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View Full Version : FYI: New Mac Pro's Snow Leopard Only



anthemus
Sep 24, 2010, 02:07 PM
Recently bought a new MacPro for work. We use Leopard as our standard OS. Upon trying to load it on a new Quad 2.8 Mac Pro it wouldn't boot. Quickly called Apple. It took one of there techs about 5 minutes before he was able to confirm that the New 2010 Mac Pro's do not support any Mac OS previous to Snow Leopard. So FYI to those wondering.

*Not sure about Boot Camp with versions Windows or Linux. I only use Mac OS.


miles01110
Sep 24, 2010, 02:09 PM
Macs have not been able to install operating systems older than the one they shipped with for quite some time...
anthemus
Sep 24, 2010, 02:55 PM
Thought I recall getting a 2.66GHz, "Nehalem" Quad-Core last fall with Snow Leopard but was still able to load Leopard on it.

Primarily posted because I couldn't find anything. Thanks for the heads up.
goMac
Sep 24, 2010, 03:06 PM
Thought I recall getting a 2.66GHz, "Nehalem" Quad-Core last fall with Snow Leopard but was still able to load Leopard on it.

Primarily posted because I couldn't find anything. Thanks for the heads up.

The Nehalems originally shipped with Leopard. Snow Leopard came out after the Nehalems.

Apple never backports their drivers. Leopard simply doesn't have all the drivers required to support the new Mac Pros.
Concorde Rules
Sep 24, 2010, 03:38 PM
Macs have not been able to install operating systems older than the one they shipped with for quite some time...

Quite.

This has been the case with every new mac after a system launch!!!
Sean Dempsey
Sep 24, 2010, 04:04 PM
FYI: I can't install Snow Leopard on my eMac :(:(:(:(:(:(
mulo
Sep 24, 2010, 04:07 PM
FYI: I can't install Snow Leopard on my eMac :(:(:(:(:(:(

haha :)

Macs have not been able to install operating systems older than the one they shipped with for quite some time...

I really thought this was common knowledge...
even logical to me, but i'm quite techy
bobbydaz
Sep 24, 2010, 05:48 PM
Quite.

This has been the case with every new mac after a system launch!!!

Not entirely true as even the very last 2009 Mac pros that came installed with snow leopard could run leopard if you so wished.
300D
Sep 24, 2010, 05:52 PM
Not entirely true as even the very last 2009 Mac pros that came installed with snow leopard could run leopard if you so wished.

Thats because the only difference was processor speed.
Eidorian
Sep 24, 2010, 05:58 PM
What video card were you using?
goMac
Sep 24, 2010, 06:34 PM
Not entirely true as even the very last 2009 Mac pros that came installed with snow leopard could run leopard if you so wished.

Again, the 2009 Mac Pros launched with Leopard, not Snow Leopard. I'm sitting at one right now and it did not come with Snow Leopard.

Snow Leopard was added as an upgrade later, but the machines still originally shipped with Leopard.

We're talking about the OS's that launched with the computers, not the OS's that came as an included software revision later.
philipma1957
Sep 24, 2010, 07:02 PM
that is what a cloned osx drive is for. If you had saved a clone of 10.5.6 and fully emptied the pro except for the osx it may boot.
zorinlynx
Sep 24, 2010, 07:02 PM
This is your clue that it's time to upgrade. Jeez how long has it been now?

And I thought I was being all defiant by holding out for three months! ;)

Keep in mind Snow Leopard has a lot of video driver and performance improvements that'll probably make you a very happy camper anyway. And also, a lot of the problems it launched with like the SMB issues have been worked out.
myca
Sep 24, 2010, 07:43 PM
One other exception to the rule was when the transition from OS9 to OSX was happening.

As I recall, support for OS9 was extended for longer than originally planned, but I guess that was a whole different matter.

I do wish they'd show a little bomb when the machines have a kernel panic, one of those little things I miss.
goMac
Sep 24, 2010, 08:18 PM
that is what a cloned osx drive is for. If you had saved a clone of 10.5.6 and fully emptied the pro except for the osx it may boot.

It won't. (I used to work in IT and dealt with this stuff all the time.) 10.5.6 will block a boot if it doesn't recognize the model of Mac Pro it's booting on.
calderone
Sep 24, 2010, 08:33 PM
It won't. (I used to work in IT and dealt with this stuff all the time.) 10.5.6 will block a boot if it doesn't recognize the model of Mac Pro it's booting on.

It doesn't block anything, it just doesn't boot or kernel panics because the necessary software isn't there.