OEM Disc

So as I am needing a new hard drive because of my existing one's failure, I'm thinking, is it possible to get leopard disc that come from the box like oem disc, that way I can just have leopard as the main os rather than putting my previous os on there and then upgrading? I'm feeling like this is possible but don't know where I could buy leopard oem disc from a box or what not.

whats the difference between the oem and retail? did u have iWork or another apple app pre-installed.?

Any retail Leopard disk will do. Here is an exerp from Apple's website relating to purchasing Leopard. Notice they don't sell "upgrade" versions, just the single license or family pack. So if you have a retail Leopard disk, you can bypass installing the old OS and just install Leopard.

Choose a single-user license for home or office. Or if you have more than one Mac at home, choose the five-user Family Pack.

Click to expand...

As far as the OEM thing, Apple's OEM disks are computer-specific. I can't take my MacBook disk and use it to reinstall Leopard on my wife's iMac. I have to use a disk that was created for the iMac. So if you have the disk(s) that came with your Mac, you're good to go!

JohnTheMacGeek said:

As far as the OEM thing, Apple's OEM disks are computer-specific. I can't take my MacBook disk and use it to reinstall Leopard on my wife's iMac. I have to use a disk that was created for the iMac. So if you have the disk(s) that came with your Mac, you're good to go!

Click to expand...

Are you sure? i think you can, it is all apple branded hardware, and well i don know... but i think you could...

Yeah I read that somewhere too where they are specific for each computer. I just didn't know if Leopard disc sold at stores would be the same as the ones that come out of a new computer box because when I get my new hard drive I just wanted to go straight to Leopard without installing the previous one and then upgrading.

You can purchase and install the retail Leopard and after it's installed, pop in your DVD that came with your Mac and install the iLife suite and other things you need.

kmkl said:

Are you sure? i think you can, it is all apple branded hardware, and well i don know... but i think you could...

Click to expand...

No you can't.

My refurbished macbook I bought came with the restore disk and then an upgrade disk with leopard on it. The disk actually says upgrade on it so they are out there. Now if you can obtain one legally without buying a computer I do not know.

hondagus87 said:

My refurbished macbook I bought came with the restore disk and then an upgrade disk with leopard on it. The disk actually says upgrade on it so they are out there. Now if you can obtain one legally without buying a computer I do not know.

Click to expand...

I haven't heard of these "upgrade" disks before, however, I'd be willing to bet they are the same as the retail disks only with a different label. Someone else will have to clarify this one.

Having never bought a Mac that came with an upgrade disk but having read here and there in the forum...

An upgrade disk when you use it only gives you the option of Upgrade instead of the normal three install options you normally get with a full install disk. The three options are : Upgrade, Archive and Install and Erase and Install.

From what I've seen in M-F, the Upgrade option to install Leopard seems to be the least reliable of all three.

kmkl said:

Are you sure? i think you can, it is all apple branded hardware, and well i don know... but i think you could...

Click to expand...

Eric559 said:

No you can't.

Click to expand...

Right you are, Eric559. With a restore disk, you can only use it on the Mac model it came with.

So using a Leopard "upgrade" disc or one bought from the store wouldn't work as to putting an OS on completely erased hard drive? I'm thinking I need the restore cd or what not that comes with the computer, but like I said I didn't know of the other retail disc would do the same thing and just put the OS on there entirely. Confusing?

JBannister said:

So using a Leopard "upgrade" disc or one bought from the store wouldn't work as to putting an OS on completely erased hard drive? I'm thinking I need the restore cd or what not that comes with the computer, but like I said I didn't know of the other retail disc would do the same thing and just put the OS on there entirely. Confusing?

Click to expand...

In order to use the upgrade disk, you would first have to install the OS from the disk that came with the computer. But the store-bought retail disk would not need anything pre-installed.

Yeah that's what I was wondering if it needed anything preinstalled or could it just install itself on there with an empty drive. Ok thanks for all the 411.