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How to reinstall Snow Leopard on a Mini with no Optical drive

I have a Mini running 10.9 that needs to be wiped./reloaded. I have a set of discs from another Mini, a few months older than the one in triage, but when I set up via remote disc, I get a box saying I have to use Installer 23.1.1. The version number the discs report is 23.1.1. There's no menu to do a reformat since the installer program won't load. What is plan-B?

Mac mini, OS X Mavericks (10.9.1), no DVD drive

Posted on Jan 14, 2014 11:52 AM

Reply
6 replies

Jan 14, 2014 12:01 PM in response to lite1x

You cannot use Remote Disk to install Mac OS X. Quoting from Apple's support article on Remote Disk (emphasis mine);


Note: These types of discs or activities are not supported by DVD or CD sharing:

  • DVD movies.
  • Audio CDs.
  • Copy protected discs such as game discs.
  • Install discs for an operating system such as Microsoft Windows (for use with Boot Camp), or Mac OS X.
  • Burn a CD or DVD


You'll need a USB optical drive, either an Apple SuperDrive or a third-party unit.


Regards.

Jan 15, 2014 6:46 AM in response to lite1x

If your Mini shipped with OS X 10.7, that would explain why it wouldn't install Mac OS X 10.6. Except in a few rare instances, you cannot install a version of Mac OS X earlier than the one the Mac shipped with since the earlier versions won't have the drivers for the newer hardware.


Glad you got the mini to an acceptable state.


Regards.

How to reinstall Snow Leopard on a Mini with no Optical drive

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