Installing Lion without Snow Leopard?

My brother gave me a boot disk with Lion on it but unfortunately I don't have Snow Leopard installed on my computer and no funds to buy it right now. I'm wondering if there's a viable way to install it without sacking my whole HD.

I have a 3 year old Macbook pro without an external hd to back up my data so doing the install is precarious, but necessessary.

If anyone knows a way I would love to hear it. I tried doing a boot from the disk and it brought up the disk utility, but would not get past the initial install window saying something like "cannot install into this OS".

Thanks in advance!

There are no discs available for Lion, so what your brother gave you is a copy of his install (or some other pirated form of Lion).

At present, to purchase and install Lion you have to have SL 10.6.8 and have the Mac App Store installed on your Mac. The Mac App Store is the only means of purchasing Lion for now. In August, Apple will make Lion available on USB drives for $69 but no word yet on if that will allow users to jump from Leopard to Lion or if SL is still a prerequisite. I wouldn't count on it.

It's a copy of his install, it wasn't pirated. We're on the same applestore system, I just never managed to get snow leopard and we discarded the old discs a while ago. As I said, i don't have the means to procure another copy of snow right now. I was just wondering if there was someway to get the install going without it.

"No".

Akeaka said:

It's a copy of his install, it wasn't pirated. We're on the same applestore system, I just never managed to get snow leopard and we discarded the old discs a while ago. As I said, i don't have the means to procure another copy of snow right now. I was just wondering if there was someway to get the install going without it.

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Ok. You didn't state in your initial post that you share an Apple ID (and assumedly live in the same residence?).
If you're living in the same residence and share the same Apple ID, Lion can be installed on up to 5 Macs that you and your brother use. The widely-accepted understanding has always been that if you do not live together, you use separate Apple IDs and purchase your own music, apps, video, etc.

Anyways, you can get SL from eBay or Craigslist. Just make sure they are retail versions. Don't buy one that came with someone's Mac because it will only work with their Mac and you'll be out of luck. As I said, next month may shed new light on other ways to install Lion. Either way, it's gonna require some money on your part to get it working on your Mac.

Hope you get it sorted out.

dero said:

"No".

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Yes you can install it. Just pop it in and hold option key on boot up. Then start from there.

Akeaka said:

It's a copy of his install, it wasn't pirated. We're on the same applestore system, I just never managed to get snow leopard and we discarded the old discs a while ago. As I said, i don't have the means to procure another copy of snow right now. I was just wondering if there was someway to get the install going without it.

Click to expand...

Yes you can install it. Just pop it in and hold option key on boot up. Then start from there.


Apple is lying to its customers like they lied they first time about Sl.

MYmacROX said:

Ok. You didn't state in your initial post that you share an Apple ID (and assumedly live in the same residence?).
If you're living in the same residence and share the same Apple ID, Lion can be installed on up to 5 Macs that you and your brother use. The widely-accepted understanding has always been that if you do not live together, you use separate Apple IDs and purchase your own music, apps, video, etc.

Anyways, you can get SL from eBay or Craigslist. Just make sure they are retail versions. Don't buy one that came with someone's Mac because it will only work with their Mac and you'll be out of luck. As I said, next month may shed new light on other ways to install Lion. Either way, it's gonna require some money on your part to get it working on your Mac.

Hope you get it sorted out.

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You are aware that you can clean install lion right?

How do you share the same apple account? Are you in the same household?

If so, yes, Lion can be clean installed.

treyweez11 said:

Yes you can install it. Just pop it in and hold option key on boot up. Then start from there.

Yes you can install it. Just pop it in and hold option key on boot up. Then start from there.

Apple is lying to its customers like they lied they first time about Sl.

You are aware that you can clean install lion right?

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If you had bothered to read the ops first post, you would find that they have already tried to install and the installer informed them that Lion could not be installed on their current OS.

If you had read even a couple of more sentences, you would also have discovered the op has no external drive and no backup of their data.

What "can" be done does not "always" apply in every situation. There has to be some consideration of the ops question and their situation.

The least expensive way for the op to install Lion at this point (without having any backup - Akeaka, this is definitely not suggested btw) is going to be by getting hold of a copy of Snow Leopard as has been pointed out by the others in the thread.

My own personal suggestion would be to forget Lion right now, save your pennies and get an external drive and get your data backed up before you lose it all.

To add one further point, there is nothing "necessary" about installing Lion that would cause me to risk losing all of my data.

treyweez11 said:

Look you can still install it with a shared account or no shared account you have the disk soo do it.

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No, look! Just because he has a DVD of lion does not mean its legal to install unless he truly has a legal accoount with apple. We do not support any illegal activity at Mac forums. Just a reminder.

dtravis7 said:

No, look! Just because he has a DVD of lion does not mean its legal to install unless he truly has a legal accoount with apple. We do not support any illegal activity at Mac forums. Just a reminder.

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No need to jump to the conclusion that everyone who has a copy of Lion has pirated it. I could have told you that I bought my own copy and you would have been none the wiser; accusing someone without evidence is rude at best.

bobtomay said:

My own personal suggestion would be to forget Lion right now, save your pennies and get an external drive and get your data backed up before you lose it all.

To add one further point, there is nothing "necessary" about installing Lion that would cause me to risk losing all of my data.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up. I wanted to install lion (and hopefully skip SL) so that I could run a few steam games that aren't working in 1.5.8 but are working in 1.6.x and beyond. I guess I can just keep waiting till i get an external.

Do you know anywhere that might sell inexpensive externals? I'm in Northern California if that helps.

Akeaka said:

No need to jump to the conclusion that everyone who has a copy of Lion has pirated it. I could have told you that I bought my own copy and you would have been none the wiser;

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Um except if you don't have SL, then you couldn't have possibly bought your own copy.

Who's wise now?

Also if you check, the person I replied to was suggesting piracy. It WAS NOT directed at you in the first place. See who I quoted?

As staff here, we have a right to ask and be sure no illegal activity is going on for the good and safety of the forums.

Please read the Community Guidelines in my sig.

schweb said:

Um except if you don't have SL, then you couldn't have possibly bought your own copy.

Who's wise now?

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In an argument of hypotheticals I could possibly have another computer with SL that I ordered it on but had since lost the capibility to load SL on the main one. Just sayin.

Akeaka said:

In an argument of hypotheticals I could possibly have another computer with SL that I ordered it on but had since lost the capibility to load SL on the main one. Just sayin.

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You don't want to be around much longer? Am I right?

schweb said:

You don't want to be around much longer? Am I right?

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Regardless of whether or not you'd act on whatever veiled threat is hidden in your message, I don't care. I came here for an answer and got it. Simply pointing out logical errors is something to pass the time.

If it inflates your ego to ban me or what ever you have planned, go ahead, I don't need to visit this place any more, especially if i'm met with hostility.

New Thread in tales of Lion

This is not a reply but am stymied in my poor efforts to post a new question. I do not have Snow Leopard because in my dithering around about whether to do it, Lion came out. I have a Mac OS x 10.5.8, 2.66 GHz, 4 GB memory. Am I better off going to the nearest Apple Store, have them install SL and also Lion and just pay the 60 bucks? I have nothing that really needs saving and reviews of Lion have been good. Sounds like something for me to learn new scrolling methods, to get me ready for the latest iPad.

Grannyalice said:

This is not a reply but am stymied in my poor efforts to post a new question. I do not have Snow Leopard because in my dithering around about whether to do it, Lion came out. I have a Mac OS x 10.5.8, 2.66 GHz, 4 GB memory. Am I better off going to the nearest Apple Store, have them install SL and also Lion and just pay the 60 bucks? I have nothing that really needs saving and reviews of Lion have been good. Sounds like something for me to learn new scrolling methods, to get me ready for the latest iPad.

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need your help, forum members or staff

Grannyalice said:

need your help, forum members or staff

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You posted one at 12:50. At 12:51 you're already complaining because you didn't get an answer yet?

Grannyalice said:

This is not a reply but am stymied in my poor efforts to post a new question. I do not have Snow Leopard because in my dithering around about whether to do it, Lion came out. I have a Mac OS x 10.5.8, 2.66 GHz, 4 GB memory. Am I better off going to the nearest Apple Store, have them install SL and also Lion and just pay the 60 bucks? I have nothing that really needs saving and reviews of Lion have been good. Sounds like something for me to learn new scrolling methods, to get me ready for the latest iPad.

Click to expand...

You never mentioned being incapable of installing Snow Leopard...just that you "dithered" too long updating to Snow Leopard. Thus:

1. Buy Snow Leopard from your nearest Apple Store or online ($29 bucks):

Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.)

2. Install Snow Leopard.
3. Update Snow Leopard to the latest version 10.6.8 via "Software Update" (a free update).
4. Then download Lion ($29 bucks) from the Mac App Store.

Problem solved!

- Nick

Technically the Lion EULA requires install on a machine with a valid copy of Snow Leopard. So you legally can't install Lion on a Mac that doesn't already have a license for SL.