Can I install Snow Leopard on the new Mac Mini

I'm using it for music production.

I don't think cloning the whole system is a good idea because I've already installed TONS of stuff on the system HD -Yes, maybe not a very clever decision... The thing is that I'm already using over 300 Gigs of that drive so cloning it onto an SD card is out of the question.

But I could try to reinstall SL into an external drive (if the Mini allows me). In that case, I could clone it to the SD and send it to you or even upload it somewhere. Just give me a couple of days to find a way to do so.

And yes, I'm using a generic USB dongle for BT that seems to have solved the issue. 🙂

Talk to you soon.

Sounds good thanks for the info, I will check into a BT dongle.

I installed SL several different ways for testing and cloned them all for backups on separate partitions. Example: an install os SL with rosetta & QT7, an install of SL without rosetta and QT&, a version without any of the NFG kexts installs performed, etc. The largest of all my "testing partitions" is 6.99GB. I have 2 backups on a single 15GB SD card.

Im finding different video drivers between the different versions. Its super weird as they were installed all from teh same host machine. I dragged over some of the HD3000 Kexts (not found in the NFG package) from my Lion 10.7.4 partition to one of my SL test partitions and although Im not sure if the SL partition is even using the HD3000 kext files, that SL partition yields an average benchmark score of 200-300 more points than the other SL test partitions without the HD3000 kexts.

No one here has any comments on that however, so I guess its just an FYI from me.

What was your host machine for the installs?

My host machine was a mid 2011 iMac born with 10.6.6. In TDM I booted the Mini from the iMac and saw the 1920x1080 in sys-prefs, but when i booted the Mini by itself, it doesnt have the 1920x1080 option at all.? Still no info on that..

However, like I said above a few posts ago, I did a flavor of the AMIS V2 instructions in combination with using some of the Lion 10.7.4 HD3000 kexts onto a SL partition and that SL partition only has a 1920x1080 resolution option with no other resolutions to choose from..

I'd like to add my successful experience as another data point, and ask a question.

To start, I really dislike the direction Apple has taken with 10.7, and now 10.8, for several reasons. I ran across this thread, and decided to buy a Mac mini and try it "downgrade" to Snow Leopard.

I followed the instructions from David Amis, from page 27.

My new Mac mini is the Mid 2011 Server model (i7, 10.7 Server installed). My Snow Leopard assistant machine is a Mid 2009 MacBook Pro. It came with 10.5 installed, so I was able to use the 10.6.3 retail disk as the source. I installed Snow Leopard to the second drive on my mini, and left the Lion "Server HD" drive alone.

Now that it is finished, I have Snow Leapard running with a 64-bit Geekbench score of 9122.

There were two problems along the way:

1. The first time I ran the installer, it failed midway through the install. The installer just quit, an my MBP shut down. (Yes, my MBP was plugged in!). The second time I ran the installer, it completed successfully.

2. When I tried to install the 10.6.8 v1.1 Combo Updater, the updater would not recognize the fresh 10.6.3 install as valid. I tried twice to run the Combo Updater from the MBP, and ran into this problem both times. I then tried to start the mini (with Snow Leopard as the start up disk). It hung on the Apple screen. I tried this twice with same result. I tried yet again to install the Combo Updater from my MBP, with the mini in Target Disk mode. This time it worked! I was able to boot my new Mac mini in Snow Leopard, and complete the rest of the steps.

I guess the moral of this story is that these steps DO work, even if not on the first or second try.

Now my question: has anyone heard of success installing Snow Leopard on a 2011 Macbook Air? The only information I've seen is here:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1352079

I would love to buy one of these machines and install Snow Leopard, but would like more information first.

Thank all of you who collaborated in figuring this out and documenting it, with a particular nod to NewFoundGlory.

Success installation Snow Leopard on a Mini Mac 2011 without external computer.

For it you needed:

1. Snow Leopard 10.6.7 OSX for MacBookPro.

2. 10.6.0 or 10.6.3 OSX retail installation disk.

3. 10.6.8 combo update.

4. Package from NewFoundGlory (NFG).

5. External optical CD/DVD.

You must replace OSInstall.mpkg file from 10.6.0 or 10.6.3 retail disk to 10.6.7 for MacBookPro.

Also you can replace drivers for printers.

Path for these files is System/Installation/Packages/

Directories are hidden so you can use "cmd shift G" command to reach them.

For modified 10.6.7(for MBP) DMG you must converted it to Read/Write DMG with Disk Utility.

Install SL 10.6.7 from modified disk, install 10.6.8 combo update, reboot and install NewFoundGlory package.

It's all!

Thanks RC Brown for link and NewFoundGlory for beautiful package!

How make a universal 10.6.7 Snow Leopard installer:

http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20120123175902871

Thanks for your effort newfoundglory! Are the new display drivers included in the package you created? The mediafire download link doesn't work anymore. Is there any other place I can download them?

Hi jovibe,

I believe these are the kexts you're looking for. These are the ones I used for downgrading my Mini Server 2011 to SL. I got them from somewhere in this thread, although I'm not 100% sure if they're the ones posted by newfoundglory...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9w162nyq71nhdgi/MacMini2011%20Snow%20Leopard%20kexts.z ip

Good luck !

Thank you javi_! I will try them out!

The NFG package is by far the easiest way to install the drivers/kexts, etc. I can upload the NFG package installer later tonight if you want/need me to. Just let me know.

Hi mesa3077boogie,

If it is different than the one on page 30, please do so.

Thank you, I appreciate it!

Its the same package, I though you said that the original mediafire link was dead thats why I offered to re upload it. So nevermind I guess..

Did anyone encounter problems with the latest september 2012 security update like I did? It bricked my Mini, and luckily, I was able to restore it with a time-machine backup from my 2009 mini.

No sir just the usual mouse losing connection issues..

For those of you using a USB dongle mouse to avoid the 'bluetooth mouse losing connectivity' issues, do you still have the extensive mouse preferences that you would if you were using the built in bluetooth in the mini?

When using a bluetooth dongle to use my bluetooh magic mouse, I am not losing conectivity like I was with the built in bluetooth but now under mouse preferences, I only get a tracking speed option instead of all of the other mouse preferences such as: double click speed, right click, scrolling speed, etc.

Anybody?

Just wanted to say thanks for posting this question and everyone's help in figuring out the answer...

In my own case I was able to use SuperDuper to clone a copy of OS X 10.6.8 off a 2010 MacMini (2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo w/ NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor) onto a 2011 MacMini (2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 w/ AMD Radeon HD 6630M)

FYI used "Drive Genius 3" to create a dual boot Mac with Lion and Snow Leopard

www.prosofteng.com/blog/using-drive-genius-3-to-repartition-your-drive-and-insta ll-lion-to-create-a-dual-boot-mac/

Notes to see if the system was optimized followed suggestion to use "geekbench" to measue system performance

2337 score (early 2010 mac mini w/ os x 10.6.8 build 10k549)

using "super duper"

1868 score (mid 2011 mac mini w/ os x 10.6.8 build 10k549)

note that as others have found, there is a performance hit because the various drivers were not optimized! the solution as found by "newfoundglory" did the trick!! after applying

www.mediafire.com/?dckrq0s56ldusb7

the "geekbench" improved!!!

6168 score (mid 2011 mac mini w/ os x 10.6.8 build 10k549

Hi yamshanovevgeny,

can you please tell me how you booted from the modified 10.6.7 installer...I tried C and Alt at startup but they don't seem to work. I do not have access to another computer and this is my only option.

Thank You.