Mac OS X 10.6.3 retail will not install on iMac

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Level 1

70 points

Mac OS X 10.6.3 retail will not install on iMac

recently acquired an early 2008 iMac that came with Lion installed, but am trying to install Snow Leopard 10.6.3 retail that I also recently purchased from Apple in a spearate partition. the iMac says I cannot use this installer: Mac Install app.23.1.1

So tried to install it on a partitioned external HardDrive with my MacBook intell with Tiger.

it gets to the point where it asks to go to Disc Utility to pick a partition, which is already prepared. but nada.

have used Disc utility to 'restore' the DVD to the partition, but when I boot into the partition, the installer does the same thing: go to disc utility, but cannot get it to install.

Have reviewed numerous articles on how to do this. just frustrated.

Anyone got any suggestions on how to get this to work?

(oh, have cloned a bootable USB flash drive with my iMac Lion install, so that is backed up)

the external harddrive is 750 gig, but has 4 partitions, with backups of my different Macs, and am using a big empty one to put Snow Leopard on.

Posted on May 6, 2013 7:12 PM

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Answer 1

Niel

Level 10

726,935 points

May 6, 2013 7:13 PM in response to René O'Deay

You need to restart the iMac with the install disk in the drive and the Option key held down.

(82288)

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Answer 2

René O'Deay Author

Level 1

70 points

May 6, 2013 9:51 PM in response to Niel

this does not work.

I cloned the install DVD, by following directions, onto the target partition in the external drive. it renamed my partition to Mac OS X Install 10.6.3. (this all on my MacBook intell w Tiger.

so when I tried reboot with OPTION held down, and get to the Install, and select the destination, I'm told to go to Disc Utility and partition, but the Install is already in the partition, so going to Disc Utility is futile.

I can't repartion the entire external harddrive as I already have some backup partitions. two are Leopard PPC, one is Tiger intell.

If I erase the target partition, can just it be formated GUID?

When I close Disc Utility, and Install comes back. it won't install, option not available.

It basically does the same thing on the iMac, first won't recognize the partition, then the installer gives the message: "you cannot use the install.app on this system. '

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Answer 3

Niel

Level 10

726,935 points

May 6, 2013 9:53 PM in response to René O'Deay

1. You need to restart from the DVD itself and not the clone you made of it. Erase the partition you cloned it to. If you must put it on a drive partitioned as APM, install it onto a drive partitioned as GUID and then clone the installed system, not the DVD.

2. No. There can only be a single partition table on each drive.

(82294)

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Answer 4

René O'Deay Author

Level 1

70 points

May 9, 2013 2:41 PM in response to Niel

I tried to install on my external hardDrive that is partitioned with APM, but it would not do it.

Okay, Niel, went and bought a new 32 G Jump/Flash Drive, partitioned the whole thing to GUID, and managed to get Snow Leopard to install on it from my MacBook Tiger. took hours, and the upgrades took hours.

now to install from the USB JumpDrive to my iMac Lion. which I have already partitioned.

but, looking at all the different recommendations, since I upgraded the Snow Leopard from 10.6.3 to 10.6.8, plus all the other upgrades, how do I install it on the iMac? I can't use the DVD or a DMG from it. already tried, failed.

Can I migrate it, or should I clone it now?

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Answer 5

René O'Deay Author

Level 1

70 points

May 14, 2013 4:54 PM in response to René O'Deay

Successfully installed Snow Leopard on my iMac Lion with partition, using Carbon Copy Cloner from the JumpDrive.

Successfully installed with Carbon Copy Cloner, after several failed attempts using SilverKeeper,.on my partitioned for PPC external hard drive.

So now good to go.

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