Installing Snow Leopard on a Mac Pro 2011

Cleave said:

Hey folks,

I'm trying to Install an OS on the Mac Pro (MP) and I found out that I am unable to install SL on a MP 2011 so I booted up into the OS with my current drive and I tried to install it to the second hdd which I have. I formatted it w/ GUID partition table and as the installer is running, it shuts down and boots up into the apple logo and stays there.

Any ideas?

I was also wondering If I can do a fresh Mountain Lion install on the MP that came with Lion originally?

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If your Mac Pro originally came with Lion 10.7 as the OS as far as I know you cannot install Snow Leopard due to a firmware restriction on the OS With Mountain Lion 10.8.2 yes you can install Mountain Lion on your Mac Pro. With Snow Leopard, there may be a workaround as this was discussed in another thread here. Just not sure of the details in installing Snow Leopard.

The 29 / 19 USD Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Upgrade DVD from the Apple Online Store will only work with pre-2010 Macs.
As your 2011 Mac originally was released with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard back in 2010, it can run Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, but you need another Mac with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard to install Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard onto the 2010/2011 Mac Pro (the same Mac Pro).

Like this for example: [SUCCESS!]Late 2011 Macbook Pro with Snow Leopard

As for OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, go to the Apple Online Store, buy it, download it and do not install it, but make an installer with a USB flash memory thumb drive.

If you want to make a bootable installation medium, you can follow these steps:

Wait a second! Aren't the 2010 and 2012 Mac Pros the same thing, except for speed bumped processors? How can there be a difference if they used the same logic board but just bumped up the speed?

So, if someone got a 2012 Mac Pro(same as 2010), and it came with Lion preloaded, you are telling me that Snow Leopard 10.6.4 won't install? My Mac Pro is a 6-core Westmere and its discs state 10.6.4 Snow Leopard.. so, that won't work on the 2012 versions?

Same identifier, same firmware.

Macsonic said:

If your Mac Pro originally came with Lion 10.7 as the OS as far as I know you cannot install Snow Leopard due to a firmware restriction on the OS With Mountain Lion 10.8.2 yes you can install Mountain Lion on your Mac Pro. With Snow Leopard, there may be a workaround as this was discussed in another thread here. Just not sure of the details in installing Snow Leopard.

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PowerPCMacMan said:

Wait a second! Aren't the 2010 and 2012 Mac Pros the same thing, except for speed bumped processors? How can there be a difference if they used the same logic board but just bumped up the speed?

So, if someone got a 2012 Mac Pro(same as 2010), and it came with Lion preloaded, you are telling me that Snow Leopard 10.6.4 won't install? My Mac Pro is a 6-core Westmere and its discs state 10.6.4 Snow Leopard.. so, that won't work on the 2012 versions?

Same identifier, same firmware.

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Hi PowerPCMan. I am also figuring that out myself. I have a mid 2010 Mac Pro 8 core that came with Snow Leopard install discs. I also have a separate Snow Leopard retail disc. Just for the sake of testing, I tried to install Snow Leopard using the retail disc to the 2010 Mac Pro and would not install successfully. It behaved like what the OP mentioned. It restarted and just got stuck at the Apple Logo and no progress. A Mac tech guy told me also if the Mac Pro came with the Lion install discs, you cannot install Snow Leopard and they do not have the same firmware. But I was also expecting that the Snow Leopard can run in the 2010 to 2012 Mac Pro 5,1

Macsonic said:

Hi PowerPCMan. I am also figuring that out myself. I have a mid 2010 Mac Pro 8 core that came with Snow Leopard install discs. I also have a separate Snow Leopard retail disc. Just for the sake of testing, I tried to install Snow Leopard using the retail disc to the 2010 Mac Pro and would not install successfully. It behaved like what the OP mentioned. It restarted and just got stuck at the Apple Logo and no progress. A Mac tech guy told me also if the Mac Pro came with the Lion install discs, you cannot install Snow Leopard and they do not have the same firmware. But I was also expecting that the Snow Leopard can run in the 2010 to 2012 Mac Pro 5,1

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I do not know anything about any firmware, but the 19 / 29 USD Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Upgrade DVD will not work with 2010 or 2011 or 2012 or 2013 Macs, as it lacks the drivers for the hardware, that has been released since 2010.
And the other answer is, a Mac, that already came with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard does not need to be serviced by the Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Upgrade DVD, and since every Mac released since 10/2009 comes with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and later, Apple did not bother to update the Upgrade DVD any further, as that DVD was meant for x86 Macs released between 2006 and 2009.

But the Mac Pro HW hasn't changed since '09

GermanyChris said:

But the Mac Pro HW hasn't changed since '09

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The chips and chipsets have though, have they not? Nehalem to Westmere I suppose, but then again, I am not that versed with Mac Pros.

simsaladimbamba said:

The chips and chipsets have though, have they not? Nehalem to Westmere I suppose, but then again, I am not that versed with Mac Pros.

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Not really..

But I think the OP is talking about a MacBook Pro..

GermanyChris said:

But I think the OP is talking about a MacBook Pro..

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Not the first time, but then again, we probably will never know, außer die Luisenburger essen wieder ihr PeMa Brot nicht auf.

10.6.4 special build or 10.6.5+ will boot and install on Mac Pro 2010-2012.
But I think OP is talking 'book. So, wrong thread.

Op must be talking about a Macbook Pro.

I've used my 10.6.4 disks (the ones that came with my 2010 Mac Pro) on a "2012" Mac Pro (the later model with the slight processor bump). The disk booted and installed fine.

The hardware identifier hasn't changed on the Mac Pro since the 2010 model (it's still MacPro5,1). There is literally no way to identify the newer Mac Pro from the older, since they're the same- only the CPUs differ, and the 10.6.4 disk doesn't care about the slight difference.

-SC

Out of interest, why would you want to do this?
Apple clearly don't want you to!

I find that OS X 10.8 is the best release of OS X yet. I wouldn't want to go back to 10.6!

24Frames said:

Out of interest, why would you want to do this?

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Maybe the current OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion does not satisfy the OP's needs?

Apple clearly don't want you to!

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The OP is doing it wrong or has not the correct Mac, but "installing" Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard on a Mac, that was initially released with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, but was then sold with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, is still possible. Even the 2011 Mac mini can be installed with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, though it is a bit more cumbersome, since it did not come with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard but with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.

I find that OS X 10.8 is the best release of OS X yet. I wouldn't want to go back to 10.6!

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That is your valid opinion, but not everyone shares that.

I for example still prefer Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard over Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, just for Spaces alone.

Imagine going from Spaces in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, looking like this
to Mission Control in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, looking like this
Of course, not everyone uses that many Spaces, but Mission Control seriously hampers the usefulness of more than four virtual desktops.

24Frames said:

Out of interest, why would you want to do this?
Apple clearly don't want you to!

I find that OS X 10.8 is the best release of OS X yet. I wouldn't want to go back to 10.6!

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10.6.x was a stable OS, and some people have different needs, such as PowerPC compatibility. Many like Windows 8, and others detest it. Although it has proved fairly stable for me, I dislike the interface and only used because I feel forced to learn it to stay up with the current technology.

To answer the OP question, yes, you can install Snow Leopard on a 2012 Mac Pro if you were referring to the workstation instead of the notebook, and it runs very well.

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simsaladimbamba said:

but was then sold with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, is still possible.

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As well as 2012 machines preloaded with 10.8.0

monkeybagel said:

As well as 2012 machines preloaded with 10.8.0

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While you refer to 2012 Mac Pros, which only got a slight CPU upgrade in 2012, I was talking about the 2011 Mac mini, and the 2012 Mac mini cannot be used with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard anymore. Sadly.

simsaladimbamba said:

While you refer to 2012 Mac Pros, which only got a slight CPU upgrade in 2012, I was talking about the 2011 Mac mini, and the 2012 Mac mini cannot be used with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard anymore. Sadly.

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My bad - I was referring to the 2010/2012 Mac Pro. I tried to install Snow Leopard on a 2011 Air (different subject) which I think would have similar internals than like the mini, but ran into thermal issues with the Air. I sold it before I messed with it too much, but Lion actually ran on that fine. That as just tinkering, as usual.

monkeybagel said:

My bad - I was referring to the 2010/2012 Mac Pro. I tried to install Snow Leopard on a 2011 Air (different subject) which I think would have similar internals than like the mini, but ran into thermal issues with the Air. I sold it before I messed with it too much, but Lion actually ran on that fine. That as just tinkering, as usual.

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Though the 2011 MBAs had a different Thunderbolt chip, a smaller one, and for that there were no Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard drivers, at least, that is how I remember it.

There has to be a restriction coded in the software that checks for a hardware ID number.

The Hackint0sh community should be able to help with this (I.e. a way to rebuild the install DVD after removing the hardware check).

I'm sure there are a hundred different reasons one would prefer Snow Leopard over Lion / Mt. Lion, but for me it's simple: I don't want any part of iOS on anything BUT an iOS device. I'm sure there are other like-minded individuals out there.

Good luck, OP. check the usual Hackintosh hangouts.

Wild-Bill said:

There has to be a restriction coded in the software that checks for a hardware ID number.

The Hackint0sh community should be able to help with this (I.e. a way to rebuild the install DVD after removing the hardware check).

I'm sure there are a hundred different reasons one would prefer Snow Leopard over Lion / Mt. Lion, but for me it's simple: I don't want any part of iOS on anything BUT an iOS device. I'm sure there are other like-minded individuals out there.

Good luck, OP. check the usual Hackintosh hangouts.

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This. The disks do check hardware ID. There are guides that tell you how to unzip the installer, modify the property list, and then re-compress the installer. The guide I used was for Leopard (because people want to install it on unsupported hardware) but you should be able to do the same for Snow Leopard.

If you have another mac that can install SL, then you can also use target disk mode to install it.

I agree!!!

I detest Lion and Mountain Lion.. I have no need for itoys in my OS and no need for IOS integration at all.. I prefer Snow Leopard as this is the LAST true and stable Mac OS X out there.. for my PowerPC Macs Leopard is just as good..

I like pure Mac OS X versions, not IOS additions. Mountain Lion, Lion = Toy OS's, where as Snow Leopard, Leopard, and Tiger are REAL Workhorse OSes.

Enough ranting...

Wild-Bill said:

There has to be a restriction coded in the software that checks for a hardware ID number.

The Hackint0sh community should be able to help with this (I.e. a way to rebuild the install DVD after removing the hardware check).

I'm sure there are a hundred different reasons one would prefer Snow Leopard over Lion / Mt. Lion, but for me it's simple: I don't want any part of iOS on anything BUT an iOS device. I'm sure there are other like-minded individuals out there.

Good luck, OP. check the usual Hackintosh hangouts.

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While I know it won't run on a Quad G5, could I install Mountain Lion via FTDM to my Quad G5? Again, I know it wouldn't work.. but just asking if it were even possible to install it.

If you have another mac that can install SL, then you can also use target disk mode to install it.[/QUOTE]

PowerPCMacMan said:

While I know it won't run on a Quad G5, could I install Mountain Lion via FTDM to my Quad G5? Again, I know it wouldn't work.. but just asking if it were even possible to install it.

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If the G5 is in TDM, probably, as it is only seen as an HDD by the installer nothing more.

simsaladimbamba said:

Maybe the current OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion does not satisfy the OP's needs?


The OP is doing it wrong or has not the correct Mac, but "installing" Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard on a Mac, that was initially released with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, but was then sold with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, is still possible. Even the 2011 Mac mini can be installed with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, though it is a bit more cumbersome, since it did not come with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard but with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.



That is your valid opinion, but not everyone shares that.

I for example still prefer Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard over Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, just for Spaces alone.

Imagine going from Spaces in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, looking like this

Image​

to Mission Control in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, looking like this

Image​

Of course, not everyone uses that many Spaces, but Mission Control seriously hampers the usefulness of more than four virtual desktops.

Click to expand...

I love this. Succinct as hell.