Macbook Pro with both Lion and Mountain Lion installed

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Before downloading Mountain Lion, I partitioned my 750 gig drive in two equal partitions. One partition has the original Lion and I installed Mountain Lion on the new (empty) partition. I've been asked by several "why in the world did you do that?" I don't have a convincing answer except I wanted the latest greatest OS available but wanted to keep the one I was happy with just in case.

I thought with two OS installed, I would have the option upon startup which one to login on but I don't. Mountain Lion starts up automatically without any input from me.

Is there a way to have a choice when the computer starts up?

To tell the truth, I haven't found a lot of difference in the stuff I use on my Macbook Pro between the Lion and Mountain Lion. I know there are differences and with time I'll find out how to use them. I've only owned an Apple computer since this past February so I'm still learning my way around with the help of forums like this.
 

dtravis7


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On a Mac you hold down the OPTION key at startup. Right after the startup sound Hold Option down and keep it down till the boot menu pops up.

Here I am running Snow Leopard and Mountain Lion in separate partitions. SL is a nice OS and still runs a few Power PC things I need.
 
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chas_m

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I can sort of see the point of running Snow Leopard on a partition for PowerPC stuff ... but Lion and Mountain Lion? What's the point there?

Sorry, I just don't get it.
 
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Bamabww
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On a Mac you hold down the OPTION key at startup. Right after the startup sound Hold Option down and keep it down till the boot menu pops up.

Here I am running Snow Leopard and Mountain Lion in separate partitions. SL is a nice OS and still runs a few Power PC things I need.

Thanks, I knew there had to be a simple way to do it but it was too simple for me to figure out. Appreciate your help.
 

dtravis7


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I can sort of see the point of running Snow Leopard on a partition for PowerPC stuff ... but Lion and Mountain Lion? What's the point there?

Sorry, I just don't get it.

I almost did it when I first installed ML, but with my full TM backup, if ML did something really bad, I could easily be back to Lion the way I left it in maybe 25 minutes. :D
 

Slydude

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I can sort of see the point of running Snow Leopard on a partition for PowerPC stuff ... but Lion and Mountain Lion? What's the point there?

Sorry, I just don't get it.
I used to do that when the OS was $100+ for each major release because there was always significant change from one release to the next. Switching from 10.6 to 10.8 the need is more obvious than going from 10.7 to 10.8. In the latter case it is probably more personal comfort since Lion and ML are very similar in many things,
 

chscag

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Hey guys.... that's what Carbon Copy Cloner is for. ;D
 
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chas_m

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I was gonna say basically what chscag said. I'm not saying you shouldn't keep a copy of Lion around in case something went sideways on the ML install ... I still have a bootable clone of my Lion setup from just before I upgraded (because I haven't done a clone since) on an external drive ...

I was wondering why one would have partitions on a single drive of the two nearly-identical OSes, that's all. Sorry if my meaning wasn't clear.

So far, Mountain Lion has been a real delight and no issues, so I should probably update my clone. :)
 
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Bamabww
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I was gonna say basically what chscag said. I'm not saying you shouldn't keep a copy of Lion around in case something went sideways on the ML install ... I still have a bootable clone of my Lion setup from just before I upgraded (because I haven't done a clone since) on an external drive ...

I was wondering why one would have partitions on a single drive of the two nearly-identical OSes, that's all. Sorry if my meaning wasn't clear.

So far, Mountain Lion has been a real delight and no issues, so I should probably update my clone. :)

I didn't know exactly how you meant it or how to take it so I just let it slide. I got my first Apple computer in February and don't know all the good features / programs like several of you have mentioned. What I did know was I could partition my drive and install ML and still keep Lion around just in case.

Having said / done that, now I've read that partitioning a drive with info already on it is a good way to mess up the info you already have on it, if that makes any sense. So I got lucky because all my stuff on the other half of my drive is still there. Now I've got to figure out how to move the info from the Lion side to the ML side. But I'll start another thread with that question if I can't figure it out / find the answer here somewhere.

I do appreciate your help and believe me, no apology needed.
 

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