Mac OS X cannot be installed on this computer!

See "You cannot install Mac OS X on this volume..." alert in Installer. I would suggest, however, doing this:

Extended Hard Drive Preparation

1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder. If you need to reformat your startup volume, then you must boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger or Leopard.)

2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.

3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (for Intel Macs) or APM (for PPC Macs) then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.

4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.

5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.

6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.

Sounds like you don't have the correct installer discs. I know you have Leopard but do you have a full retail installer disc or the Upgrade disc? The latter will not work if there's not a previous version of OS X already installed. The Tiger discs must be for that specific model. If they are for a different model then they won't work.

I wonder if somehow your machine has a logic board or firmware problem such that it is not identifying itself properly to system software that runs on it. What were the original symptoms when the first HD failed?

You could try running System Profiler after booting from your Leopard retail install disc to be sure the reports there look "normal." System Profiler is in the Utilities menu at the upper left after you choose your language.

Are you booting from the installer disc this way:

Booting From An OS X Installer Disc

1. Insert OS X Installer Disc into the optical drive.
2. Restart the computer.
3. Immediately after the chime press and hold down the "C" key.
4. Release the key when the spinning gear below the dark gray Apple logo appears.
5. Wait for installer to finish loading.

And, did you fully erase the target:

Extended Hard Drive Preparation

1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.

2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.

3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (for Intel Macs) or APM (for PPC Macs) then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.

4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.

5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.

6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.

Message was edited by: Kappy

I'd take it back. Something is amiss that simply makes no sense if you are using the retail Leopard DVD.

GARRETT CARROLL wrote:
the leopard disc is the retail full install disc, not an upgrade and im almost sure of it that im using the proper gray installer discs for the macbook. are there any other ideas?

The grey install disks are System Restore disks.

You need to get the black Leopard DVD, the one with a big X on it.

Hi Im having the same problem... But the disc with the big X on it, didn't came with the mac.. only the grey ones!!

I'm stuck as well

I have the same problem. Did anyone find a solution?

Just My $0.02 on why this is happening in my situation:

I have a similar problem. My Leopard Install DVDs were purchased when Leopard was released in the Fall of 2007. So they install 10.5.1 (or do they start with 10.5.0?). We have a Macbook that was originally purchased 12/07 (2.2 GHz Core 2 Duo), and the installer fails with "Mac OS X cannot be installed on this computer". I partitioned and erased the drive multiple times, so I'm confident that is not the issue. My guess is that the hardware somehow requires 10.5.2 0r 10.5.3 as a minimum installed System version. Identical DVDs bought at the same time have been used (successfully) on similar MacBooks purchased before the release of Leopard. As I finish typing, the Snow Leopard installer does NOT give the error, but I need this MacBook to run Leopard for the time being. So I think I got to the bottom of it (for me anyway).

So now I need to dig up the original discs or a later version of the Leopard Install DVD.

Good Luck!