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Mac OS X Upgrade from Tiger to Snow Leopard disaster!!!

R

rovitotv

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 17, 2009
65
0
I am helping a friend upgrade a three year old iMac from 10.4 (tiger) to 10.6 (snow leopard), she has purchased all the software 10.4, 10.5, and 10.6 upgrade. For some reason she never moved to 10.5 even though she had the DVD. In addition I wanted to have a "clean install". The first thing I did was make a backup of all of her files. Then I booted 10.4 from DVD and used disk utility to erase the hard disk. Next I booted 10.6 from DVD and selected English as the language, then I get the following error:
"Mac OS X can't be installed on this computer. It requires a previous installation of 10.5."

Do we really have to go from 10.4 to 10.5 to 10.6? What a pain in the butt!!! Any ideas on how to skip 10.5? I already erased the hard disk.

Here is a link that recommends a clean install:
http://www.cultofmac.com/how-to-upgrade-to-snow-leopard-the-right-way/15141


Thanks for the help.
 
Is it a Intel or PowerPC mac? If it is PowerPC, then you cannot install Snow Leopard. At all. Hope this helps.
 
You say you put in the 10.4 disk in to erase the HD? I think that was your mistake. You should have erased the HD with the 10.6 disk.

You may need to install 10.5, so you can then erase the HD again using the 10.6 disk. Then you should be able to install Snow Leopard.
 
I have never encountered this but there a few things I would try before starting a full 10.5 install.

Isn't there an opportunity to insert the 10.5 disk during the 10.6 install? It may just want proof you own 10.5.

Otherwise, try erasing the drive with the 10.5 install disk. If the drive was erased with 10.4, the 10.5 disk will consider it a legit upgrade path. If the drive is then erased with 10.5, the 10.6 disk will consider 10.5 -> 10.6 a legit upgrade path. Just speculating but worth a try...
 
"I am helping a friend upgrade a three year old iMac from 10.4 (tiger) to 10.6 (snow leopard), she has purchased all the software 10.4, 10.5, and 10.6 upgrade. For some reason she never moved to 10.5 even though she had the DVD. In addition I wanted to have a "clean install". The first thing I did was make a backup of all of her files. Then I booted 10.4 from DVD and used disk utility to erase the hard disk. Next I booted 10.6 from DVD and selected English as the language, then I get the following error:
"Mac OS X can't be installed on this computer. It requires a previous installation of 10.5.""

My solution is easy, but it will cost your friend $30.

1. BACK UP anything she wants to keep on the iMac drive (it appears that you already have done this). Make sure her home folder is backed up, along with any data she may have saved in other locations.

2. BUY the $30 Snow Leopard "upgrade" from a retail source (I'm assuming that your friend bought the $9.95 "upgrade" which will only install onto a Mac that already has 10.5 on it)

3. BOOT the iMac with the $30 SL DVD (push power on button, insert the DVD, hold down the "c" key and KEEP HOLDING IT DOWN)

4. ERASE the internal drive of the iMac, and do a brand-new-fresh install of 10.6 onto the drive.

5. CREATE NEW ACCOUNTS for your friend. Do not - repeat, DO NOT - "migrate" her old accounts over (as the installer may suggest). Some folks have reported problems from this - a friend of mine had no end of problems with the Mail.app when he tried to "migrate" (against my recommendation). Again, at this point, create brand-spanking-new accounts and don't migrate.

6. UPDATE from 10.6 to 10.6.3 via software update. Get the OS "completely current".

7. IMPORT her files from her old accounts from your backup drive. Especially with the Mail.app, I would recommend that she "import [old] mailboxes". Ditto for iTunes, iPhoto, etc.
 
You can't upgrade 10.4 to 10.6. You have to use the 10.6 disc to erase the drive, then install 10.6. If you had 10.5 on there, you could upgrade (ie: not erase the drive).
 
roadbloc said:
Is it a Intel or PowerPC mac? If it is PowerPC, then you cannot install Snow Leopard. At all. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

You do realize that if it was a PPC Mac, it wouldn't have booted from the Snow Leopard disc in the first place, right? So the fact that the OP got as far as he did tells you that it's Intel.
 
rovitotv said:
I upgraded the RAM to a max of 2 GB, she is trying to run bootcamp to do some school work with Windows.
Click to expand...
That should be plenty of RAM. Not sure what the bootcamp comment has to do with it...

iThinkergoiMac said:
You can't upgrade 10.4 to 10.6. You have to use the 10.6 disc to erase the drive, then install 10.6. If you had 10.5 on there, you could upgrade (ie: not erase the drive).
Click to expand...
Um, sure you can. With a retail disc for Snow Leopard, you can install on any Intel Mac no matter what OS it has. Oops! Not that I'm advocating violation of the EULA or anything.

I've never heard of a $9.95 SL upgrade disc. Wait, this would be the first time.
 
My understanding, collaborated by the OP's post, is that if 10.5 isn't on the drive, you can't do an upgrade install (ie, install a new system without erasing) or you get the error the OP got. Erasing the drive first and then installing is still an "upgrade" but it's not an upgrade install, it's an erase and install. Am I wrong?
 
iThinkergoiMac said:
My understanding, collaborated by the OP's post, is that if 10.5 isn't on the drive, you can't do an upgrade install (ie, install a new system without erasing) or you get the error the OP got. Erasing the drive first and then installing is still an "upgrade" but it's not an upgrade install, it's an erase and install. Am I wrong?
Click to expand...

No, you're right... everything except the 3rd word that is. (i think u meant to say corroborated. ;) )
 
rovitotv said:
I am helping a friend upgrade a three year old iMac from 10.4 (tiger) to 10.6 (snow leopard), she has purchased all the software 10.4, 10.5, and 10.6 upgrade. For some reason she never moved to 10.5 even though she had the DVD. In addition I wanted to have a "clean install". The first thing I did was make a backup of all of her files. Then I booted 10.4 from DVD and used disk utility to erase the hard disk. Next I booted 10.6 from DVD and selected English as the language, then I get the following error:
"Mac OS X can't be installed on this computer. It requires a previous installation of 10.5."

Do we really have to go from 10.4 to 10.5 to 10.6? What a pain in the butt!!! Any ideas on how to skip 10.5? I already erased the hard disk.

Here is a link that recommends a clean install:
http://www.cultofmac.com/how-to-upgrade-to-snow-leopard-the-right-way/15141


Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...


I also have the 29 bucks Snow Leopard box, and it definitely does NOT require an installed version of Leopard. Boot from the Snow Leopard DVD, launch Disk Utility from there and wipe out the hard disk. Then proceed with the installation. This has always worked for me, even when there was only Windows on the hard disk.
 
I wonder if she purchased the SL $9.95 upgrade some how

My friend is e-bay savy, I wonder if she purchased the SL upgrade for $9.95 on e-bay instead of the full $30 upgrade. She also has a 10.5 disk so I will attempt to install 10.5 first, I just thought I could save some time. After 10.5 I will perform the erase then install option to get a clean install of 10.6.

Just so you guys have a full understanding my friend is a design student and she is taking a Autocad class this quarter. Our goal is to get bootcamp installed so she can run Autocad in Windows. I upgraded the RAM to 2 GB (max RAM supported by the machine) which should be enough to support Autocad in bootcamp with Windows XP. Even with all the software upgrades this will be much cheaper than buying a new computer.


Hopefully after all the upgrades she can still run iLife from the 10.4 disks?

Thanks for the help.
 
shortest way out for you now is to install 10.4 then do a clean install with the 10.6 disk
 
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