OS 10.6 on first gen Intel

Joined
Jul 12, 2011
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Hello,

I have a first gen Intel MacBook Pro. Ive been running 10.6 on this laptop. It been a little slow, so I wanted to format the drive. I have a SnowLeopard CD (retail one), but it didnt have an option for a clean install. I had a 10.4 grey CD kicking around it it let me do a clean instal. When I try to upgrade to 10.6 it doesnt work. The installation works, but I get an error saying the OS can not be installed. Any idea why this is happening? I have my dads 10.6 grey CD (he just got a new MacBook Pro) and when I put them in, it says the OS cant be installed on this computer.

Do I need to upgrade to Leopard first?

Thanks for any help
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
First off - there's almost never a reason to do a clean install of OS X. UNIX-based OSes don't develop "rot" over time like Windows does. At worst, you might need to create a new user account. But there's a lot of maintenance tasks you should try before you even go that far.

You will need the retail 10.6 disc. A 10.6 disc from another computer won't work (as those are usually tailored to the machine it was sold with). You'll need to format the drive from within Disk Utility (as booted from the 10.6 disc) and it should let you do a clean install.
 
Joined
Sep 30, 2007
Messages
9,962
Reaction score
1,235
Points
113
Location
The Republic of Neptune
Your Mac's Specs
2019 iMac 27"; 2020 M1 MacBook Air; macOS up-to-date... always.
I have a first gen Intel MacBook Pro. Ive been running 10.6 on this laptop. It been a little slow, so I wanted to format the drive. I have a SnowLeopard CD (retail one), but it didnt have an option for a clean install. I had a 10.4 grey CD kicking around it it let me do a clean instal. When I try to upgrade to 10.6 it doesnt work. The installation works, but I get an error saying the OS can not be installed. Any idea why this is happening? I have my dads 10.6 grey CD (he just got a new MacBook Pro) and when I put them in, it says the OS cant be installed on this computer.

Do I need to upgrade to Leopard first?

The gray OEM discs are machine-specific. As for reinstalling… there's rarely a real need to reinstall OS X. Whatever problems you are having can be more readily resolved in other manners. First thing of concern, given the age of your MacBook, is the possibility that it's slow because the drive is failing. Make sure you have a backup of your important data PRONTO!

Once done, you can do some checks of your hard drive. Onyx will automatically prompt you to check the SMART status and verify the startup volume. You may find the need to repair the directory structure of your disk. To do so, you have to boot from the install DVD:
Mac OS X - Using Disk Utility to Repair a Disk

If that all checks out, try running the various maintenance and cleanup utilities in Onyx. That should help iron out some problems. If not, your problem may simply be one of fragmentation. You can either get a defragger (iDefrag is a very good one), or use SuperDuper to clone your drive to an external, then clone it back for a very crude, but somewhat effective defrag of sorts.
 
OP
S
Joined
Jul 12, 2011
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Thanks for the help. Everything was backed-up before I started the process. Ill take a look at the disk repair options and go from there. I guess its possible that there is a problem with the retail Snow Leopard CD that I have, ill check at work to see if anyone else has a copy I can borrow

Have a good one!
 
OP
S
Joined
Jul 12, 2011
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Quick followup question. Im going to buy Snow Leopard, my friend said he had issues with the same CD. Can I buy the $30 CD to upgrade from 10.4 to Snow Leopard? or Do i have to get the bundle with iLife and all that stuff? I just want Snow Leopard, I dont use the other software much.

Thanks
 
Joined
Jul 15, 2011
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Quick followup question. Im going to buy Snow Leopard, my friend said he had issues with the same CD. Can I buy the $30 CD to upgrade from 10.4 to Snow Leopard? or Do i have to get the bundle with iLife and all that stuff? I just want Snow Leopard, I dont use the other software much.

Thanks

I upgraded from 10.4 direct to Snow Leopard using the $29 program. Over 90% of my programs, documents, photos plus Firefox, Safari and Camino bookmarks carried over the same as before. Only a few minor glitches. The program includes a Rosetta Stone option for some things that may not work. I needed the Rosetta deal to open a free AOL browser and a dictionary. Time Machine is included in the Snow Leopard upgrade.

My only real problem so far is that my old Samsung printer does not work. Works okay with my PC and worked with the Mac previously. Downloaded new drivers and some other recommended fixes. Also ran the Mac Upgrade from another post but no good so far.

Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo

You should back up your hard drive on an external HD and any other things you want to save. Everything I moved to my external HD is still there unused!


Good luck.


Later: After upgrading Tiger with Snow Leopard Apple came through with further updates to bring me current. Also I was able to bring Firefox and Safari up to 5 point something making me current with their updates too. During the Snow Leopard installation there is a point where I updated my name and other data with Apple. As far as I know Apple is recognizing this upgrade since I am now running 10.6.8. I don't think Apple will lose any money on this deal especially with their App Store inclusion and so many more computers available for Lion.
 
Joined
Sep 30, 2007
Messages
9,962
Reaction score
1,235
Points
113
Location
The Republic of Neptune
Your Mac's Specs
2019 iMac 27"; 2020 M1 MacBook Air; macOS up-to-date... always.
Quick followup question. Im going to buy Snow Leopard, my friend said he had issues with the same CD. Can I buy the $30 CD to upgrade from 10.4 to Snow Leopard? or Do i have to get the bundle with iLife and all that stuff? I just want Snow Leopard, I dont use the other software much.

Thanks

The $29 upgrade is expected by Apple to be used for upgrading from Leopard. The $129 version is expected for upgrading from Tiger. Either will work the same, it's a matter of respecting the license terms.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top