Can I install Snow Leopard on the new Mac Mini

Yup, its in system preferences:

Yes I had DDC turned on in the monitor; off now. The monitor HDMI cable was connected to the Mini-DVI port via an Apple adapter; it's now HDMI all the way.

I reset PRAM several times after the above changes.

No Joy. My Sys Prefs' Displays pane looks identical to yours except for the absence of "1920x1080" entry.

"Does your mac think its connected to a TV?"

How do I tell if this is so?

No other monitor of 1920x1080 resolution that I can try.

FWIW: System Version: Mac OS X 10.6.8 (10K549)

Thanks, iX

Apparently SL thinks the mini is connected to a TV:

(The 2436 monitor is the one that I want to be 1920x1080.)

How do I choose a resolution that is not a "television" resolution? The Monitors prefs has only resolutions (no mention of "television"):

Thanks, iX

I have no problems to use two monitors (with Lion or SnowLeopard) with the resolutions:

Thunderbolt > Dell = 1920/1200

HDMI > Samsung TV = 1920/1080

I was able to use them after a clean installed 10.6.8 System (cloned) and also with a Macbook-pro-10.6.8 Clone

iX - i've seen this happen to Mac minis before, but I don't know the fix unfortunately - maybe try Google for this one and see what other people have experienced.

Also, for those who are using a 2010 mini to get a 10.6.8 image - I also get the second "ghost" display (which obviously doesn't exist). No idea what is causing this yet. Using a MBP definitely seems to work better for me.

newfoundglory: I'm wondering if the phantom display is caused by some configuration issue. I've already tried many alternatives, and I'd love to try an image you have created that has worked for you. I sent a friend request on the Macrumors forum, or please suggest another way to contact you.

I had installed the Mac Mini 2011 EFI 1.4 firmware update (wish I hadn't), perhaps it is a problem. The disc I'm using is:

"13-inch

MacBook Pro

Mac OS version 10.6.6

Disc version 1.0

2Z691-6796-A"

I'm using 10.6.8 update version 1.1, can't find a copy of the original 10.6.8 update.

Did the Snow leopard install as prescriped (thanks a lot!!) in mini I7 quard, geek bench before= 2785; geekbench after=8816. Looking good. Monitor connected to HDMI (DVI adaptor). No monitor on the mini display port. The mini still believes there is a monitor on the display port...

Solved the mouse pointer issue by turning on display mirroring.

Hope this helps others with the mouse pointer issue.

Happy new year!

Kasper

It is definitely faster in Snow Leopard - it finishes the geekbench tests about 2 seconds faster compared to Lion. For 32-bit, I have managed to squeeze out a whopping geekbench score of 8930 in Snow Leopard! The most I can manage in Lion is 8873.

Somehow this got posted to the wrong issue. Sorry

Hi John,

I have the same problem but only an iBook G4 (X10.4) and a Snow Leopard 10.6.0 disc. I ordered a SL 10.6.6 disc at Apple Store.

I have the quad core (i7) Mac mini with Lion Server bought this weekand. But I need Rosetta to run iMovie HD (V 6.0) and fcp 6.0. That should mean Snow Leopard or lower. Can't install SL client on VMWare, Parallels or Boxit(?). So what's a poor businessman to do? Return the Mac mini (<14 days), give up the idea of using the mac server (yes having Windows on the same machine is a bonus) and try to keep my creaking G4 goingfor my video clients (ask users of iMovie 6.0 why the next version doesnot tick boxes).

Any suggestions before I return the machine?

Guess I was a bit quick to claim success 🙂

Displayport (thunderbolt) to DVI or VGA does not work. If I connect screens go blank and reboot via VNC is the only way out. Sleep or power save has the same effect - black screen.

Im thinking the driver is missing - comparing System/Library/extensions between lion and my snow leopard I see the Intel HD 3000 is missing on SL. Actually there is a lot of missing stuff - why not copy all lion extensions to SL?

Cya

Kasper

You aren't comparing like for like - not all the kexts are the same in Lion as Snow Leopard, so you can't use this to compare what might be "missing". There isn't a kext called AppleIntelHD3000Graphics in Snow Leopard! If you have used 10.6.3 retail DVD - this may be what is causing your thunderbolt problems. As I explained in earlier post, retail DVDs are not the best approach if you want absolutely everything working.

You can't just use Lion kexts in Snow Leopard - it won't work - and even if you managed to update a Snow Leopard prelinked kernel with Lion kexts (it is possible!), the behviour will be unpredictable due to the fact the Lion kexts were compiled against different headers and linked with different versions of libraries.

After using Lion on a brand new Mac Mini i7 "upgrade" with ATI graphics for three weeks, I'm looking for an alternative OS.

Lion simply is not for seasoned OS computer users. My Leopard MBP and Mac Mini will stay leopard based for awhile until Apple fixes the Lion operating system.

Using a Linux SAMBA server simply stinks under Lion. Under Leopard works great. Many programs have been eliminated from Lion that I enjoy under Leopard.

Unfortunately, it looks like Apple is using the gimmicks under Lion to entice users to the OS switch or Lion based products, don't do it.

Apple please listen to your customers, people don't want gimmick programs, we want value, functionality and stability.

Apple please work on migrating Snow Leopard and Leopard on two your new Mac Minis until you have fixed Lion or you will be losing customers fast.

Microsoft is tuned into your users complaints!

I like others find the current OS Lion a big disappointment compared to previous Mac Leopard and Snow Leopard Operating systems.

I'm having the same problem as Kasper.

I have 2 Mac minis: 2,5 gHz i5 and 2,0 gHz server.

I used a MacBook Pro 2011 install DVD, and kopied the files mentioned by newfoundglory. The 2,5 gHz i5 works on my TV which is connected by a Displayport-to-DVI connector. My 2,0 gHz server however goes to black screen when loading the same install DVD.

Any ideas on how to get working image on the Thunderbolt port of the Mac mini server ?

Like many others I have managed to install SL on the new mac mini server (2.0Ghz i7 quad).

Geek bench score with the single 5,3 kext added is >8000, but unfortunately I have major display issues.

I used a 2008 MBPro (2.4 Ghz C2D running 10.5.8) to install SL retail DVD 10.6.3 onto the MacMini server SSD in target disk mode (I first partitioned the SSD using disk utility within Lion).

I copied the 5,3 kext from Lion to SL, and applied the terminal commands (no extra chmod was needed).

Then installed the 10.6.8v1.1 combo updater ontop of the SL partition (still from the MBPro via target disk).

I am trying to run the Dell U2711 at 2560x1440. I don't currently have the correct mDP>DP connector, but am not convinced it will help. Now when booted in Lion, the mDP to DVI works (1920x1080 max resolution), as does the HDMI>DVI at same resolution.

But under SL, only the HDMI port is working, and I have the ghost monitor (and pointer glitches) so many others have reported.

At one point I did manage to get an image from the mDP>VGA on the Dell at an odd res (something like 2048x1134), but after fiddling with the various adapters and the display arrangement, I now appear to have killed it completely: All I can see on the Dell monitor is the "ghost screen" with nothing on it but a desktop bacground.

I am at home now and have done some Google research. Apparently Command + F1 will force display mirroring. I hope this will then make the SL partition display correctly to the Dell monitor.

Anyway. It seems that my SL install lacks correct drivers for DP output.

Now some questions: Only Colacin talks about the TB/DP driving the Dell U2711 correctly. That machine is a Dual core i5 (I presume also with the Intel HD3000). So the difference is one of hardware and also of kext.

NewFoundGlory got the server to work fine (but used a SL image from a 2011 MBPro).

Woudl it possibly help if I copied the 5,1 kext across instead of the 5,3 kext?

What if I were to plug the Dell Monitor into the DP during the SL install? Could that make a difference in helping it be detected?

Finally, could this thunderbolt update help?

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1476