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Can you do this... Is it allowed?

M

macfaninpdx

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 6, 2007
198
0
I will want to buy Leopard when it comes out. And I will also want to buy a Mac Mini sooner than later. But since I will be using the mini for a media server mac, I won't want (need) Leopard on the mini.

So if I wait until Leopard comes out and then buy a mini with Leopard pre-installed to save some money, can I use the installer disks that come with the mini to install Leopard on my iMac?

Before you answer, I do understand that the EULA states that the software is for one computer only, so I plan on using my Tiger install disks (which I purchased separately) to put Tiger on the mini.

So I guess I have two questions:
1) Does the EULA allow me to put the copy of OS X that comes with a computer onto another computer instead?
2) Do the installer disks let you install the software onto another machine?

Thanks.
 
The installer disks are tied to the machine type, so mini installation discs will not work on your iMac.
 
The disks might work if you started up the imac in target disk mode and used the mini to install tiger on the imac as if it was just an external drive.
 
1. I'm pretty sure that OEM copies are "tied" to the computer that they come with.
2. The installer usually won't allow you to install on the "wrong" computer.
3. Retail Tiger disks probably won't work on a Mini anyway.
 
Assuming both are Intel machines you can. Here's how:

- install the mini with the Leopard disks as you normally would
- run Carbon Copy Cloner or something similar and clone you mini to an external disk (make it bootable)
- Boot your iMac of the external HDD and run CCC again to make an image of the iMac to the external HDD
- Now clone the external HDD to your iMac (deselect the iMac's image or this will take a while!)
- Now boot the mini from the external HDD and clone the iMac-image to your mini

done

I don't know if it's legal to do this, but it works.
 
BlackDan said:
if his iMac is an intel machine, then the disks that came with it will be for intel too (obviously). The above trick will work...
Click to expand...

but he didn't say iMac disks, he said retail, meaning he bought the OS, which does not come in UB flavor.

but as the OP pointed out, it's not even Tiger, so hell no it won't work :D
 
I think the installation disc that you'll get with your Mac Mini won't just include Leopard, it'll include all the drivers that the Mac Mini needs that you don't get a choice of installing.

It wouldn't work because of the drivers, even if you did manage to get by the computer refusing to install from the disc.
 
Kilamite said:
I think the installation disc that you'll get with your Mac Mini won't just include Leopard, it'll include all the drivers that the Mac Mini needs that you don't get a choice of installing.

It wouldn't work because of the drivers, even if you did manage to get by the computer refusing to install from the disc.
Click to expand...

actually, all discs have all drivers, they just won't install on another machine than the model they came with...
 
I once used my PowerBook G4's install disc on my old PMG5 and it worked fine. I wasn't doing anything illegal, as I had a retail copy of Tiger for my G5, but that was 10.4.0, and the PBG4 disc was at the time, the latest version of OSX, so I just used that to save my self a bit of time. So it might work. YMMV.
 
If you buy the mini on the same day as or shortly (at a B&M Apple Store) after Leopard comes out most likely they will just put a drop in upgrade disk in the box, the actual mini will have Tiger installed and you will have to do the Leopard upgrade yourself, I bought my mini shortly after Tiger came out and this is how it was for me.
 
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