2008 iMac won't accept 10.5.2 installer

[moosegoose]

***Ooops! Title should say 10.5.6 installer****

Hi

Trying to recycle my wife's old (but still perfectly servicable) 2008 20" iMac to a new home. However, the 10.5.2 discs it came with are long gone.

I tried using the 10.5.6 installer discs that came with my 2009 24" iMac but just get a "OS X cannot be installed on this computer" message.

I understand why it wouldn't work the other way round, but why can't I put 10.5.6 on an iMac that would have only been 1 year old when it came out?

Is there anyway I can do it?

Cheers anyone.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

It does not work, because those grey Restore DVDs are bound to the model they came with, they would only work with early 2009 iMacs.

Why not get the 19 USD Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Upgrade DVD from the Apple Online Store or use a Firewire 400 or 800 cable to connect both iMacs, start the 2008 iMac in Target Disk Mode and then put the DVD into the 2009 iMac and install onto the 2008 iMac's properly formatted HDD?

How to format a new HDD to install Mac OS X onto (or make a bootable copy onto)​

 

[moosegoose]

Thanks.

I've got a 2011 imac connected to it right now. Can I stick the 10.5.6 in that and do the target disc thingy?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Thanks.

I've got a 2011 imac connected to it right now. Can I stick the 10.5.6 in that and do the target disc thingy?

No, since the 10.5.6 DVD will not have drivers for 2011 Macs, and those grey Restore DVDs are model specific, thus that 10.5.6 DVD will only work in early 2009 iMacs. You can however use the 2011 iMac Restore DVD for that procedure, again, those 2011 iMac Restore DVDs will only work with the 2011 iMac.

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[moosegoose]

Of course. How daft of me.

Thanks for your help. I'll give it a go with my 2009 24"

Cheers!!