Mike on Maui

Q: Install Snow Leopard into partition on system running Lion

Lion will not allow install.  Reboot, hold down C key, Snow Leopard disk ejects.

MacPro 3 GHz, G4 400, Intel iMac, MacBook, Pismo PB, 1G iPod, Mac OS X (10.6.1), Alienware Aurora, Trek Y66, Ludwig Vistalites, Birth. Drums. Dea

Posted on Jan 5, 2012 7:12 PM

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Q: Install Snow Leopard into partition on system running Lion

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  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Feb 20, 2012 6:53 PM in response to Mike on Maui
    Level 9 (61,095 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 20, 2012 6:53 PM in response to Mike on Maui

    Mike-

     

    I posted above, "out of order". You can use another one of your Macs, unless they are all brand new.

  • by Mike on Maui,

    Mike on Maui Mike on Maui Feb 20, 2012 8:56 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 4 (2,256 points)
    Feb 20, 2012 8:56 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    My retail version of SL is 10.6.0.  I bought 10.6.3 and had the same problem.  Apple was nice enought to take it back.

     

    I've tried to load SL on on my MacPro, my wife's iMac, and my kid's MacBook.  All failed.  It appears tht when Lion is loaded there may be a firmware update that won't allow an older OS to be installed.

     

    I have a line on a friend's iMac that still runs 10.6.8.  I'm going to clone it to an external drive and see what happens.

  • by Ziatron,

    Ziatron Ziatron Feb 20, 2012 10:22 PM in response to Mike on Maui
    Level 4 (3,930 points)
    Apple Watch
    Feb 20, 2012 10:22 PM in response to Mike on Maui

    It appears tht when Lion is loaded there may be a firmware update that won't allow an older OS to be installed.

     

    Reverting to the previous version of your firmware will solve the problem. Then you can install Snow Leopard.

  • by The hatter,

    The hatter The hatter Feb 21, 2012 3:41 AM in response to Ziatron
    Level 9 (60,935 points)
    Feb 21, 2012 3:41 AM in response to Ziatron

    There is no firmware restore, and whle sometimes there may be firmware updates, those are done separate

     

    Depends on if those Macs are 2011 and had Lion pre-installed.

     

    Some Macs require 10.6.5 or even 10.6.8 and the only source for a 10.6.8 installer is... the SL +  Lion $70 tumb-drive.

     

    PC you can flash with various firmware versions. you dont' have that freedom here.

  • by The hatter,

    The hatter The hatter Feb 21, 2012 3:46 AM in response to Mike on Maui
    Level 9 (60,935 points)
    Feb 21, 2012 3:46 AM in response to Mike on Maui

    Assuming, because while this forum is for 65 lb workstations, you have one and not some notebook, why not pull all your drives and leave one in. why use external? only because you have notebook or something

     

    10.6.3 wont' work if you upgraded your Mac with ATI 5770 or it will but not properly and may need to do
    Safe Boot.

     

    very confusing.

     

    Another reason sounds like move this thread to notebooks: no need to shrink and create new partition and touch the Lion boot drive. do your install and testing elsewhere.

     

    Paragon-Software does have a ($99) virtualization program for Lion or Lion Server (which is cheaper now) for running OS X clients but I think the clients need to first be physically installed. And then you need to use something like VirtualBox 4 or Fusion too.

  • by Mike on Maui,

    Mike on Maui Mike on Maui Feb 21, 2012 7:41 AM in response to The hatter
    Level 4 (2,256 points)
    Feb 21, 2012 7:41 AM in response to The hatter

    My system is an early 2008 MacPro.  Over its lifetime I ugraded to Leopard, Snow Leopard, and Lion.  It appears, at somw point, the firmware was updated which disallows the installation of older OSs.  I've tried both L and SL.

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Feb 21, 2012 7:48 AM in response to Mike on Maui
    Level 9 (61,095 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 21, 2012 7:48 AM in response to Mike on Maui

    I am not sure what these Macs are doing, but on much older Macs, it was only the PRAM information that precluded the Installation of older software after newer in certain cases. Restting the PRAM allowed you to Install whatever you pleased.

     

    I have re-installed 10.6 after placing Lion on my second hard drive. I did not do anything extraordinary on a Mac Pro 4,1 2009. My firmware is up-to-date. I am baffled by the trouble here.

  • by Mike on Maui,

    Mike on Maui Mike on Maui Feb 21, 2012 8:24 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 4 (2,256 points)
    Feb 21, 2012 8:24 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    Screen Shot 2012-02-21 at 6.19.24 AM.jpg

    This is the message I receive when trying to run either the 10.6 or 10.6.3 installer.  It happens on the MacPro, my wife's iMac, and an older MacBook.

  • by The hatter,

    The hatter The hatter Feb 21, 2012 8:24 AM in response to Mike on Maui
    Level 9 (60,935 points)
    Feb 21, 2012 8:24 AM in response to Mike on Maui

    At multiple points the partitiion table changes.

    and installing a new OS would require you use the new OS to erase (ie, "initialize" or format).

    Doubly so with arrays.

     

    Firmware? rarely and usually in first months after 2008 there was a SMC and EFI - that was it.

    There is a page for latest firmware but they would show in Software Update and are not "included in OS updates.

     

    http://www.apple.com/support/macpro

     

    I never 'upgrade' I take a new / other drive, format with DVD of the OS, and import, never an upgrade in place.

     

    you can but at some time it can bite.

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Feb 21, 2012 8:40 AM in response to Mike on Maui
    Level 9 (61,095 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 21, 2012 8:40 AM in response to Mike on Maui

    can you do an "erase and Install" using the original DVDs that shipped with the Mac(s) ?

  • by Mike on Maui,

    Mike on Maui Mike on Maui Feb 21, 2012 6:28 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 4 (2,256 points)
    Feb 21, 2012 6:28 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    Nope.  Get the same message that SL generates.

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Feb 21, 2012 6:43 PM in response to Mike on Maui
    Level 9 (61,095 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 21, 2012 6:43 PM in response to Mike on Maui

    Then can you:

     

    Boot from the DVD.

    Answer only the "what Language" question.

    Choose Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.

    Select the drive you want and ERASE

    Create ONE Partition (not existing, explicitly ONE)..

    Check to see that the Volume uses essentially the entire capacity of the drive.

    Quit Disk Utility.

    Attempt to Install.

     

    The theory here is that the presence of "Recovery HD" on that drive is what is keeping the older software Installer out.

  • by Mike on Maui,

    Mike on Maui Mike on Maui Feb 21, 2012 6:44 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 4 (2,256 points)
    Feb 21, 2012 6:44 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    Nope.  SL disk in DVD drive.  Reboot and hold "C" key down.  System attempts to boot from disk, eventually ejects disk and boots from Lion on HD.

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Feb 21, 2012 6:46 PM in response to Mike on Maui
    Level 9 (61,095 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 21, 2012 6:46 PM in response to Mike on Maui

    And what if you hold down Option key to get Startup Manager, ans select the DVD from there?

  • by Mike on Maui,

    Mike on Maui Mike on Maui Feb 21, 2012 6:49 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 4 (2,256 points)
    Feb 21, 2012 6:49 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    Same results as Holding "C" key down.  Disk ejects and system boots from HD.

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