Create install disk of older version OS X

[rainman1962]

Here is what I am trying to do. I have a copy of Snow Leopard 10.6.3. I have an external drive (I've tried it on two, in fact). After correctly formatting the external drive (GUID, Journaled, blah, blah, blah) I use the disk utility on my current MacBook Pro (El Capitan) and Restore the image file to the external drive. Then I reboot the mac and push the Option key at startup. I have two choices, my El Cap drive and the newly created Install DVD OS X drive. When I select the Install drive, I get a grey screen with an apple in the middle and all disk activity stops after about 2 seconds. I have tried this on two different drives (one a HDD and one a SDD) with the same outcome.

I wanted to use the older version because I have some software that will only work with the older OS. Is there a solution to this?

Thanks in advance!

Jeff

 

[chrfr]

I wanted to use the older version because I have some software that will only work with the older OS. Is there a solution to this?

What model is your MacBook Pro? It may be too new to run Snow Leopard.

 

[DeltaMac]

Even if you have a MacBook Pro that shipped with Snow Leopard, typically those won't boot to the Snow Leopard installer.
Reason is the installer stopped at 10.6.3
Some Macs that came with Snow Leopard, shipped with 10.6.4 or 10.6.6, etc. Too new, and won't boot with the 10.6.3 installer.
If your Mac did not originally ship with 10.6.3 or older, and you need to install Snow Leopard, you have to use an older Mac to do that, or come up with an alternate plan.
(Or, even better, find an original restore DVD that came that THAT Mac, which if Snow Leopard, woulr work, too)

 

[tywebb13]

I wanted to use the older version because I have some software that will only work with the older OS. Is there a solution to this?

There certainly is a solution. I have older software too, some system 7 stuff as well as mac os 8 and 9 stuff. For that I use sheepshaver.

But for ppc software which won't work in lion or above I use a snow leopard server virtual machine in vmware fusion.

So no need to run the os natively for most old software. Emulators or virtual machines run OK for most of the old software.

I do have an old mac plus on system 7.5.5, a powerbook g3 pismo dual booting 9.2.2 and 10.4.11, a titanium powerbook g4 dual booting 9.2.2 and 10.4.11 and a 2006 macbook running snow leopard 10.6.8 in case I need to run software natively. Generally I don't use them anymore though. The emulators and virtual machines are OK for most stuff.

So if your old software is ppc maybe you could try the snow leopard server as a virtual machine.

You could of course buy some older hardware on ebay to run it natively, but I wouldn't waste money on it if the virtual machine can run it too.