Macbook Pro 2007 - Do I need original disks to install OS or can I install 10.6 dmg from USB?

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Macbook Pro 2007 - Do I need original disks to install OS or can I install 10.6 dmg from USB?

Hi,

I recently bought a Macbook Pro 2007 and admittedly coming from Windows I am a relative novice with Macs. So, I made a purchase without realizing the important role the original OS disks play 🙂

I checked the OS and it says it is running OS X 10.5.8. I had a go at installing a different OS on a partition, but got an error message saying: "Filesystem verify or repair failed".

So, not being all that familiar with Macs, how do I go about installing a new OS? I am pretty clueless with that stuff on the Mac. Do I need to have the original OS disks in order to install a more recent OS? Or can I use the 10.6 dmg file that I have to install from a USB?

If I were to purchase a more recent OS (than the one that came originally with the Mac), would I be able to install that? In all cases I do not need to back up any of the existing data.

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Thank

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Jan 8, 2012 4:28 PM

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Answer 1

eww

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Jan 8, 2012 4:51 PM in response to cfrankland

A .dmg file won't do you any good, particularly if you don't know that it was correctly prepared to be bootable after being burned to a DVD. creating a bootable OS X DVD isn't a simple matter.

For $29 you can buy a Snow Leopard installer DVD from the online Apple Store, and that should install straightforwardly.

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Answer 2

cfrankland Author

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Jan 8, 2012 5:01 PM in response to eww

eww, thanks for the reply! I'll avoid the dmg route then 🙂 So for the $29 Snow Leopard DVD, will I be able to boot with that directly from DVD and install? My only concern is reading about people having problems installing OS's without having the original OS disks. As my Macbook Pro is from 2007, will this DVD work for sure?

Last question (sorry for all the qs), is there a guide on how to install the $29 Snow Leopard?

Cheers.

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Answer 3

eww

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Jan 8, 2012 5:15 PM in response to cfrankland

You won't have any trouble booting or installing from the SL DVD.

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Answer 4

cfrankland Author

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Jan 8, 2012 5:22 PM in response to eww

Thanks. Would help if I got the OS right. I am actually running 10.5.8. Will this cause any problems or will I still be able to install with the $29 Snow Leopard disk? Also, will that include all of the iLife apps?

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Answer 5

eww

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Jan 8, 2012 8:16 PM in response to cfrankland

If you want to erase the computer's hard drive to rid it of the previous owner's leavings (always a good idea with a used computer), and then install Snow Leopard, that should all go without a hitch. The present Leopard installation will be wiped along with everything else. But the iLife applications that were preinstalled on the machine at the factory and included on the discs that were originally shipped with it are not part of the OS and won't be included in the Snow Leopard installation. You'll need to purchase and reinstall those separately, and you can do so either by buying an iLife '11 installer DVD from an Apple Store, or by buying the individual iLife apps that you want from the Mac App Store. You'll have access to the App Store after applying the free OS updates to the final version of Snow Leopard, v. 10.6.8.

Once you can use the App Store, you'll also have the option of downloading the upgrade to OSX Lion, if your computer meets its system requirements.

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