How do I get my computer back?

[ukuleleman]

After erasing my No 1 drive to get rid of Snow Leopard (by using the erase function in Disc utilities after booting up with the Snow leopard disc), I tried to reload Leopard, but no go, the message says 'Mac OS X cannot be installed on this computer'!

What have I done wrong? have I done anything wrong? apart from my determination to get rid of SL. I have twice lost the complete contents of iPhoto, that, coupled with Safari and iPhoto crashes, my preferred font display changing willy nilly and other suspicious behaviour has pushed me back to the stable platform that I used to know 'Leopard'.

Any help guys, it appears that unless I use a drive with SL on it I lose my computer.

 

[spinnerlys]

So you use the Leopard Installer DVD, that can be bought in the shop?
Or is it the Restore DVDs that came with the Mac?
Or is it an Upgrade DVD?

What Mac do you have and when did you buy it?


Do you still have Apple Care?

 

[ukuleleman]

Mac Pro

Thanks for your reply, I have a Mac Pro, about two years old, I originally had Leopard OS X installed

I bought the Snow Leopard DVD when it launched but have lost faith in it.

I deleted my No1 drive by booting on the Snow Leopard DVD, then going to Utilities and using the Disc Utility there to delete it, however, nothing that I do will make the wiped disc accept the original Leopard OS X.
I have even bought a brand new drive and I cannot get that to accept Leopard either, the message that I get is that 'Mac OS X cannot be installed on this computer' even using a brand new drive!!

 

[brn2ski00]

could be the way the drive is formatted, what type of formatting are you using?

fox example, Leo can't be installed onto a FAT32 drive...

 

[eawmp1]

Duh - you erased with Disk Utility from Snow Leopard. Now go back and boot from Leopard DVD, erase with its Disk Utility and try again.

 

[chrisandersen]

Just put Snow Leopard back on and be done with it. It works.

 

[ukuleleman]

Duh - you erased with Disk Utility from Snow Leopard. Now go back and boot from Leopard DVD, erase with its Disk Utility and try again.

If I could boot from the Leopard DVD I would install it, which is what I am trying to do, anyway you can't delete Snow Leopard using the Leopard DVD you have to use Snow Leopard.

 

[ukuleleman]

it works!!

Just put Snow Leopard back on and be done with it. It works.

Sorry, but no it doesn't, not if you are into photography and using iPhoto which loses all your pictures for no apparent reason, don't just take my word for it, I am not the only one, I have had my iPhoto library disappear twice, there are a lot more out there too,

I couldn't wait to get Snow Leopard, I'm all for new stuff, but when your system becomes unstable you look at the last major change you made and in my case Snow leopard was that change, so please don't give me the 'It works' bit, not unless you can find the 4 years worth of pictures that I have lost.

I suppose the next helpful remark will be that it is all my own fault! if that's your take on it, keep it to yourself please, I want help not criticism.

 

[ukuleleman]

Fat 32

could be the way the drive is formatted, what type of formatting are you using?

fox example, Leo can't be installed onto a FAT32 drive...

How can I find out how the drive is formatted and can I change the format? I think you may be on to something here. for instance when I am asked what disc I want to use as a startup disc the new drive is conspicuous by it's absence, as if the computer can't see it.

PS. It does show up in 'About this Mac' and is described as 'Writable'.

 

[spinnerlys]

Finder > Macintosh HD > right click > Get Info.

Where it says Format it should say Mac OS Extended, and not MS-DOS.


Ah, blimey.


When in Disk Utility, with the help of the installer DVD, look at the Format at the bottom of the Window (ignore the circled/rectangled field).

It should also say Mac OS Extended. (In this example image Windows NT File System is written there.)

It shouldn't say MS-DOS, as that is FAT 32.


And just to clarify:

You use the installer DVD for Leopard, but can't get Disk Utility to format your internal HDD?

Did you do it like the following article?

http://macs.about.com/od/applications/ss/diskutilformat_5.htm

http://macs.about.com/od/applications/ss/diskutilformat_2.htm - the steps can be applied also to your System HDD too. Just use the Disk Utility from the Leopard DVD.

 

[jzuena]

While in Disk Utility, also highlight the disk itself (in the example above, the line that says "149.1 GB Seagate FreeAgent..." and verify that the partitioning scheme is GUID. If it is AFP or MBR you will have problems. You can go to the Partition tab and click on Options... to make the change if needed. This will erase your drive, but it sounds like you have just done that anyway.

I think there was some kind of firmware update that came with Snow Leopard... Apple wouldn't have made that firmware update non-backwards compatible, would they?

If Leopard really won't reinstall, have you reinstalled iLife since upgrading to Snow Leopard? If you did an upgrade install, maybe something wasn't right in the iPhoto app after the upgrade that left it in an unsupported state (I know that is reaching, but if you are pulling your hair out trying to get Leopard back on it might be worth a try to run SL with a fresh install of iLife).

Also, even though it would cost more money and would be rewarding Apple for screwing up your iPhoto setup, you could look into buying and running Aperture as a replacement for iPhoto and sticking with Snow Leopard.

As a data point, I use both iPhoto and Aperture regularly with Snow Leopard, so it can be done if you can get whatever bug that is corrupting your iPhoto library figured out.

 

[eawmp1]

If I could boot from the Leopard DVD I would install it, which is what I am trying to do, anyway you can't delete Snow Leopard using the Leopard DVD you have to use Snow Leopard.

1) This is the first you said you couldn't boot rom the Leopard DVD. Are you sure, with DVD in, you start up holding down the "c" button. That should boot into the Leopard Disk. If not zap PRAM 1st then retry.
2) You have to completely format and erast your hard drive with the Leopard disk.
3) No to firmware update. Multiple uses have downgraded without a hitch.
4) iPhoto could muck up on Leopard too.

 

[ukuleleman]

Sorry for the delay

I am up to my eyes in it at the moment and I will get back to you guys when I have explored all your suggestions.

'Spinnerlys'. I have reformatted the new drive and am getting the Mac OS Extended (journaled) indication.

'Izuena'. the partioning scheme is GUID.

'eawmp1'. I can boot from the Leopard or the Snow leopard DVD but get the Mac OSX cannot be installed on the computer message, if I try to load Leopard onto the new drive I get as far as the 'reboot to download' message then after reboot I get the spinning fan blades the the screen darkens from the top downwards and I get a message saying 'You will have to reboot, hold down the start button for several seconds'. so the initial reboot gets aborted by yet another reboot which then loads my other drive with the leopard system on it.

Thanks for all your help, and suggestions, I really do appreciate your time.