OSX 10.6.4 Copying Install Disk

You can make a copy via Disk Utility but note that you will need a dual-layer DVD.

How to copy previously-burned DVD-R video discs

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2059

To create an image file, launch Disk Utility and select File: New: Disk Image From Folder. In the window that appears, navigate to the desired folder and then click on Image. Give the image file a name, and click on Save when prompted. That’s it.

1. Insert your Snow Leopard DVD.
2. Open /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility.app.
3. In the left side of the window, select the “Mac OS X Install DVD”.
4. Click “New Image” from the Disk Utility toolbar and select where you want to save the temporary image. For “Image Format”, choose “DVD/CD master” and for “Encryption”, choose “none”.
5. The image extension in the “Save As” box will be .cdr (this is what you want) — click “Save”.
6. Once the temporary image is created, it will show up on the left side of the Disk Utility window. Select it.
7. Insert a blank dual-layer DVD
8. Click “Burn” from the Disk Utility toolbar.

talksrm wrote:

We have a collection of Apple Macs as well as Mac Mini systems.

Among the documentation for these systems, we have retained one Mac Mini OSX Install DVD 10.6.4.

Just to let you know, the gray/black OS X install disks are machine/model specific because they only contain hardware drivers for that model.

Intel Mac systems that were sold originally with 10.6.2 or earlier on the machine from the factory can use the 10.6.3 white retail Snow Leopard install disk (sans iLife), however Mac's that came with 10.6.3 or later require machine specific versions (includes iLife).

How to erase and install Snow Leopard 10.6

You can do a Apple Menu > About This Mac > More Information and find out the detailed information on each Mac, then use a free program called MacTracker that will tell you the original OS X version that came on the machine, this way you can find out if you have the correct install disks or not.

You can still order 10.6.4+ machine specific install disks from Apple as far as I know, just make sure you don't get the 10.6.3 white retail ones.

If you need free iLife then order the 10.6 machine specific disks regardless. (10.0-10.6.8)

Some System Admins create a 10.6.8 install disk by combining the 10.6.3 + the 10.6.8 Combo update, this way it contains all the hardware drivers for 10.6 compatible Mac's.

You can find out how to do that in this thread, originally designed to revert 10.7 factory Mac's of Early 2011 back to Snow Leopard.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3264421?start=0&tstart=0

If you need more information, you can see my UT's here

https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro?view=documents

talksrm wrote:

I have a Sony 104min/4.8gb DVD-R

This is a single layer DVD, you need a DVD-R DL which holds about 9GB.

Methinks your not a SysAdmin. 😉

talksrm wrote:

from USB PXE boot disks so nice and easy.

http://www.maciverse.com/install-os-x-snow-leopard-from-usb-flash-drive.html

However like I've mentioned above, it's better for you to create a 10.6.8 master boot external hard drive that contains drivers for all your Mac's, along with copies of standard software used across all machines. This way you can just restore a image with less work involved with a manual reinstall.

OS X 10.6 has that advantage it can be booted from a external drive, it's only the later OS X verisons it's a bit hairy and iLife software tied to each machine.