2006 MacBook Pro - OS X Reinstall Issues

You can't install Leopard because you are installing a Mac OS X version designed for the Mid 2009 MacBook onto a 2006 MacBook Pro.

Use the DVD that came with the MacBook Pro to reinstall Mac OS X Tiger, and then, install Snow Leopard. You can also install Snow Leopard having Tiger installed. If you lost the DVDs that came with the Mac, call Apple to get replacement DVDs > http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57

Drive Preparation

1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.

If you are preparing an external or a non-startup drive, then open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.

2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.

3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.

4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.

5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.

6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.

7. Upon completion quit DU and return to the installer. Complete the installation of OS X.

If you truly have a full Snow Leopard installer DVD then use it for all of the above. If it's an Upgrade-only disc, then you will have to first install Leopard before you can upgrade to Snow Leopard.

Yes, it works. I recommend its use when installing any new drive that was once used or is pre-formatted for a non-Mac machine. If you wish you can skip Steps 4-6. It should still work OK. Zeroing the drive is time consuming but may prevent a future issue by sparing out any new bad sectors.

The fact that the drive was not prepped correctly for the Mac is the reason for the installation error message.

Yes, if it's a retail installer DVD.

I'm not sure time-wise, but I'm guessing an hour or less. Been a long time since I've done it on a machine of that age.

Are you positive you are using a retail copy of Snow Leopard. I cannot be an upgrade disc or a disc taken from the original discs for another Mac model. You cannot use any copy of Tiger unless it's the Tiger disc that came with the MacBook Pro.

Do you happen to know what the make and model is of the drive you installed in it? How old is the computer from which you removed it?

You cannot download Snow Leopard. Apple does not make it available for download. You can order it from Apple Online Store. There isn't anything you can do with the computer without an installer disc. That particular model is the first Intel laptop from Apple. I used to own one. It came with a special version of Tiger that was exclusively for the Intel model only. Leopard on the other hand is capable of installing both Intel and PPC versions of OS X. Snow Leopard is Intel only and the last version of OS X to work on Core Duo models like yours.

Maybe yes, maybe no.

It has to come from a "Full Retail" disc, not a disc for a different model (not even a later model of the same machine). Otherwise it does not have drivers for all Macs, and will not boot or install.

It has to have been copied in exactly the right way, and be set up to be bootable.

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Buying a new pressed, silkscreened, genuine Apple 10.6 disc costs US$20.

And the disc also has the Utilities on it for when you get in a jam.

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