Can I install Snow Leopard on an old mac mini?

Hi, my parents have an old mac mini and they have bought a new camera to use for Skype, but it won't work on their current OS (Panther or Tiger I think).
So, can I install a newer operating system on the old mac?
Thanks

Shlubtastic wrote:
how about Leopard 10.5?
10.5.8 is fine. Obtaining it may be more difficult.
You'll need a Leopard retail install disk.
This info is provided by TexasMacMan, with updates from me;
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard installation system requirements
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA24950
Leopard is no longer available at the Apple Store but may be available by calling Apple Phone Sales @ 1-800-MY-APPLE (1-800-692-7753). {Note - this is now very unlikely, but no harm in asking}.
If you can't obtain a retail install DVD from Apple, look on Amazon MP, eBay or Google the installer part numbers to possibly find at an on-line store. Here's what to look for:
MB427Z/A Leopard 10.5.1 install DVD
MB576Z/A Leopard 10.5.4 install DVD
MB021Z/A , MC094Z/A Leopard 10.5.6 install DVD (single user)
MB022Z/A , MC095Z/A Leopard 10.5.6 install DVD (5-user family pack)
{the bold order numbers are the later ones}
Installing Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1544
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Installation and Setup Guide
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/leopard_install-setup.pdf
After you install the base 10.5, download & install the 10.5.8 combo update at http://support.apple.com/downloads/Mac_OS_X_10_5_8_Combo_Update
{This is still available on Support Downloads}

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No, the installer will not let you install Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac with less than 1 GB of RAM. Even if it did, performance would be unacceptable & the OS would probably be unstable.
If you want to run Snow Leopard you will need to upgrade to at least 1 GB of installed RAM. If you want it to run efficiently, you should install more. Typically, 2 GB will get you most of the benefits of a larger memory space but if your Mac supports more & you want the best possible performance, install the maximum the Mac can handle.

Can I install Snow Leopard (downgrade) on the mac book pros that are released since the 24 oct

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it ist possivle to downgrade/ install Snow Leopard on the current Mac Book Pros that are now sold on the apple store?
I knew they are improved since the 24 oct 2011 but did it change the firmware too?
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According to this http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1237 the Late-2011 MBPs have the same EFI-version than the Early-2011 ones ( MBP81.0047.B24 EFI 2.3) but different (updated) SMC-versions.
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http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1159
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Can you install Snow Leopard on a new Mac Book Pro

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Looking for a new mac for a second office, but want to run Snow Leopard as this makes in compatiable with other macs and sofware we have running 10.6.8.
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Can't install Snow Leopard on a MacBook

Hi guys...
A friend of mine brought me his Macbook to fix it because the hard drive was making sounds and now won't boot.
The drive in fact is bad, it barely mount, makes noises, etc.
I've replaced the internal hard drive for a Toshiba 320gb SATA 3.
The thing is that apparently the DVD doesn't recognize my drive and of course, i can't install Snow Leopard.
My question is, is this a problem with the new drive?. I believe that being a SATA3 could be causing the problem.
Second question... Can i install Snow Leopard (somehow) using my Mac mini?
Thanks so much and i hope you can help me.
Regards.
Francisco.

Hi!!
>I've used another internal hard drive and installs correctly<
Using the DVD installer?
Yes
So it boots with another hard drive in there but ejects when you put the Toshiba in there?
Yes but it only make sense if the DVD would create a temporary partition or something in order to install the OS.
>Could it be that the drive is SATA3? <
Even so it would be downwards compatible.
I though so too
>or maybe the hd is bad?<
That would make more sense.
I'm going to clone the installation that went OK in order to see if it's actually my internal drive the problem.
Could it be the manufacturer?
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Regards.
Francisco.

Snow leopard on new 2011 Mac mini?

Please explain why u can not Install snow leopard on new 2011 Mac mini?

Actually You Can. Use any late Macintosh that will run Snow Leopard and either boot from a 10.6.3 universal installer that been intalled on a hard drive (quickest) or boot from the UNIVERSAL OS X 10.6.3 DVD. The new Mac Mini should be connected via FireWire in TARGET MODE to the host Macintosh.
Use disk Uitility to format the Mac Mini Hard Drive and install 10.6.3 on it. When it boots (still in target mode) it will be the boot drive for the host macintosh.
Then install 10.6.8 update and iLife 11 and Applejack (this will fix the install in the end).
Then run software update and carry out all updates that it indicates.
After that shut down and take the Mini off Target Mode and disconnect the firewire cable.
Restart the Mini and run software update again. Note - the cursor may take any number of shapes at this stage but continue on. Certainly you wil be asked to run software update OS X 10.6.8 supplemental which should fix the cursor problem.
Restart and hold dowm <Command><S> until a black screen with white writing appears. Wait for it to scroll down to the end and at the prompt type applejack AUTO restart and then press <Enter>
Applejack will run 5 routines which may take some time and at the finish it will restart.
That should be it!
One codicil. If you read the stuff that Applejack brings up you will see that half the processors are not working. This is no big deal and does not seem to affect the operation at all.
The good news is that SL will run on a new Mac Mini which should satisfy a lot of users who have apps that are not yet Lion Compatible.
Happy to communicatewith anyone having problems. [email protected]

I have an iMAC G5 PowerPC (not Intel) running10.5.8. I sync my iphone to iTunes - but just learned I must have Snow Leopard to do so. Yet I can't install Snow Leopard as the G5 is not Intel. What do I do? How do I move music

I have an iMAC G5 PowerPC (not Intel) running10.5.8. I sync my iphone to iTunes - but just learned I must have Snow Leopard to do so for my new iPhone 5S. Yet I can't install Snow Leopard as the G5 is not Intel. What do I do? How do I move music and pics? And keep them synced up as I purchase more?

Sorry, but that is correct. You need Snow Leopard to sync your phone and the latest version of iTunes and you old G5 cannot run that.

Can't install snow leopard on partition after upgrading to lion

I rushed out too early to install Lion via Apple Apps store. Now, I realize that Rosetta is gone and so are my options to use older apps. As I was reading on the web and Apple Support, I have tried various things and get a window saying that I can't install snow leopard.
I have never partition my hard drive, but using disk utility I created a partition called "Snow Leopard." It divided my HD in half which is okay. I closed the disk utility window, rebooted holding down the "C" key, and saw the OS X Install DVD. When I select it a window pops up saying, "You can't use this version of the appl inst Mac OS X with this version of Mac OS X. You have installed Mac OS X 23.1.1."
Before downloading lion, I made a backup of my existing HD using Time Machine to an external HD. When I open up a saved version dated a month ago, I see that the applications that were working in snow leopard now have the icon circle saying that it is not supported by lion. This is strange since I used Time Machine to back up my HD, then turned off the app before downloading lion. Even older versions saved on the external HD show the circle.
I read about lion and the "Recovery HD," but when I hold down the Command-R key nothing happens when I restart my computer. It also talks about using the option key but that does not work. It talks about reinstalling lion using this system, but I don't see it working.
How can I install snow leopard on my new partition, then I would go to "Software Updates," to get the latest version, or use one of the versions on my external HD to have both operating system.
Thanks,
DaisyMay

Hi Scottiemn,
As I was trying different things to make a partition on my HD, I made notes as to what I did, and I finally got it to work. I will try to explain what I did.
Before installing “Lion,” I backed up Snow Leopard using Time Machine to my external Seagate HD. I installed “Lion,” and found out that I could not use some of my old apps, so I did the following.
Since I am running “Lion,” I opened up disk utility and selected my MacHD (1TB), then I selected partition, and it showed “Macintosh HD” under the partition information name. I believe I selected the plus, + and it divided my HD space in half, and I named it Snow Leopard.
I then installed the Snow Leopard DVD, and restarted my computer holding down the “C” key, I held it down for about 30 seconds or more and then took my finger off of the key. As I waited I finally saw that I was on the install DVD, and on the top menu bar I saw “Utilities.” I had my external Seagate HD mounted on my desk top before I restarted my computer, I selected the “Utilities,” on the menu bar and it gave me the option to back up from Time Machine, I selected my external Seagate HD to the newly created partition I named Snow Leopard and I said “Yes.” I followed the instructions and after it was done, I went to the menu bar and selected System Preferences, System, Startup Disk, and selected to start up with Snow Leopard. On my desktop, I can see two Hard Drives, one is Macintosh HD with “Lion,” and the other is Snow Leopard.
Then, I started up my computer and I was on the Snow Leopard partition and I saw all of my apps working. I then went back to the menu bar and selected System Preferences, System, Startup Disk, and selected to start up with “Lion,” and restarted my computer and I was running “Lion.”
I am not sure why I was not able to use the DVD of SL before, but somehow I got it to work, and I hope that I have explained what I did above.
One thing, when I installed “Lion,” from the app store, I did not make a bootable DVD of the application. I went back to the app store and downloaded “Lion” again and kept it in the dock until I got Snow Leopard to work. I burned a DVD of “Lion,” and so I have a backup of it.
Since my Seagate HD has only 250 GB of space and it is an EIDE HD 7,200 rpm using an OWC Mercury Elite FW400/USB2 with the Oxford chipset 911 enclosure which I bought in 2008, I decided that since I now have my 27 inch iMac quad core i5 with 1TB that I needed a larger hard drive.
I researched the web and decided to go back to OWC and just bought a 2.0TB OWC Mercury Elite Pro “Quad Interface” 64MB with eSATA/FW800/FW400/USB2.0 with 7,200 rpm speed for $219.00. I partitioned it for Time Machine, and Carbon Copy Cloner.
I ran Time Machine, and both partitions “Lion, and Snow Leopard” are on the Time Machine partition and both HD’s are under the Carbon Copy Cloner.
I am self taught on my many iMac’s over the years, and I go to the forums to ask questions and follow the helpful hints to resolve my problems. I carefully try different things and write down what I did so I don’t repeat things.
I hope that I have explained what I did, and hopefully it will work for you.
When I want to run SL, I select in the System Preferences to start up from that disk, when I want to run Lion, I go back and select that and start up my computer running Lion.
Since I have many old apps that Rosetta uses to open them up in SL I wanted to keep that operating system. I will go back now that I have everything working and see if I really need them. I won’t rush to remove my SL partition that I created, but in time if I don’t need the older apps then I may clean out my system and just run Lion.
I run Lion now all of the time, but when I need to go back to SL, I now have the option.
Good Luck,
DaisyMay

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Best regards and merry christmas
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Apple figures that having supported PowerPC code for the last 6 years is enough so they dropped it.
Why should they have to support some that old forever? It doesn't make good business sense to support some that so few will use.
If you must play those games, my suggestion is to get an older Mac that will support PowerPC. It is going to be a difficult task to get Snow Leopard to run on a new Mac.
Allan

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Message was edited by: WZZZ

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Can I install Snow Leopard on an old mac mini?

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