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nycrenegade09

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 17, 2010
7
0
i have here a MBP @ 2.53 core duo 250 gb. i wanted to do a fresh install so i deleted everything (yes i forgot to back up ive paid the price for it already) and restarted it..it tells me select the language it tries to install then tells me "cannot install mac os x on this computer". i used a microusb in a reader to do this with snow leopard. so i read a couple of tutorials. and i made sure it was in the guid partition. i decreased the size of the drive and tried to install it (i read a forum where this worked for some) n it didnt work. i installed snow leopard on my hard drive and tried installing it from there and got the same response.i also tried it from my snow leopard disk that came with my mbp (im working on my friends.) that also didnt work. ive been on this for awhile and would appreciate any help i can get. thanks!!
 
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i didnt break n e rules did i? everything i have is legit anyways it all came from the dvd that came with my mac
 
Discs from your Mac won't work on his Mac as those discs are system specific. His/your best bet is to buy 10.6 for 29$ or call Apple and ask for replacement discs
 
You either need the Installer DVD that came with the computer, or a retail copy of Mac OS X to re-install the operating system. The error splash screen you see means that the installer disc you're trying to use is not usable on whichever computer you're trying to install Mac OS X on.
 
i didnt break n e rules did i? everything i have is legit anyways it all came from the dvd that came with my mac

I guess I don't understand then why you're trying to use these other methods to install OS X if you've got it on a DVD. Why not just boot from the DVD and install?
 
retail dvd didnt work thats y (i didnt kno it was made specifically for that mac up into a lil while ago. my friend jus brought his hdd wit 10.6 retail (he ripped it off da disc he bought) still gave me the same thing.
 
I think, that like me, the people here would like to help you, but I'm having a very hard time trying to understand what you're doing with which Mac, etc. Why aren't you using the DVD that came with your MacBook Pro to do the reinstall?
 
ok i apologize for being everywhere. ok i dont have the disc for this mac i have the disc for my mac. i was trying to fix my friends mpb with my cd. that didnt work. i used the image of a retail copy on my friends hard drive. that didnt work either. i keep getting the same "cannot install mac os x on this computer"
 
Is this a PPC Mac?

All MacBooks/Pros are Intel.

ok i apologize for being everywhere. ok i dont have the disc for this mac i have the disc for my mac. i was trying to fix my friends mpb with my cd. that didnt work. i used the image of a retail copy on my friends hard drive. that didnt work either. i keep getting the same "cannot install mac os x on this computer"

I don't have any experience with doing what you're trying to do, so I don't know how much I can help. Are you able to boot the MacBook Pro from the OS X image?
 
ok i apologize for being everywhere. ok i dont have the disc for this mac i have the disc for my mac. i was trying to fix my friends mpb with my cd. that didnt work. i used the image of a retail copy on my friends hard drive. that didnt work either. i keep getting the same "cannot install mac os x on this computer"
OK, newbie.
  • You cannot use the System Restore disc from one model Mac to install the OS on a different model Mac.
  • You cannot install a version of MacOS X that is older than the OS that shipped with the computer.
  • You cannot boot from a disc image.
Somewhere among the things that can't be done is what you are trying to do. Well, you can't.

You will be better served by explaining your situation as best you can. Perhaps then, someone will help you.
 
"You cannot install a version of MacOS X that is older than the OS that shipped with the computer. "
thats probably the problem i have. this with computer shipped with leopard and not snow leopard. could that be why snow leopard didnt install in a clean install? if thats the case my friend has retail disc of leopard i could probably use tomorrow.
and you cant boot from an external hard drive using the image isnt it like keeping it on a flash drive? i read this is possible and its how apple fixed my mac in the store
 
"You cannot install a version of MacOS X that is older than the OS that shipped with the computer. "
thats probably the problem i have. this with computer shipped with leopard and not snow leopard. could that be why snow leopard didnt install in a clean install? if thats the case my friend has retail disc of leopard i could probably use tomorrow.
and you cant boot from an external hard drive using the image isnt it like keeping it on a flash drive? i read this is possible and its how apple fixed my mac in the store
When Apple fixed your mac in the store, they booted up from an external hard drive that had the OS installed on it, not from an image (dmg). If you boot from an external HD and have the retail image YOU BOUGHT on it, then you should be able to use that image to install to another mac that is older than the image. There are 2 versions of the retail Instal DVD available, 10.6 and 10.6.3, and only the later can boot or be used to install to the 2010 MBPs.
 
sorry i used the wrong lingo. i installed the retail copy of snow leopard on both my micro sd through the reader and also through my friends hard drive and both didnt work. they were both 10.6.3.

"OK, newbie.
-You cannot use the System Restore disc from one model Mac to install the OS on a different model Mac.
-You cannot install a version of MacOS X that is older than the OS that shipped -with the computer.
You cannot boot from a disc image."

so could it be that second reason. this mbp is like 2 years old and it shipped with leopard. so does that mean i have to get a leopard disc and do a fresh install for that. i still havent had the opportunity to try this yet
 
sorry i used the wrong lingo. i installed the retail copy of snow leopard on both my micro sd through the reader and also through my friends hard drive and both didnt work. they were both 10.6.3.

How did you install 10.6.3 on the micro SD and the hard drive? If you "installed" it you should be able to boot from it, but you won't be able to "install" it on another hard drive. If you can boot from it, you should be able to clone it to another hard drive though. Why aren't you installing Snow Leopard by putting the DVD in the MacBook Pro's SuperDrive and booting from it?

so could it be that second reason. this mbp is like 2 years old and it shipped with leopard. so does that mean i have to get a leopard disc and do a fresh install for that. i still havent had the opportunity to try this yet

No, you don't need Leopard, Snow Leopard should install fine.
 
i installed it on a 1.5 tb hdd i had and it ran fine but told me the same error. i installed it on da micro it ran jus like the hdd one then it said the same error.
thats the problem im having. i read similar problems about this but usually just off the disk. both boot and start the installation but nothing goes through. i didnt install from the retail disc because my friend lost his. i have to ask another friend for his. i jus dont want to go through all that trouble and it not end up working. i used carbon clone to move it to the hdd and micro. it clone it and it said "device bootable" im pretty sure i didnt do anything wrong on that end.
 
i installed it on a 1.5 tb hdd i had and it ran fine but told me the same error. i installed it on da micro it ran jus like the hdd one then it said the same error.
thats the problem im having. i read similar problems about this but usually just off the disk. both boot and start the installation but nothing goes through. i didnt install from the retail disc because my friend lost his. i have to ask another friend for his. i jus dont want to go through all that trouble and it not end up working. i used carbon clone to move it to the hdd and micro. it clone it and it said "device bootable" im pretty sure i didnt do anything wrong on that end.

Okay. I think we're having a failure to communicate here. :) To be installed, means that you used a OS X DVD and ran the installer program (on the DVD) to install it on a hard drive. If it's installed on a hard drive (whether internal or external) you can't install from it on to another hard drive. I can't get my head around what it is that you're doing. Probably the simplest thing to do at this point is to just go buy a Snow Leopard disc, they're only $29 and I'd say you've all ready spent that in grief alone from trying to get what ever it is that you're trying to do to work. Good Luck!
 
Okay. I think we're having a failure to communicate here. :) To be installed, means that you used a OS X DVD and ran the installer program (on the DVD) to install it on a hard drive. If it's installed on a hard drive (whether internal or external) you can't install from it on to another hard drive. I can't get my head around what it is that you're doing. Probably the simplest thing to do at this point is to just go buy a Snow Leopard disc, they're only $29 and I'd say you've all ready spent that in grief alone from trying to get what ever it is that you're trying to do to work. Good Luck!
I think he used CCC to clone the Install DVD to the external HD and then tried to boot from the external and install to OS to the internal HD. He probably didn't "install" the OS on the external HD. In any case he is using an Install DVD that is obviously not right for the target computer, or it is corrupted somehow. The best advice - posted above - is get the retail 10.6.3 Install DVD, use that to install the OS and immediately update to 10.6.5 using the downloaded combo updater.
 
I think he used CCC to clone the Install DVD to the external HD and then tried to boot from the external and install to OS to the internal HD. He probably didn't "install" the OS on the external HD. In any case he is using an Install DVD that is obviously not right for the target computer, or it is corrupted somehow. The best advice - posted above - is get the retail 10.6.3 Install DVD, use that to install the OS and immediately update to 10.6.5 using the downloaded combo updater.

Can you use CCC to clone a DVD? The OP has said they (OP/friend) have/had a Snow Leopard Retail disc, so that should work with a MacBook Pro that shipped with Leopard. I can't understand is why, if the OP/friend has a Snow Leopard Retail disc that they just don't put it into the MBP and install from it? I don't think the whole story is being told here. :confused:
 
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