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Ratatapa

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 3, 2011
665
25
I have a Snow Leopard DVD here and Installed it on my MAC

My mom has an old Leopard Mac, so I was wondering can I install it with my DVD??? or has it a number of time I can install it with

Thanks
 

blevins321

macrumors 68030
Dec 24, 2010
2,768
96
Detroit, MI
Technically..that disk is only for one license to the software. To directly answer your question about it being 'locked' to one, no it isn't. As long as it isn't one of the gray install disks that you got with your computer, you can use the disk in her Leopard Mac.
 

Penn Jennings

macrumors 6502
Apr 22, 2010
350
48
Michigan
I have a Snow Leopard DVD here and Installed it on my MAC

My mom has an old Leopard Mac, so I was wondering can I install it with my DVD??? or has it a number of time I can install it with

Thanks

Hmm, I've installed Snow Leopard a few times..... I don't think there IS a key.... Have at it! INstall to your hearts content.

Unlike cursed Windows :/
 

Penn Jennings

macrumors 6502
Apr 22, 2010
350
48
Michigan
Can you do it? Yes
Should you do it? No

Maybe I'm ignorant on this but let me ask, does Apple care?

Apple is a hardware company, they make software for the primary purpose of selling hardware. Premium hardware I might add. I didn't think that they relied on an "honor" system for Snow Leopard installs. As long as you are installing it on Apple hardware, aren't giving it out publicly and keeping "in-house", they don't care do they?

That has been their clear philosophy with all other software that they sell (i.e. iTunes and App store)

Although I purchased a copy of Snow Leopard, I only partially read the license. I didn't see anything preventing that but it could be in there.

Apple is not like Microsoft. Microsoft on the other hand is software company, they only sell software. Therefore, they want every dime from every copy. Apple makes over 90% of their money from hardware.


I doubt Apple cares about squeezing $29 out of you for another install for your mother. You buddy down the street, yes. Not your mother. It goes against everything else that they are doing. If it is wrong, it's in the same category as driving 60 in a 55 as far as I'm concerned.

EDIT: I assume that your mother Mac is purely for personal use.
 
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Penn Jennings

macrumors 6502
Apr 22, 2010
350
48
Michigan
For giggles, I called the Summer Set store in Troy Michigan and asked if it was OK. The guy told that the CD's have a license in them. He said to try it, if works great. If it doesn't, come and buy another one.

There ya go. Try it, if it works, great, if it doesn't, buy another one.
 

LimeiBook86

macrumors G3
May 4, 2002
8,001
45
Go Vegan
The software license agreement with the Snow Leopard disc states that it's for one computer. Technically Apple wants you to buy another $29 Snow Leopard disc to upgrade your Mom's Mac OS X 10.5 machine. That said there are no CD keys/serial codes on Macintosh install discs to prevent you from using it in reality. Apple leaves it up to you to make the moral decision to listen to the license agreement and accept it.

Of course if it's a gray Mac restore disc it won't work, if you need help determining the difference between a Mac OS X install disc (universal) and a Mac restore disc (gray disc) I wrote an article a while back about it here. Good luck! :)
 

vincenz

macrumors 601
Oct 20, 2008
4,285
220
I've always wondered why Apple doesn't use cdkeys for their OS. Not that I'm complaining, just curious is all.
 

blevins321

macrumors 68030
Dec 24, 2010
2,768
96
Detroit, MI
I've always wondered why Apple doesn't use cdkeys for their OS. Not that I'm complaining, just curious is all.

It's reasonably difficult to install the OS on a non-Apple computer. So it's sort of a marketing strategy that keeps you roped in. And if you get a pirated/shared version of the OS that doesn't work on your old hardware, you're tendency is to go buy the new machine when the new software won't work with the old one.
 

r0k

macrumors 68040
Mar 3, 2008
3,611
75
Detroit
If you got an OS X disk with a particular Mac, it probably won't work on a different Mac. If you bought a "family pack" disk, there are a limited number of installs specified in the license agreement. If you bought a single install disk and used it once then based on the license agreement you are done.

What is different for us Mac users is there is the OS is not DRM laden. You can elect to run roughshod over the license agreement and you won't be faced with typing in strings of 15 digits or sitting for 45 minutes on the phone proving you are not a thief. That's the way things are when you are dealing with Microsoft. If you don't want to contribute to the risk that things could become more like that for us Apple customers, I suggest you read, understand and abide by the license agreement that came with your copy of OS X.
 

Penn Jennings

macrumors 6502
Apr 22, 2010
350
48
Michigan
If they didn't care about your mother, they wouldn't sell a family pack.

Yeah, the guy at the Apple Store mentioned that :)


Technically, they do (or did) want you buy another CD. It's only $29 so it's not a like cheapest version of Windows which is $199.

I will admit that my position is probably wrong but for my mother, I'd just do it if it worked. I have a hard time believing that Apple really cares.
 

Penn Jennings

macrumors 6502
Apr 22, 2010
350
48
Michigan
You can buy Windows 7 Home Premium with Service Pack 1 for $99, possibly less.

You can buy OEM for $99, although technically its only supposed to be purchased with new systems. Just purchased it yesterday for bootcamp.. That one I did read.

OEM also has no support and is bound to a single system board.
 

Damo01

macrumors regular
Feb 11, 2010
172
0
Australia
Technically..that disk is only for one license to the software. To directly answer your question about it being 'locked' to one, no it isn't. As long as it isn't one of the gray install disks that you got with your computer, you can use the disk in her Leopard Mac.

Sorry, But the OP didn't specify the Snow Leopard DVD, whether it was the DVD that came with the iMac or the DVD that bought from apple retail store as well as the license agreement.
 
Last edited:

Phil A.

Moderator emeritus
Apr 2, 2006
5,799
3,094
Shropshire, UK
Maybe I'm ignorant on this but let me ask, does Apple care?

Apple is a hardware company, they make software for the primary purpose of selling hardware. Premium hardware I might add. I didn't think that they relied on an "honor" system for Snow Leopard installs. As long as you are installing it on Apple hardware, aren't giving it out publicly and keeping "in-house", they don't care do they?

That has been their clear philosophy with all other software that they sell (i.e. iTunes and App store)


Although I purchased a copy of Snow Leopard, I only partially read the license. I didn't see anything preventing that but it could be in there.

It's point 2 in the license agreement, so you can't have read much of it at all ;)
2. Permitted License Uses and Restrictions.
A. Single Use License. Subject to the terms and conditions of this License, unless you have purchased a Family Pack or Upgrade license for the Apple Software, you are granted a limited non-exclusive license to install, use and run one (1) copy of the Apple Software on a single Apple-branded computer at a time. You agree not to install, use or run the Apple Software on any non-Apple-branded computer, or to enable others to do so. This License does not allow the Apple Software to exist on more than one computer at a time, and you may not make the Apple Software available over a network where it could be used by multiple computers at the same time.
(see here for full license agreement)

So, to answer your question, yes - Apple does care.
 

PurdueGuy

macrumors regular
Jun 23, 2010
241
2
Maybe I'm ignorant on this but let me ask, does Apple care?
....
That has been their clear philosophy with all other software that they sell (i.e. iTunes and App store)

Making such a blanket statement is crazy.

They don't sell iTunes or the App Store. They give that away b/c it drives sales of Apps, iPods, music, etc.

They (Apple) certainly don't give away Final Cut Pro, iLife, etc. for free...those are paid apps, just as the OS is.
 

logandzwon

macrumors 6502a
Jan 9, 2007
574
2
If you need to upgrade spend the $29. Don't steal software. Or, just wait till Lion and get a family pack. Apple isn't going to sue you over $29. But seriously, is there difference in Leopard vs snow Leopard that you feel justified in cheating them over $29?
 
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