Can I run an old version of Rosetta Stone on my new MacBook?

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Level 1

13 points

Can I run an old version of Rosetta Stone on my new MacBook?

I have an old version of Rosetta Stone. When I tried to install it to my new MacBook it said I can not install. When I called Rosetta Stone, they told me the same thing and want me to buy $100 upgrade. But someone told me that on Windows, she can run older programs by finding something called install.exe or setup.exe or some such thing and clicking on a "compatability tab". This will supposedly set up an "old school" environment for that programs so it thinks it is being run undre an older version.

Does anybody know any way to run an old program on a new MacBook. I'd like to avoid buying a $100 upgrade for Rosetta Stone.

TIA

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.1)

Posted on Sep 27, 2012 6:37 AM

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Answer 1

sig

Level 8

35,862 points

Sep 27, 2012 8:18 AM in response to AmethystRain

Apparently you will need to install Windows on a Boot Camp partition. Compare the cost of a Windows disk to the cost of purchasing the latest version of Roseta Stone for your MacBook Pro.

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Answer 2

AmethystRain Author

Level 1

13 points

Sep 27, 2012 8:27 AM in response to sig

Thanks, but I'm really trying to not spend any money at all.

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Answer 3

Courcoul

Level 6

18,684 points

Sep 27, 2012 8:52 AM in response to AmethystRain

Rosetta, as in the language teaching software? Did you ever run it on a Mac, however old?

If it did run on Macs and is truly ancient, it may be that the program is written for the previous processors that Apple used, the PPCs. Since the days of the Lion, OS X no longer carries the translator that allows you to run that old code (the translator is also called Rosetta, btw). The other possibility is that the main Rosetta program is Universal (carries both the PPC and the Intel code) but the installer itself is PPC only.

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Answer 4

AmethystRain Author

Level 1

13 points

Sep 27, 2012 10:17 AM in response to Courcoul

Yes, Rosetta Stone, as in the language teaching software. And yes, it ran on Macs. We've only ever owned Macs.

It is about 7 years old, which I guess is pretty old by computer standards. So, you're saying that there is no way to run it?

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Answer 5

Courcoul

Level 6

18,684 points

Sep 27, 2012 10:22 AM in response to AmethystRain

Not on a new Mac running Lion or Mountain Lion. It should run fine on Snow Leopard and older versions of Mac OS X. If your Mac is from 2011, there are a few tricks for getting an instance of Snow Leopard on them, but will require a bit of Mac savvy. If the Mac is 2012, you are out of luck especially if you don't want to spend more money.

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