Hello Jessica...not sure what you mean? Do I switch laptop off, then when I switch laptop on..hold option key at same time, then after this goes to a different opening screen, then just put snow leopard in. What do I do if snow leopard looks like it will install? do I just go ahead with direction from screen? or do I just come back out before I do anything?
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This is going to be a long one (Problems reinstalling OS X)
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Hello Jessica...not sure what you mean? Do I switch laptop off, then when I switch laptop on..hold option key at same time, then after this goes to a different opening screen, then just put snow leopard in. What do I do if snow leopard looks like it will install? do I just go ahead with direction from screen? or do I just come back out before I do anything?
Yeah. it'll show you the hard drive, and then *MAYBE* the DVD. Like this:
Let us know if it shows up. You'll just want to click your HD drive to go into Tiger again.
When screen came back on only macintosh HD square came up, I put snow leopard in, and it just came out again after a few seconds.
Yeah, it's the firmware most likely.
Help people?
Thanks for your input Jessica, and all others who tried to steer me in the right direction. Can I ask a few questions for the experts.....does this mean I can't install snow leopard? because there is not a superdrive firmware out there which will install in my macbook tiger 10.4.11 as its an older system? Seems strange that you can still buy snow leopard to upgrade your system, but be hampered by firmware not allowing installation? Is there no other way around this problem, like putting macbook back to factory settings, then starting from scratch again? Is the only option to buy a newer laptop?......I have had this macbook for years, and it has done me well throughout this time, don't really want to change my macbook, but looks like I will just have to persevere without the snow leopard installation, which would have given me different options, with upgrading various older programs I have installed in this.
I doubt it's firmware. Super Drives have two lasers. One reads CD's the other DVD's. Your Super Drive is either toast or the lens is dirty. That's why your CD's read fine but DVD's don't and are ejected. I've seen this hundreds of times. They don't call them MatSHITa for nothing. Go buy an inexpensive USB or Firewire external DVD drive. Your problem will be solved.
If this is my only option, outwith buying a new laptop, which one would be the best to purchase? suitable for my tiger 10.4.11, and of good quality. Dont mind paying extra for something which has more about it. As I'm not technically savvy regarding these things, I'm under the impression that snow leopard will be able to work on my laptop after I purchase something like that? or has this extra bit of equipment have nothing to do with snow leopard?
If this is my only option, outwith buying a new laptop, which one would be the best to purchase? suitable for my tiger 10.4.11, and of good quality. Dont mind paying extra for something which has more about it. As I'm not technically savvy regarding these things, I'm under the impression that snow leopard will be able to work on my laptop after I purchase something like that? or has this extra bit of equipment have nothing to do with snow leopard?
It's only taken 32 posts for you to come around to purchasing a USB DVD.
Amazon has a Samsung model listed on amazon.com for $34.99 and on amazon.co.uk for £17.49. Sorry I don't know which to refer you to as I can't tell your location.
On Intel Macs, OSX is pretty forgiving about the model of drive you plug in to USB so I would not spend extra on this. If you're inclined to spend extra, why not pick up the Apple external superdrive for $79?
It's only taken 32 posts for you to come around to purchasing a USB DVD.
Amazon has a Samsung model listed on amazon.com for $34.99 and on amazon.co.uk for £17.49. Sorry I don't know which to refer you to as I can't tell your location.
On Intel Macs, OSX is pretty forgiving about the model of drive you plug in to USB so I would not spend extra on this. If you're inclined to spend extra, why not pick up the Apple external superdrive for $79?
I'm from Blairgowrie in Scotland
I'm from Blairgowrie in Scotland
Alrighty then. I won't be making any suggestions that you drive down to Microcenter or Frys to buy stuff. Oops!
It's only taken 32 posts for you to come around to purchasing a USB DVD.
Amazon has a Samsung model listed on amazon.com for $34.99 and on amazon.co.uk for £17.49. Sorry I don't know which to refer you to as I can't tell your location.
On Intel Macs, OSX is pretty forgiving about the model of drive you plug in to USB so I would not spend extra on this. If you're inclined to spend extra, why not pick up the Apple external superdrive for $79?
Could you let me know which would be the best model for this, if the apple one is the best for this then that's fine. I am just looking for something I can plug into my laptop, and hopefully just put snow leopard disc into this, so my laptop is upgraded from tiger 10-4-11 to something which can handle all the various updates. I don't know much about computers even though I have had this laptop for years, I have been looking on ebay uk and there is varying price differences from roughly £10 to £100 and I really not sure the best way to go, if you could just give me the make and model on something that will do the job then that's fine. Can I ask one other question here, once I install this snow leopard to my laptop through this extra piece of equipment, does this mean my laptop will be working with the new snow leopard upgrade, even without this external superdrive connected?
I don't have a lot of experience with these external drives but if you want to be assured of no problems then go with the Apple version. If money is more of an issue, I would fully expect even the lowest priced units to work just fine. It's your decision if you want to spend a little more for guaranteed success or spend less and possibly have to exchange the one you bought for a more expensive model.
Once you install OSX, you no longer need the drive. In fact, you can create a disk image from the OSX CD or DVD and use that disk image to make a bootable USB stick later on. I have installed OSX from USB sticks countless times (on Intel Macs). On my old G4 Mac mini however, I'm at the mercy of rotating media (but I haven't switched the thing on in over a year.
).Here is one I found on amazon.co.uk for £27 that says it is for Macs. So for less than the Apple drive you have one that the sellers says works. The only drawback is it has no reviews. Here is another one for the same price that has 2 reviews, both by Mac users that said it worked for them. Both advertise free delivery in the UK.
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I don't have a lot of experience with these external drives but if you want to be assured of no problems then go with the Apple version. If money is more of an issue, I would fully expect even the lowest priced units to work just fine. It's your decision if you want to spend a little more for guaranteed success or spend less and possibly have to exchange the one you bought for a more expensive model.
Once you install OSX, you no longer need the drive. In fact, you can create a disk image from the OSX CD or DVD and use that disk image to make a bootable USB stick later on. I have installed OSX from USB sticks countless times (on Intel Macs). On my old G4 Mac mini however, I'm at the mercy of rotating media (but I haven't switched the thing on in over a year.
Here is one I found on amazon.co.uk for £27 that says it is for Macs. So for less than the Apple drive you have one that the sellers says works. The only drawback is it has no reviews. Here is another one for the same price that has 2 reviews, both by Mac users that said it worked for them. Both advertise free delivery in the UK.
Thanks for the input r0k.....This has helped a lot, I really only use laptop for searching online, and I'm finding now it is more difficult to log into some sites, as my macbook really must require all the upgrades required to manage to get onto various sites. The thought of paying something like £100 would be a bit pointless, as I would be better just putting money aside and going for a newer apple laptop, but with that little bit of info will go for the one mentioned. Hopefully when I install this snow leopard, I manage to get on all sites online............Thanks Again
Cheers Dave
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r0k......I have ordered that exact model you mentioned in earlier post 2 weeks ago, still waiting for delivery from Amazon. Could you tell me if I would be better to reset macbook to factory settings, then start from a clean slate with my snow leopard, as most of the stuff I have in macbook is not that important, or would it make no difference really if I put back to factory settings, and just installed snow leopard. I am at the stage now my laptop even struggles to get on this site, as it just jumps to something else, and I need to press the back button to hopefully get back on where I want to be, and it stays there without jumping again. Any advice would be helpful on this, as I would just like to install snow leopard, and hopefully have a few more years out of my macbook with all updates to the system making things easier.
Cheers Dave
Cheers Dave
Dave,
I'm not a big fan of resetting things to factory settings. This is something I had to do quite a lot back in my Windows and PalmOS days that I'm thankful I've only one once on a Mac and never on an iPhone.
I did it to recover from my daughter's hacking around Parental Controls on her Mac mini. I've never done it since but I think it would be easy enough. If you want to get back to factory settings, you simply go into Disk Utility and create a new GUID partition scheme with one big Macintosh HD partition formatted HFS+. From there, you boot the OSX install DVD and point it at the empty partition you just created earlier. The risk here is you don't have a disk that is compatible with your Mac. I've heard that Snow Leopard disks are usable as upgrade only disks and might not install to a blank disk. It would be unfortunate to find this out AFTER wiping your Macintosh HD.
Let me be clear about this. I DO NOT RECOMMEND a clean install as a first step. This is something I would do only if I was not able to migrate from a previous install of OSX.
3 to 30 days? Meanwhile here in the States, they are claiming to be able to do deliveries starting in 2015 by drone in 3 to 30 MINUTES!
I'm from Blairgowrie in Scotland
By using this: https://locate.apple.com/country
I found that in nearby Dundee (South East from you) there's an Apple authorized service shop.
After three months since the start of this thread, it appears that you can't figure out what to do with the easy problem of installing a disk (due to either damaged optical drive or defective disk). Thus, you probably should go have a professional help you.
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You have an optical drive "on the way" but if you grow tired of waiting I would concur with Consultant's suggestion that you get some help in person. For one thing, in an Apple store they can quickly boot a disk image over the network so a damaged optical drive is on obstacle.
You might consider one of the 3 Apple stores, 2 near Glasgow or 1 in Aberdeen because you can typically get a half hour appointment for free. An authorized service provider might charge you money just to look at your Mac. I would make the appointment and make sure you know what you're going to get before you spend time travelling to get help. It would be a shame to lug your Mac somewhere to get help only to find there aren't any free appointments available or you have to pay money to get help.
Thanks Lads for the advice.....problem I have with my macbook, as its an old one I don't really wish to go to shops with it. It has served me well through the years, and was really just looking for advice on what could possibly be wrong with it, apart from the fact I can't get any updates on the tiger system. I can easily strip the macbook apart, and replace any part which is faulty. I would be over the moon if the thing I ordered fixes some of the issues I have, but if this fails I would much sooner put a few bob away and get a newer model. Again thanks for all the advice, and I will let you know how my macbook is doing after I have delivery of the external drive thing.
Cheers Dave
As r0k said, you can get some free service at Apple Store.
Since no one asked you yet, what color is your install disk? Gray? What does it say on it?
Consultant..... Do you mean the colour of the disk in my macbook? if so how do you find this out? I mean what do I need to press on macbook to find this out. If your meaning the installations discs that came with the macbook for installing, I lost these years ago.
What color are the snow leopard disks you are trying to use? Do you have a photo of them?
[/ATTACH] I have tried to attach 3 pictures box, disc, instructions leaflet for snow leopard, if this hasn't worked the disc is basically a white colour.
