Upgrading Final Cut Pro 6.0.1 to 6.0.5 or 6.0.6 without Pro Applications Update 2008-005

To upgrade Final Cut Pro 6.0.1 that came from “Final Cut Studio 2” box to 6.0.5 or 6.0.6

Who could use this: Students, anyone who agrees that the Studio series is superior and thinks redoing their projects is unacceptable

How was this done before: You downloaded “Pro Applications Update 2008-005” from the App Store to upgrade 6.0.1, which you first installed with the CD’s in the “Final Cut Studio 2” box.

”Final Cut Studio 2” is a misnomer for the 6 family

”6 family” = FCP 6.0.1 .2 .3 .4 .5 .6 (etc)

Legacy = FCP 7.0.3 and later

FCP X = the one after 7 and will not open anything prior. The name “Final Cut Pro” is just a similarity for marketing.

7 can upgrade all of the 6 family and likely some of the prior families of FCP. It is your ultimate fallback if you don’t have my solution in this post

Why this solution might be needed: If stuff happens to your computer like it needs to be set back, repaired, stuff re-installed, lost, whatever.

What system is ideal: Leopard 10.5.8 or Snow Leopard 10.6.3 with Combo Update to 10.6.8 (both I also have and would make available with FCP 6.0.5 or 6.0.6)

Why is this a serious problem: The App Store discontinued Pro Apps Update at some point long ago and it is not common practice to download updates to stable hard format (disks, flash drives, externals, etc) and keep them for years. And if someone did, it’s near impossible to find people with them.

Best tip for longevity: NEVER upgrade any version of FCP from what you get out of the box along with your legally bought serial number so that discontinued updated in the future will not break you. So example, if you choose 6.0.1, stay with that and go no higher. If you choose 7.0.3, never upgrade if available or you will have same problem but NO SOLUTION if you do so then reinstall 7.0.3 but your upgrade no longer available.

THE SOLUTION FOR STAYING IN THE FCP 6 FAMILY AFTER HAVING WENT BEYOND 6.0.1,

Find a “buddy” who has the desired version on their system like 6.0.5 or 6.0.6 and have them transfer the application opening icon labeled that in “Get Info” to media (or somehow make it an online download) and then take it to the computer where 6.0.1 has already been installed with the box disks and serial number (the Studio 2 box) and just drag that buddy’s version of FCP to the applications folder over the 6.0.1 version of it and say “yes” when it asks to replace it. Even if it says it’s “older”, so what? It’s 6.0.5/6 not .1 and that’s the point. It will be forever changed to the desired version from that point on. You would need to set the system back with Time Machine to get 6.0.1 back or de-install everything FCP on your computer and re-install the disks.

So the basic “drag and replace” method works if someone already has FCP with the updates installed at some point in the past, which is more likely than having the updates alone saved somewhere.

Things to watch out for:

You can also keep 6.0.5 or .6 on an external drive and open them and projects from that drive with 6.0.1 still in applications folder BUT it MAY affect invisible items in your library associated with Final Cut Pro, so you only want to do that if it's followed up by a replace.

Example: I'm using 6.0.1 exclusively with my business computer because that's what's reliable out of box, so I’m never opening 6.0.5 on that computer ever again or I have to Time Machine it just in case.

BUT, I have 6.0.5 and .6 so now I AM the "buddy".

Both versions of 6.0.5 work for both the PowerPC and the Intel based macs, nomatter where they came from or what the “Last Modified” date is.

Sometimes when I drag to media, Last Modified changes and sometimes it doesn’t. Can’t figure it out. Not important.

The Combo update does not work for PowerPC, so it stays Leopard, but the same FCP 6.0.5 (and likely 6.0.6) works on it.

Now that I'm the WORLD'S "buddy”, I need to know if I can and how to spread it for free and not violate the old license agreement of Studio 2

Someone on these forums from July 2024 who went to Academy of Art University S.F. where I went who was also looking to open old projects and I’ve seen people from further back years too. If you intend to use this post as an excuse to market your most recent new junk, you can keep on walking because that’s not the point of this

Final Cut Studio family is superior. That’s why AAU uses it to TEACH.

So how do we get this to the world FOREVER, not some day "page not found" or redirecting people to current mac support?

[Edited by Moderator]

Due to character limitations, we're going to add more just for absolute clarity. Again, this is designed for repair people to find solutions quickly, not have to be on the clock sifting through an entire discussion to find answers, and simply re-read things if hard to get.

I still need clarity about the license agreement. From what I understand, updated versions (anything beyond the out of box 6.0.1) are a grey area. Obviously, you cannot spread the CD's installing all the things needed to make 6.0.1 work and still use the serial number once transferred to a buyer, and ALSO OBVIOUSLY you cannot somehow replicate what the CD's do on some other media and use it with or without a serial number in place of the CD's (I don't even know how to do that since I don't keep with with latest technology or know too much about that stuff). BUT....

FACT: 6.0.5 or 6.0.6 WILL NOT WORK INDEPENDENTLY OF 6.0.1 INSTALLED WITH ALL ASSOCIATED ITEMS on your computer.

So, although an updated version (both of them, or others I don't have), they are NOT independent of legally bought 6.0.1 and that's totally on the person who needs your being his "buddy" to get their 6.0.5 or 6.0.6 projects openable again. Even if the person somehow illegally got 6.0.1, the "buddy" wouldn't be responsible for that. That's up to them to legally purchase it first before doing the whole "drag and drop the updated application" method that I made original post about, which 100% works.

So it seems like a great big grey area. First off, I have to exclude anything that assumes worst case scenario stereotypes of straight up piracy that ASSUME CD replacement is going on, and then after that, I'm getting big fat grey areas that seem to not anticipate that this scenario that we have now would ever happen. Plus, my stance is this, if apple thought that Studio was the latest and greatest thing back in 2007-9 and would never be topped and discontinued and never fathomed messing people who have projects on it up or coming out with a long line of inferior products to where they would cancel the support, then why would they even care if we use those old projects, especially not profiting $ from it? Seems like they should have had more foresight to terminate the license agreement under this kind of special condition where the need outweighs their 2007 limitations to think right

It was explained in the above. I don't WANT to do anything with it because I have the solution that others NEED, which means they need to come to me for the solution, and they are out there, just from several years apart and more places on the web than just here. I've seen enough to know it's a problem. I can make a scrap book at this point with the number of people who have this same problem but DON'T have the solution.

The second thing is what I need. License agreements. I can't find a straight answer on this ultra unique issue where no one at apple thought of what happens when they decide not to continue the updates that were provided through the app store, and it's a "whoops, we never thought anyone would have this issue" situation, so "let's just make our agreements last FOREVER, not give students with recoverable projects who desire to still use the program and share the updates needed for them a way out".

You think this is long? Try reading a whole licensing agreement.

We do this so you can go over and over it again until you find all the info inside what's already been posted. The only difference between here and a repair shop is that repair man does it with joy because he's being paid by the hour. So method act being a repair person yourself if it helps. Pretend you are being paid to read this both for info and continued questions, like licensing agreement issues regarding spreading 6.0.5 and 6.0.6 now that we have them.

I need to read the paper license agreement but don't want to because I'm super busy 24/7. Even then, I would trust an expert at licensing agreements over my own interpretations even IF i read them, and the reason being is because if I see wiggle room, then I'm immediately playing out the situation in my favor. But that's not exactly honest of me, even though my intentions are good in helping people. So if you're an expert at licensing agreements, that would be best right now. Someone who can take all grey areas, which this seems to fit into, rule out the extreme worse examples that this outlier issue of mine doesn't fit into, and be honest with me about those grey areas. So if you are that type of expert, come forward.

Here’s what you do to test the usefulness of this post.

Next repair person who reads this, tell whether you were able to solve the exact issue and at what point during this discussion it was solved. Also whether the naturalistic story like original post did it or the one that was like on pages of a manual did it.

Also, next legal expert who reads this and understands licensing agreements AND is actually interested in the consumer’s actual stated intentions (that second part is harder than you might think), also comment here regarding grey areas since this would 100% fit that. You are still needed. Otherwise interpretation is going to take over and at the end of the day if anything goes wrong I’m gonna say “Well I tried”.

”Well I tried” is not as good as knowing, to me.

Those are the two real tests here