a hard drive partition scan before upgrading.

Best thing for anyone in the situation you are in is to do a complete reinstall, then maintain your system and look after it, no dodgy software. Keep your mac healthy and it'll give you no problems, least of all any with snow leopard.

Only snow leopard glitches are spaces issue with cs3, and a few incompatibility issues. Apart from that its one of apples best upgrades in terms of speed and optimisation.

Can I go back to OSX 10.5? Snow Leopard is just too buggy to use.