Can I run Snow Leopard on the new iMac

Question

Apple is warrantying me a new iMac because I have had many problems with my current machine. It's a late 2008 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66 Ghz machine that I have been running Snow Leopard 10.6.8 on. I have a lot of software that runs on Snow Leopard.
They will be replacing it with a new 21.5 inch iMac running Mountain Lion which will be released in the next week or two. My plan was to partition the hard drive, keep part of it for my current Snow Leopard and gradually migrate over to Mountian Lion.
Alas, they have told me that the new machines will not run Snow Leopard at all so partitioning is out of the question but that I can set up a "Virtual Computer" that will allow me to run Snow Leopard within the Mountain Lion Structure. This will allow me to still use my older software in a setup not unlike the Classic system that the early OSX used. The tech told me I would have to get some 3rd party software to do this but was not much more helpful.
Im looking for some specific info on what I need to do to keep my Snow Leopard viable on my new machine while I gradually migrate over to Mountain Lion.
thanks,
Rob

Answer 1

Here is a post that I assembled for a similar question:
Unfortunately you got caught up in the minor miracle of Rosetta.  Originally licensed by Apple when it migrated from the PowerPC CPU platform that it had used from the mid-1990's until the Intel CPU platform in 2006, Rosetta allowed Mac users to continue to use their library of PPC software transparently in emulation.
However, Apple's license to continue to use this technology expired with new releases of OS X commencing with Lion (and now Mountain Lion).  While educational efforts have been made over the last 6 years, the fact is that Rosetta was SO successful that many users were caught unaware UNTIL they upgraded to Lion or Mountain Lion.
Workarounds:
1. If your Mac will support it, restore OS X Snow Leopar - not available on the newest iMac;
2.  If your Mac will support it, partition your hard drive or add an external hard drive and install Snow Leopard into it and use the "dual-boot" method to choose between your PowerPC software or Lion/Mt. Lion - not available on the newest iMac;
3.  Upgrade your software to Intel compatible versions, or find alternative software that will open your data files;
3.  Install Snow Leopard (with Rosetta) into Parallels:
                              [click on image to enlarge]
Full Snow Leopard installation instructions here:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1365439
NOTE: STEP ONE of the instructions must currently be completed on a Snow Leopard or Lion Mac and the resulting modified Snow Leopard.cdr install file can then be moved over to your Mountain Lion Mac for completion of the remaining steps.
NOTE 2:  Computer games with complex, 3D or fast motion graphics make not work well or at all in virtualization.
And according to the author, it's not forbidden by the client EULA. Can't say for sure if the same method will work for Mountain Lion, though. He may have updated it here or on MacRumors, but I'm not aware of an update, or whether one is needed.
I do not give legal advice on MacRumors,  I do contend that it is a common Urban Myth that the Snow Leopard EULA forbids its virtualization.  Further, in the more than one year that I have been offfering my Snow Leopard into Parallels solution, NO ONE has met my challenge during this period of time to show me one, official written statement by Apple that would support the conclusion that Snow Leopard's EULA forbids its virtualization.
The method does work for Mountain Lion, with the proviso of the NOTE above about currently having to do STEP ONE on a Snow Leopard or Lion Mac.