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Installing Snow Leopard

I have two intel based imacs from 2006, one a core duo and one a core 2 duo. Will snow leopard install on these machines and run effectively? I also use an older version of MS Office 2004, I like it and I am used to the menus and I want to be able to use this with snow leopard, will it still work? With a snow leopard install does he DVD come with all the i life, widgets, etc. that I now have. Meaning is the disk complete for an erase and install?


Thanks to anyone that can provide some advice and assurance this is a good software upgrade and an easy install. I do not run a lot of third party software, mainly office and iworks.

MACBOOK 2.16G 2G RAM, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on May 24, 2011 5:01 PM

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Posted on May 24, 2011 5:25 PM

Will snow leopard install on these machines and run effectively?


It will certainly install. You want at least 2 GB of RAM to run it effectively.


I also use an older version of MS Office 2004, I like it and I am used to the menus and I want to be able to use this with snow leopard, will it still work?


Yes. You'll need the optional Rosetta installation (PowerPC emulation.)


With a snow leopard install does he DVD come with all the i life, widgets, etc. that I now have.


The retail DVD does not include iLife. However, it's licensed only for upgrading from 10.5. You can get a boxed set for upgrading from earlier versions of the Mac OS that does include iLife. Alternatively, you can still use the Applications disc that came with your Macs to reinstall iLife, if necessary.

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May 24, 2011 5:25 PM in response to MAW01

Will snow leopard install on these machines and run effectively?


It will certainly install. You want at least 2 GB of RAM to run it effectively.


I also use an older version of MS Office 2004, I like it and I am used to the menus and I want to be able to use this with snow leopard, will it still work?


Yes. You'll need the optional Rosetta installation (PowerPC emulation.)


With a snow leopard install does he DVD come with all the i life, widgets, etc. that I now have.


The retail DVD does not include iLife. However, it's licensed only for upgrading from 10.5. You can get a boxed set for upgrading from earlier versions of the Mac OS that does include iLife. Alternatively, you can still use the Applications disc that came with your Macs to reinstall iLife, if necessary.

May 24, 2011 5:36 PM in response to Linc Davis

However, it's licensed only for upgrading from 10.5.

Not true. There is no requirement to have 10.5 to install 10.6. The upgrade disk that was sold in the interim to people who bought a Mac just before Snow Leopard was released is the only version that requires 10.5. That is the only Leopard Upgrade License. The other two licenses are the Single-user License and the Family Pack License. See the SLA, paragraph 2.A, 2.B and 2.C.

May 24, 2011 5:48 PM in response to Linc Davis

The retail DVD [is] licensed only for upgrading from 10.5.


Just to throw my 2 cents in with Barney, this is absolutely incorrect. This has been an oft-misunderstood and much-debated issue. However, examination of the license, with an understanding of what the three products referred to in sections 2A, 2B and 2C are, shows clearly that 10.5 is not required for the retail copy of SL. 2A refers to the $29 single-user copy of SL, 2B refers to the family pack and 2C refers to the upgrade disk obtained by folks who bought machines with Leopard in the right time period before release of SL to qualify for the Mac OS Up-to-Date program (or whatever it's called, it's something like that).


Perhaps the most definitive proof, though, is that these discussions are allowed to persist when they occur. If folks like Barney and me were wrong, we'd essentially be advocating software piracy, and our posts would be swiftly removed! 🙂

May 24, 2011 5:52 PM in response to MAW01

The iLife apps that came with your machine that long ago may not be the best choice for running under SL. I haven't tried, but there may be some compatibility issues, which is probably why Apple recommends the box set as the "best way" to upgrade from Tiger. If you rely on iLife, get the boxed set and use the newer versions... unless you want the older ones. I understand some folks liked older copies of iMove more than newer ones, but don't know the details of why and which versions. If you want to stick with the older iLife, you may want to just stick with Tiger for now to avoid compatibility issues.

May 24, 2011 5:52 PM in response to MAW01

If you go with the Box Set, one disk will install the OS and the other disk will install iLife and iWork.


If you don't purchase the Box Set, your original gray disks that came with you Mac will have a Software Restore disk which you use to install iLife.


If you don't need all of iLife/iWork, you can purchase the individual apps on the Mac App Store.

iPhoto, iMovie, and Garageband are ~$15. Each of the iWork apps are ~$20. I don't know of a way to get the current version of iDVD without purchasing an iLife disk or purchasing the Box Set. I also don't know if the current version is required to integrate with iLife '11.

Installing Snow Leopard

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