Can I install Snow Leopard on the new Mac Mini

Hey Hardax,

Yeah I got Plex 9.3.4 installed last night. Plex just released a new version last night (previously it was like 9.2.7?) so I figured it was a good time to get it up and running. I added my Movies & TV Shows folders before heading to bed and left it to scan the Library all night.

I woke up to a quarter inch of water in the basement so I didn't have a chance to check the status this morning, but I figure it's probably finished scanning.

Ok I just VNC'd into it from work and it looks like the scanning is complete. It found 1386 movies (should be ~1450 so I'll have to clean that up) which is about what I'd expect. Unfortunately it's not worth trying to play a movie via VNC so I can't really report on the UI at the moment, but I'll be able to later tonight or tomorrow.

Ack! sorry to hear about the water. That really puts a crimp in your day doesnt it! Trust me, I feel your pain as I have been there. I should be able to downgrade tonight or tomorrow so either you or I will test out Plex compatability first! Will let everyone know how it works and if I find any other glitches.

Woah whata night! ok i'm up now and saw that Lion Server had restored, awaiting my setup. Well, get this, I set it up and decided to try the CS 5.5 installer, and wth, it's installing??!! Ugh.

Unfortnately the partition for LS is like 10GBs, so I think I'll try installing SL again since I can't get enough of these installs, and if my Thunderbolt works I think I'll stick with SL for now. Hopefully as more users get the Mini Server someone will figure out a way to gte Lion (Desktop) onto the Mini Server, or Apple will allow it to be installed onto this specific version of the mini.

I'll report back in a bit...

Bryan -- since you have the server mini it has two drives, right? My 2010 server minis came with SLS on one disk and the other one blank. In order to raid the two, I had to erase the boot disk, raid the two disks together, and then re-install from the grey restore disks. Did the Lion server ship that way, not RAIDed? At any point did you try starting with two unRAIDed disks and restoring lion server on one disk and installing snow leopard not-server on the other?

hi cathy,

the first thing I did when i got this is pull the top (bottom?) drive out and swap in a 256gb ssd. I left the other drive in there. I didn't even boot it. I then did the command-r to restore, which is when I discovered that it only restores the server version. I then began to set up my mini environment the way I like, which is when i ran into issues running the CS5 installer...and this nightmare began. The other 500GB drive was wiped also, and I put my Home folder and other files onto that.

Well, the main thing I was trying to tackle was the CS5 install, and it seems like that worked with a clean restore of Lion Server this time, so at least if this new SL attempt doesn;'t work, i can just clone that partition, reformat, then clone back to the ssd and go back to lion Server and be back up and productive for once again.

I'm running the 10.6.8 updater now and should now soon if my Thunderbolt and cursor issues remain after booting back into the mini...fingers crossed!

ok, bummer. Having LS on the other partition didn't help my Thunnderbolt or cursor issues. Looks like I will just clone the LS partition, then reformat the SSD to make the partition larger, then clone LS back and hopefully I won't hit any more software issues (yeah right!)

ok, i'm up and running now under Lion Server [sigh]. Seems to be the only configuration I can get working with my hardware, and now that CS5 is running and installed, I should be more or less productive again. Thanks for your help guys.

John, first of all — thanks for clearing up my "misinterpretation" (a handy euphemism for "Uh-oh! I got it all wrong!") in my response to an earlier question, here.

Now, about your problems driving the 24" ACD -- dunno if this has relevance: the discovery that the new Air (and some previous MBP's) used a chopped-down "Eagle Ridge" version of the Thunderbolt chip ("Light Ridge") that powers the Thunderbolt connections on iMacs and other desktop machines. I wonder if they used that same simplified half-chip for the Thunderbolt port on the 2011 Mini — I think it's likely, since the Mini is largely derived from laptop equipment and configurations. Now, even if true, that might not play any role in your 24" ACD connection problem; but, then, again, it could be a problem with drivers and expectations that are built into them; so...

Here's one link among many---

http://www.slashgear.com/macbook-air-gets-half-power-thunderbolt-29168292/

Hey Steve! You know I'm happy to help 🙂

According to AppleCare there's a known issue w/ the firmware on the 24" ACD...that's all I know on that front. I have a 2010 MBP w/ Mini Display out that works just fine on both my 24" ACD and 27" ACD (w/o thunderbolt). It would make sense though if what you're suggesting were true and the Mini is running on some kind of neutered version of Thunderbolt. I guess we'll have to wait to see if someone does a true tear down (beyond iFixIt) and analyzes the port. Until then I'll just keep it plugged into my HDTV via HDMI and call it good. 🙂

I would guess that if it's really a driver issue (one where Lion Server has X driver but SL does not) then you'd have to boot into Lion Server to fix the problem. Having the OS present doesn't really help w/ the driver loading unfortunately. :\

John, probably an unfair "personal" question, but...

What do you use your MBP, Mini, etc. and 24" AD for, mostly?

Reason of asking: I notice a "John Fair" out there in the world who does a lot of photography ("...by passion, not by employment...") and thought it might be you. If so, I have some useful high-end info and goodies for you, as part of my payback for your leadership in finding a path to Snow-Leopard salvation for all of us wandering Mini-pilgrims. Regards!

There are no unfair personal questions when your last name is Fair. 😉 It's a double edged sword!

You've most likely found me (a simple google search for John Fair Photography yields me as the #1 result!).

I am actually a software developer by profession and work provides me the MBP for my day-to-day work. When I get home I typically use the MBP to support our systems after-hours and use the 24" ACD to do that (plus some photo editing on the side 😉). The Mini is actually my media machine to watch movies/tv shows/netflix/etc on in my living room. It also streams content to my AppleTV/iPhones/iPads/etc.

I'm all for info and goodies! If you managed to find my personal site then you likely already know my email...it's easily found on my resume (or else if you can figure out my middle initial and add [at] gmail dot com to my full name with initial you've got it as well).

John, many thanks for your pioneering work on this challenge. I have just ordered a new 2011 Mini 2.7GHz, and while I don't fully comprehend the nuances of each step, I plan to attempt your process when it's delivered.

For a host I have access to an iMac Core 2 Duo that came with 10.5.4 but has been upgraded to 10.6.8 via the 10.6.3 retail disk. The latter is stock no. MC573Z/A and I'm not sure if that was a full OS install disk or just an upgrade - the packaging doesn't say. Since I would want to register SL on the Mini under my own name I'm intending to buy another fresh retail copy of 10.6.3. Does it matter that this would be installed via an iMac registered to someone else? Also, the Apple Store is still offering a 10.6.3 DVD for $29, but again they don't state whether it's a full version or upgrade - some vendors specifically say "upgrade". Does it matter?

Your method includes a "recovery disk", and I'm not sure what this is - the iMac came with just 10.5.4 install disks 1 & 2. Can you please explain?

I'm intending to partition the HDD before I attempt this - re-installing Lion on one volume, then installing SL on another. Does this make the most sense?

Your guidance will be most appreciated.

Hi Anglotexian,

A quick google of MC573Z/A looks like it's the 10.6.3 upgrade disk. I personally used the 10.6.0 upgrade, but this would work as well. I don't recall Apple selling a "full retail" Snow Leopard (meaning it didn't require Leopard already being installed), but perhaps someone else can correct me on that. The real point being that I used an "upgrade" disk. The point of calling it "Retail" meant that it is NOT a recovery disk (such as the install disks 1&2 that you mention). Recovery disks are not the same as the "retail" disk MC573Z/A and the like. As long as you have a copy of a SL similar to MC573Z/A you'll be fine.

Also, you might be in for a smoother experience with the Host machine you already have. You shouldn't have to swap out disks mid-way through the SL install. The host iMac you'll be using can successfully boot your SL disk of 10.6.3 without issue. As a result you shouldn't have to do the swap! That's great because it removes a lot of the complexity (and the issue that caused me the most headache) of the fallback. My biggest problem was that all of the Macs I have access to are too new (yeah I know, life is hard right? 😉).

So to sum up: Upgrade disk is fine, and you should not need the install (which are recovery) disks from the iMac for this process. Good luck!

John, thanks for the explanation. I'll let you know how this goes when I get to try it next week!