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How to install Lion on Mac that came with Mavericks installed?

N

neuropulse

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 4, 2008
31
0
Greetings,

When I try startup from a Lion install DVD on my MacBook Pro that came with Mavericks installed it shows a grey screen with a circle with slash.

How can I get around this? How do I make a multiboot system? How do I install Lion on a different partition or drive?

Where is the information about what OS version it came with stored? How do I get rid of it? New drive? Zapping PRAM? Pressing something on the motherboard? What is the problem?

Thanks
 
You can't. The oldest version of OSX that can be installed on a Mac is the one that shipped with the computer. Since it came with Mavericks, that's the oldest version that can be installed.
 
madsci954 said:
You can't. The oldest version of OSX that can be installed on a Mac is the one that shipped with the computer. Since it came with Mavericks, that's the oldest version that can be installed.
Click to expand...

Boooo! :)

I fond it hard to believe it violates the laws of physics to install Lion on it.

So not even Apple could change it at the factory now?

How does the computer know what OS it came with if I take out the hard drive and reformat it? Where is it stored?
 
neuropulse said:
...
So not even Apple could change it at the factory now?

How does the computer know what OS it came with if I take out the hard drive and reformat it? Where is it stored?
Click to expand...

But - you already said that your MacBook Pro came with Mavericks.
If it was used, or a refurb that came with Mavericks, then it's _possible_ that you could "downgrade" to Mountain Lion.
If you really do have a (non-retina) MacBook Pro, then that generation (from 2012 or older) would be able to boot to Lion.

If you post your model identifier (from your System Information utility), such as MacBookPro10,2 - someone will quickly tell you exactly what system your Mac originally shipped with (which _might_ be different than what you have)

To answer your REAL question (Why would Apple not allow older OS X versions to be installed?), the answer is simple: Your MacBook Pro has hardware that is too new for the older OS X Lion, which does not have driver support for your newer Mac.
Again, you COULD try Mountain Lion, which might (or might not) work, depending on your exact MacBook Pro model.
 
MacBook Pro Mid 2012 model MD101

MacBookPro9,2

It is the oldest MacBook still for sale in Apple stores. It comes with Mavericks installed.
 
neuropulse said:
MacBook Pro Mid 2012 model MD101

MacBookPro9,2

It is the oldest MacBook still for sale in Apple stores. It comes with Mavericks installed.
Click to expand...

If it comes with Mavericks then chances are it won't install Lion. Try using Internet Recovery and see what happens.

Why do you want Lion installed? It wasn't a particularly good OS.
 
bbfc said:
If it comes with Mavericks then chances are it won't install Lion. Try using Internet Recovery and see what happens.

Why do you want Lion installed? It wasn't a particularly good OS.
Click to expand...

That's likely not quite accurate. Your MacBookPro9,2 SHOULD run Lion - but you would likely not have any luck downgrading to Lion without the most current version of the Lion installer, which is 10.7.5
Yours, when first released, June 2012, came with 10.7.4 installed - but a special build just for your model MacBook Pro.
(Lion did NOT come on a DVD, and is not, IMHO, optimized to install from a DVD, even though it may appear to be possible. Much better to create a USB flash drive with the Lion installer. Diskmaker X utility will make one for you very neatly, on an 8 GB flash drive. You will need to download the Lion installer, which will give you the most current 10.7.5 version. Apple still makes that available, particularly if you have previously purchased it. (I just downloaded that full install through the App Store today, so I know that Apple still offers it)
I also agree that Lion is not the greatest OS X version - Mountain Lion would probably be a better choice - then Yosemite when that is released.
 
neuropulse said:
Boooo! :)

I fond it hard to believe it violates the laws of physics to install Lion on it.

So not even Apple could change it at the factory now?

How does the computer know what OS it came with if I take out the hard drive and reformat it? Where is it stored?
Click to expand...

It's not physics, it's a matter of drivers, kernel extensions etc. An old OS won't have these for newer hardware.

So unless you want to write your own and recompile an entire OS you're limited to whatever OS originally shipped on your machine when it was released.
 
DeltaMac said:
That's likely not quite accurate. Your MacBookPro9,2 SHOULD run Lion - but you would likely not have any luck downgrading to Lion without the most current version of the Lion installer, which is 10.7.5
Yours, when first released, June 2012, came with 10.7.4 installed - but a special build just for your model MacBook Pro.
(Lion did NOT come on a DVD, and is not, IMHO, optimized to install from a DVD, even though it may appear to be possible. Much better to create a USB flash drive with the Lion installer. Diskmaker X utility will make one for you very neatly, on an 8 GB flash drive. You will need to download the Lion installer, which will give you the most current 10.7.5 version. Apple still makes that available, particularly if you have previously purchased it. (I just downloaded that full install through the App Store today, so I know that Apple still offers it)
I also agree that Lion is not the greatest OS X version - Mountain Lion would probably be a better choice - then Yosemite when that is released.
Click to expand...

DeltaMac, could you please explain me where/how to get the latest Lion installer?
I've seen it here http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion, but it's 10.7, not 10.7.5

I'm in the same situation. Bought a new mid 2012 13" MBP, which shipped with Mavericks but according to this chart (http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1159) should support Lion.

(I REALLY need Lion due to a Time Machine backup)
 
jedbanger said:
DeltaMac, could you please explain me where/how to get the latest Lion installer?
I've seen it here http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion, but it's 10.7, not 10.7.5

I'm in the same situation. Bought a new mid 2012 13" MBP, which shipped with Mavericks but according to this chart (http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1159) should support Lion.

(I REALLY need Lion due to a Time Machine backup)
Click to expand...

Mavericks should be able to accept backups from Lion.. if not that'd be weird.
 
jedbanger said:
DeltaMac, could you please explain me where/how to get the latest Lion installer?
I've seen it here http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion, but it's 10.7, not 10.7.5
...
Click to expand...

You are incorrect.
If you purchase Lion, you get a redemption code, which you use to download Lion through the App Store.
When the Lion installer downloads from the App Store, you get the most up-to-date version (the last version) - 10.7.5
I know it says 10.7 at the software page, but that's simply the particular designation for Lion (10.7)
The download will be 10.7.5
I'm certain about this, because I download Lion every few months, for no particular reason, except that I can.
Mountain Lion also downloads as the latest version of 10.8 ...
 
Yeah. DeltaMac is right.

I had to buy Lion recently from the link jedbanger put there and when it downloaded it was version 10.7.5.
 
Well, those who said it was impossible were wrong.

I removed the hard drive and installed Lion on it on another Mac, put it back in, and it works perfectly.

Also, Thanks for the link to buy it. Once it is on one's App Store account, it should be directly installable.

Shows you when someone answers "no", do not accept it and keep asking.
 
Last edited:
neuropulse said:
Well, those who said it was impossible were wrong.

I removed the hard drive and installed Lion on it on another Mac, put it back in, and it works perfectly.
...
Shows you when someone answers "no", do not accept it and keep asking.
Click to expand...

But, you still can't install Lion natively on your MBPro, so you didn't prove that part wrong.
All you did was use a different Mac to perform the install (because your MBPro won't allow it). You can boot and run a variety of other OS X versions on hardware that won't allow a native install of some versions of OS X. And, you were helped greatly by the fact that your MacBookPro9,2 was originally released with 10.7.4 - so it was likely that Lion would still boot and run, even though a native install of Lion is now blocked.
 
neuropulse said:
I removed the hard drive and installed Lion on it on another Mac, put it back in, and it works perfectly.
Click to expand...

But you didn't install it, so the people weren't wrong. Hopefully things will be stable for you running a legacy OS on newer hardware. Good luck
 
I can't believe this hasn't been asked already, but why does the OP want to downgrade specifically to Lion in the first place?
 
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