RonEW

Q: Is it possible to install a previous version of OX s Snow Leopard without losing data. I have aMini(late 2012) .

I upgraded OS X snow leopard (10.6.8) to Mountain Lion (10.8.5) and can no longer access Boot Camp (using XP Pro) nor will IPhoto work. I read some where that  BootCamp in Mountain Lion can only run Windows 7 or greater. Is it possible to download and reinstall Snow Leopard without losing anything. Before installing Mountain Lion I DID NOT Backup anything with Time Machine (that's a sin)

Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jul 28, 2015 3:01 PM

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Q: Is it possible to install a previous version of OX s Snow Leopard without losing data. I have aMini(late 2012) .

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  • by Roger Wilmut1,Helpful

    Roger Wilmut1 Roger Wilmut1 Jul 28, 2015 3:06 PM in response to RonEW
    Level 9 (77,920 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 28, 2015 3:06 PM in response to RonEW

    You can't install an older system over a newer one. You would have to back up all your data, then completely erase the disk and then do an install from scratch, restoring your data from the backup.

     

    If your HD is big enough, and not too full, you could partition it and then install SL on the new partition. You could then boot into that; however space is going to be the problem. You could buy an external hard disk - 2TB disks are not that expensive not - and install SL on that. However I don't know whether you can also install Boot Camp on that, though I should have thought so while it is the startup disk. The main problem is that running the system on an external disk is going to be very considerably slower than using the internal one.

  • by stevejobsfan0123,

    stevejobsfan0123 stevejobsfan0123 Jul 28, 2015 3:09 PM in response to Roger Wilmut1
    Level 8 (43,557 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 28, 2015 3:09 PM in response to Roger Wilmut1

    Roger Wilmut1 wrote:

     

    If your HD is big enough, and not too full, you could partition it and then install SL on the new partition.

    Last I checked, you cannot have multiple OS X partitions if you also have a Windows partition via Boot Camp.

  • by lllaass,

    lllaass lllaass Jul 28, 2015 3:26 PM in response to RonEW
    Level 10 (187,988 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 28, 2015 3:26 PM in response to RonEW

    The 2012 Mini can't run anything earlier than Mountain Lion sinceearlier versi0ns do not have the necessary drivers.

  • by Roger Wilmut1,

    Roger Wilmut1 Roger Wilmut1 Jul 28, 2015 3:31 PM in response to lllaass
    Level 9 (77,920 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 28, 2015 3:31 PM in response to lllaass

    Ah - he did say he'd upgraded. It sounds as if he upgraded to a new Mac as well as a new system. In that case he's stuck.

  • by woodmeister50,

    woodmeister50 woodmeister50 Jul 29, 2015 2:50 AM in response to RonEW
    Level 5 (5,505 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 29, 2015 2:50 AM in response to RonEW

    You must be mistaken as to the Mini model.  The last Mac Mini to ship with

    any version of Snow Leopard was the 2010 model (see chart Mac mini).

     

    If you have upgraded your computer as Roger suspects, then you are

    stuck.