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Level 1

6 points

Install Snow Leopard in a Lion partition

Lion installed on a MacBook Pro without problems. I created a partition in Lion for Snow Leopard. Using original MacBook Pro installation disk, started to install, but I quit when I was not sure whether the install would overwrite Lion or give me an opportunity to install in the partition. It had not yet asked me where I wanted to install. As I continue, will it ask me where I want to install Snow Leopard, or will it simply reinstall Snow Leopard eliminating Lion?

iMac & MacBook & iTouch, Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on Jul 24, 2011 9:00 AM

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lzrdoc1 Author

Level 1

6 points

Posted on Jul 24, 2011 2:25 PM

I will answer my own question. Yes, you can create a partition on Lion to be used for Snow Leopard, and your original install disc that came with the computer is used to install it into that partition. And the last question before beginning the install asks where you want to install it.

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108 replies

Aug 5, 2011 1:18 AM in response to JERRYGARCIAFROMTHEDEAD

This thread has been a great help to me as I have cubase music software and some of the older synths do not work beyond Leopard so it would be great to get them back again. So that Im absolutely sure I know what Im doing can some one tell me if when I make a partition it wont erase whats already there my hard drive? It will simply give me the partition size I need to put leopard on? I have got time machine installed so I do have a back-up of the hardrive in question.

PS I have an imac i7 with 12gb RAM

John

lzrdoc1 Author

Level 1

6 points

Aug 5, 2011 8:35 AM in response to John Springate

If you follow the steps I have previously described, you should have no problem. When you create the partition, it won't let you size it so that it will erase any existing files. You can then insert the Snow Leopard disc that came with your computer, reboot, and the last question before it starts to install is to ask which partition do you want to install in.

lzrdoc1 Author

Level 1

6 points

Aug 5, 2011 8:41 AM in response to JERRYGARCIAFROMTHEDEAD

I am not at my computer now, but when you boot using Lion, there should be both the Lion and Snow Leopard hard drive partition icons on the desktop. I would anticipate that you should be able to cut and paste between the two. I have copied applications from another computer onto a flash drive and pasted them into Snow Leopard with no problems.

trylo24

Level 1

0 points

Aug 5, 2011 11:49 AM in response to lzrdoc1

As posted by an earlier user (Robin Lewis), I can't install from the Snow Leopard install disc (that I purchased when it was released). I've created a partition. When I hold "C" when rebooting and select the SL Install DVD the screen goes white and locks up. Nothing else appears. Any suggestions?

lzrdoc1 Author

Level 1

6 points

Aug 5, 2011 3:30 PM in response to trylo24

It is my understanding that you have to use the install disc that came with you computer. If it was Leopard, you will have to install that first, then upgrade to Snow Leopard as you normally would. You also do not have to hold the "Control C" ... just put the original disc in, and it will take you from there.

ndroste

Level 1

0 points

Aug 14, 2011 9:27 PM in response to lzrdoc1

Thanks for posting this, I hadn't thought of the partition option. I was looking at erasing whole drive and starting from scratch with snow leopard, ugh.

Aug 14, 2011 10:36 PM in response to ndroste

I have been trying this so I can run Pro Tools again. But when I try to log in to my newly installed Snow Leopard (installed from my original disk) it asks for my system password. Problem is that it wont accept the proper password.

So I cant even get into Snow Leopard...

ndroste

Level 1

0 points

Aug 15, 2011 5:05 PM in response to Dr.Rockso47

Yep, pro tools is why I need SL as well. I've since discovered I can't have a third boot partition on my MBP hard drive (I already have bootcamp and Lion on there) so I installed snow leapoard on an external firewire 800 drive, purely for pro tools. It's basically a role reversal, I've got the OS and pro tools on the FW drive and will use the MBP's built in drive and the scratch for media files. It's working so far, hopefully until they make Pro Tools lion compatible. Good luck.

Aug 16, 2011 12:55 PM in response to lzrdoc1

I have my original install disc from 2009. And snow leopard. If I put in the sl and reboot the sl partition doesn't come up as a choice even though it's in the disc utility & desk top. I went to the preferece start up disc & it's not there. What am I missing here?

Aug 16, 2011 1:36 PM in response to tammotsie1

Got it. Put snow leopard in. Restart hold down C until install starts. Continue until it asks which partition and it shows up!!! The only way the new partition would show it's self. Now loading.

Thanks.

Aug 18, 2011 5:31 AM in response to tammotsie1

But this wont help if Snow Leopard wont even accept the proper system password.

Aug 22, 2011 3:07 AM in response to lzrdoc1

Installing Snow Leopard in a Lion Partition.

This looks to be really helpful for me as I have a Cisco client that will not work in Lion. I am fairly new to Macs and your instructions seem exceptionally clear thank you. Am I correct in assuming that you would need to switch between OS in Preferences depending on which you wish to use? Also am I correct in saying that all my resources Word etc etc would be available in Snow Leopard as well as Lion?

Many thanks

lzrdoc1 Author

Level 1

6 points

Aug 22, 2011 8:46 AM in response to Carey_from_Haverfordwest

You are correct. To switch, you need to reboot in that partition. To switch between partititions, you go to "Preferences", and to "Start Disk". Click on this, and it will give you the option as to which partition you wish to boot up.

As to your resources, I used Migration Assistant to bring information from my Lion partition to Snow Leopard. This did not bring the programs over. Only the applications that are intrinsic to Snow Leopard are there. So you may have to reinstall the ones that you want. I backed everything up to a hard disk, so I can copy some of the programs from that, but others have to be reinstalled in the new partititon. I have opted to only install the applications that do not run in Lion, but I can see that having some basic utility programs such as Word could be useful.

lzrdoc1 Author

Level 1

6 points

Aug 22, 2011 8:51 AM in response to tammotsie1

I found that I had to first install Leopard using the OS disk that came with the computer. Once that was installed, I could then install Snow Leopard. A bit of a nuisance, but it works well. As I commented in my reply to

Carey_from_Haverfordwest, only the applications that are part of Leopard or Snow Leopard are installed, so you will have to re-install the applications that you want to use in that partititon.

Sep 2, 2011 4:12 PM in response to lzrdoc1

BIG HUGE HEADS UP WARNING:

If the computer you're partitioning came with Lion installed, you cannot install Snow Leopard onto it, anywhere.

Sadly, I just found this out after dropping $2000 on a new MacBook Air, which shipped with Lion. Since two of the software programs my company lives by require Rosetta, my plan was to partition, then keep those in the Snow Leopard side.

Three guesses who just had a coronary when the Apple Support rep on the phone told me "no go."

Needless to say, I'm one very unhappy Apple fan right now. :::urgh!!!:::

Install Snow Leopard in a Lion partition