Cannot install Mac OSX Snow Leopard on Macbook Pro Unibody with a new SSD

Hi, I just bought a SSD (OCZ Vertex LE 120GB) to replace the stock SATA HDD. The problem is that the Mac OSX installation fails. I tried a lot of times with no success. Both clean install from DVD or restoration from a Time Machine backup fails.
The problem doesn't happen if I put the same SSD into a PC to install a Linux or Windows. I've read something saying the problem to be at EFI 1.7, SATA bus and even SATA cable in the Macbook Pro. Can anyone help in this issue?

IgorOzz wrote:
Hi OrangeMarlin, thanks for answering and trying to help me in this issue. Well, The SDD is well formated by Disk Utility and GUID partition as well. I tried to clone my HDD to the SDD by using the Disk Utility RESTORE option. By doing this I could boot up from SDD but somethings didn't work well (iPhone crashed at every start), Finder sometimes, and other apps...
Maybe the disk utility restore option isn't the best way to do that. I'm gonna try the following steps:
- Carbon Copy to clone my HDD to SDD;
- Update SDD FW to the last one (but I need to install it on a Windows machine first);
- Downgrade EFI FW back to 1.6 (not sure if I'll proceed to this step).
I was thinking about SATA bus and cables because I've read some issues pinpointing to this as the culprit, since the Macbook's SATA wouldn't be able to handle 3Gbps SATA II speeds.
Now, a little question: Why you say to be not recommended to install the new drive internally? What if, after using the SSD or HDD for a while and the system crashes I need to reinstall Mac OSX? I think it's supposed to be installed from the scratch by the DVD installer. Isn't it?
Again, thanks... and waiting more replies...
Do one step at a time, and I highly recommend not "downgrading" the EFI. The unintended consequences might make you throw your MBP out the window.
Yes, use Carbon Copy Clone. Then try to boot from the cloned drive. Hold Option at startup, and it will give you a choice.
If it works, then put it in your MBP. If it doesn't boot, then go to step two, repeat clone, and try again.
My 2010 MBP runs at 3Gbps. I think prior to the 2010 models, Apple had not qualified any drives, other than the ones they put in the MBP's, that could work with 3Gbps drives. You may have one that doesn't.

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HT203322 Cannot Install Mac OSX Snow Leopard on MacBook 10.5.8 because Mac Hard Drive has Time Machine on It?

I have an old MacBook (2006?) with OS 10.5.8 that I would like to upgrade to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, which I have on DVD. When asked to select what disk I would like to install the upgrade to, my only option is the Mac Hard Drive icon with a big yellow triangle/exclamation point saying I cannot install there because I am running Time Machine on that disk.
I have run searches using "Find" for any vestige of Time Machine left on my computer. I have deleted the icon from my dock. I have tried to run disk utility to delete just the Time Machine but can't target just that. I have rebooted after each of these steps. Nothing changes.
It is Kafka-esque because I need to upgrade my OS so that I can upgrade my browser so I can read the question section of apple.com related to upgrading to Snow Leopard.
Thanks for any help you can give.

Thanks, seventy one. I do have everything backed up everything to an external hard drive, plus the most important stuff also on Dropbox. Given the age of this laptop, and given that I've been the sole owner and almost the sole user, I'm mystified as to why/how Time Machine is on my internal hard drive. I agree with you that it would defeat its purpose to back up files to the computer they're already on! It reminds me of the time a friend of mine put a bucket under his sink because there was a big leak in the pipe that was splashing into the cupboard. When the bucket was full, he took it out from under the sink and poured it down the sink to empty it. Ooops. Using Time Machine to back up files on the same computer it's installed on feels the same to me.
It's interesting because I've found versions of my question posted by many other users, but I can't find an adequate response. Mostly, there are responses that don't directly address the problem, which in turn are rated by the petitioners as 50% or so helpful.
I'm not sure what I'll do beyond searching a little more on the web and sleeping on it. In all seriousness, though, thank you for your help and suggestions. These Apple Help Boards are amazing, in large part owing to people like you who respond to strange plaints like my own.

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http://support.apple.com/kb/dl923
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Snow leopard on macbook pro shipped with lion

A question from Sweden: Can you install SL 10.6 on a macbook pro that shipped with Lion?

your going to need another Mac that can boot off the disks, then T boot off the target Mac first so it's FireWire Target Disk Mode, then connect a Firewire cable then hold c boot off the 10.6 disk, erase the factory Lion machine completely and install OS X 10.6
The firmware will not you boot from earlier OS X install disks on a factory Lion box. You have to work around it to get it on the drive, but once it's there it will be fine.
I just did this, and did not have to Target boot at all. The machine booted right up off the replica 10.6.7 DVD, and was perfectly happy to install 10.6 right over 10.7 without erasing anything. No wacky side effects except a few settings had to be set again where Lion's settings were too different.
If you only have the "Full Retail" 10.6.3 disc, then you WILL have to use another older Mac as intermediary, since the 2011 MacBook Pro needs at least 10.6.6 to boot.
Mine was a refururb, and because it has originally been sold with 10.6, there WAS a 10.6 disc they could copy and send me. They muttered about "ranges of serial numbers". The "first responders" do not know these are available, so you have to be firm, but polite. The answer for your specific Mac may still be no. By year-end, the answer will always be NO.

How do you install mac osx snow leopard 10.6.3

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I just installed mac osx snow leopard in my iMac. windows freeze and unfreezes.

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Have you run Software Update several times to ensure you've picked up all available updates after upgrading to Snow Leopard?

Not able to run installer when booting (Snow)Leopard on MacBook Pro Unibody

Hi all.
I would very much appreciate any help with this issue...
I have recently installed an app called monolingual(stay away from it - don't touch it with a stick) - I thought I'd get a couple of GBs off my HDD by deleting the surplus languages... Unfortunately this resulted in other apps behaving strangely and rendered them unusable. I thought this would subside, if I'd reboot the machine. Unfortunately what I found, when i did so, was a blank default MacOs wallpaper(the one with the universe) and nothing else - not even a login prompt... Long story short - I have tried many things in single user mode - booting in verbose mode, to see what's up(nothing out of the ordinary) - booting in safe mode(didn't change a thing), and of course trying to restore my HDD from Time Machine - God bless time machine... Unfortunately in order to do that - I need the MacOs installer(which can't be reached) - I have tried to boot from DVD, while holding the C key, the option key - then choosing the DVD as the bootable device of choice, I've tried to install it remotely from my brother's macbook via ethernet - nothing worked. Also I have attempted the PRAM NVRAM reset as well as the SMC... I have tried all these things with both OsX Leopard and Snow Leopard... Nothing at all worked. To make matters worse, I am worried about my hard disk, as the only way I can shut my machine down is by holding down the power button, until it turns off(keyboard shortcuts don't work, and there are no menus or anything available) - that can't be good for HDD. As far as booting from my superdrive goes - the DVD seems to be booting{I can hear it working and see the progress (the dots and the drivers loading) in verbose mode}, however at some point it just reboots the laptop with no warning or message, and the whole ordeal repeats. I am desperate and running our of options... could someone please, please, please help? Any clue or tip would be greatly appreciated and will most likely spare me a nervous breakdown.
Am I completely screwed, or just a little? Can this be fixed? For the record, I have no Apple Care, and my 1-year warranty had expired in November. Any suggestions?
Thanks up-front to any kind soul with an answer or just kind words.
Sincerely,
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Re-partitioning a drive without losing data is a very difficult task. The data on the TM drive are, at this point, irreplaceable.
It has been safe and a very common practice on a Mac to be able to add, remove and resize partitions for years. Apple supports it well with Disk Utility, and even for Bootcamp.
Time Machine is just a file/folder on a partition, even if it's only on one partition. The Time Machine drive itself is not special in any way other than it has been set up to work on a Mac with the proper partition scheme and format.
I was just suggesting a way to use the OP's mentioned hardware to perform some sort of test that would prove something, in order to know which step to recommend next. If Disk Utility says it can not create a new partition at the end of a drive, then there are fragments of data in the area and Disk Utility will refuse to resize the first partition to be slightly smaller. The OP can also go buy another drive for the experiment, and also use his brother's drive like *R C-R* mentioned. He can even buy a large USB thumb drive but I don't think he needs to buy anything for a 'test'.
It is also very common for users to create new separate partitions on an existing TM drive for other machines to use. In fact, this is the preferred storage method when sharing TM with different machines because a partition can be easily removed without disturbing adjacent TM backups, it provides for a way to control the size of each machine's TM backup, and because it's much faster to replace a partition instead of trying to delete a TM backup with Finder. These are accepted practices we've learned the hard way.
Going the other way, I routinely set up external 1TB drives for two partitions. The first 750GB partition is for TM, and the second is for a SuperDuper bootable clone. As requirements or user preference for TM or SuperDuper may increase due to larger boot drives or for whatever reason, the second partition can easily be deleted, and the first partition can be safely enlarged, with no data loss.
Now in the case of a drive that is over 85% full or was ever that full, there is a high probability that the second partition can not be created due to files getting copied to the end of the drive. Disk Utility will refuse to change a drive like this.

I Have mac osx 10.5.8 and have tried to update to mac osx snow leopard 10.6.3, but I constantly get the install failed message. What could be the problem?

My imac is currently running mac os x 10.5.8. I've tried to install mac osx snow leopard 10.6.3, but have been unsuccesful because the disc fails to install.
What could be the problem?

noondaywitch wrote:
You should boot from the Installer DVD by holding down the C key during start up until the Apple logo and spinning cog wheel appears. Allow plenty of time for the installer to appear - it can take several minutes when booting from a disc.
I suggest not doing this unless the Apple recommended method (starting by double-clicking on the
Install Mac OS X icon while booted up normally) fails.
There are several reasons for this:
The Apple method performs a check of the DVD's integrity before starting up from it. This can't be done if you start up directly from the DVD.
The Apple method "phones home" using the current OS's network settings to check for updates to the incompatible items database included on the DVD & writes a lot of pre-install data (the 'Mac OS X Install Data' stuff) to the HD before restarting automatically from the DVD to finish the installation. This may not work as expected if you start up directly from the DVD.
The pre-install data on the HD speeds up the installation process (because running the OS from the HD to build the data is faster than doing that while running from a DVD).
The Apple method makes it possible to "gracefully" cancel the installation before the automatic restart occurs without leaving the existing OS on the HD in a corrupted, "half-installed" state unable to restart the Mac. This sometimes happens if the installation process hangs & one has to force-restart the Mac to recover. As long as this occurs during the "pre-install phase" before the restart, the existing OS should remain untouched & intact.
Also note that the Snow Leopard installer is quite a bit more sophisticated than the previous ones like for Leopard or Tiger. It automatically performs the equivalent of Disk Utility's Verify Disk step before beginning the installation & performs more checks during the installation process (including checking the pre-install data for errors). It is usually not necessary to remove the "Mac OS X Install Data" folder after a failed installation, which may just cause the process to take longer on subsequent attempts, but if nothing else helps it is certainly something worth trying.

Minecraft Won't Launch Because of a Java or Root Certificate Error I Started Having When I Put The Install Disk in And Downloaded Mac OSX Snow Leopard

I need help. I recently tried opening Minecraft after re-installing Mac OSX Snow Leopard with the Mac OSX Install DvD and now every time I try to open the internet these stupid certificate errors come up and Minecraft says it can't launch because of a broken/missing root certificate

Hello Shelby,
Thank you so much for the details regarding the issue you are experiencing with the Snow Leopard installation. I recommend following these steps if you are having trouble installing Snow Leopard:
The installation wasn’t successful
If you were unable to install Mac OS X, try the following:
Disconnect any external devices you don’t need during installation.
Remove any cards from manufacturers other than Apple.
Try installing Mac OS X again.
If you were unable to install Mac OS X again, choose Utilities > Disk Utility. Select the disk on which you want to install, click First Aid, and then click Repair Disk. After repairing any problems, quit Disk Utility and then click Continue to try installing again.
If you’re still unable to install Mac OS X, try erasing the disk before installing Mac OS X. Before you erase your disk, try copying your files to an external disk. When you’re ready to erase and reinstall Mac OS X, follow the instructions in the “Restoring your computer to factory settings” section of this document.
I found this on page 7 of the Snow Leopard Installation Instructions:
Snow Leopard Installation Instructions
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Snow_Leopard_Installation_Instructions.pdf
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Sheila M.

Can't Install Snow Leopard on MacBook Pro 2010 15"

Recently my computer has stopped working for one reason or another (i had windows in bootcamp and i removed it, then my Mac OSX lion began playing up). I wiped my disk hoping to install Mac OSX Snow Leopard from the origional disk, and then later windows. I partitioned the disk, installed windows (without the drivers) and then attempted to install Snow Leopard. However, partway through the install (not very far) it just stops and says it cannot instal. A time machine backup with previously worked now does no work and prodices a huge error report. My goal is just to completely wipe my computer and start a fresh with Snow Leopard. Can anyone help?

I've done that, ive reformatted the disk lots of times, but every time it fails on the install.

Macbook Air with no OSX (Mid 2011) ... cannot install Lion nor Snow Leopard

I have a Macbook Air with no OSX (Mid 2011) ... and I cannot install Lion nor Snow Leopard.
I purchased this Macbook Air 13" and found that the OS had been wiped off. Since then I've been able to get the Recovery Disk Assistant to get me into the Recovery Partition on the MBA... but when I try the "Reinstall Mac OS X" from within Mac OS X Utilities, the download fails after 30 sec. and I get the error message, "Could not find installation information for this machine. Contact Apple Care". This MBA is still covered under Apple's Applecare, but the nearest Apple Store is 3 hrs away and from what I've read, they may not be able to help me.
I know all about Build 11A2063 but cannot figure out where or how to get that.
Also, I've tried making a bootable Lion Drive from my Mac Mini onto a flashdrive, but this too did not work on the MBA (I assume because it isn't Build 11A2063).
I have a huge expensive paper weight with no idea of where to go from here. Any help would be much appreciated.

Where did you buy an MBA without an operating system? Was this from another individual who took the liberty to remove the Mac OS X before selling it to you?
You might try calling Apple customer support and have them walk you through the process, as they can figure out just what version of the OS should be on that machine.
http://www.apple.com/contact

I just purchased Mac OSX Snow Leopard Software Version 10.6.3 before I install I would like to know if it will still keep my documents, etc? and not lose them?

I just purchased MAC OSX Snow Leopard Software update to Version 10.6.3. At present my MACBOOKPRO is Mac OS X Version 10.5.8. Since this is the first time I have purchased new software upgrade for my MACBOOKPRO I would like to know before installation if it will keep my documents, etc. intact or would it lose them? Appreciate any help?
Darci13

How to Install OS X Updates Successfully
A. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions:
Boot from your current OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. Then select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger) and/or TechTool Pro (4.5.2 for Tiger) to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
B. Make a Bootable Backup Using Restore Option of Disk Utility:
Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
Select the destination volume from the left side list.
Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
Check the box labeled Erase destination.
Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the external backup drive. Source means the internal startup drive.
C. Important: Please read before installing:
If you have a FireWire hard drive connected, disconnect it before installing the update unless you will boot from this drive and install the update on it. Reconnect it and turn it back on after installation is complete and you've restarted.
You may experience unexpected results if you have installed third-party system software modifications, or if you have modified the operating system through other means. (This does not apply to normal application software installation.)
The installation process should not be interrupted. If a power outage or other interruption occurs during installation, use the standalone installer (see below) from Apple Downloads to update. While the installation is in progress do not use the computer.
D. To upgrade:
Purchase the Snow Leopard Retail DVD.
Boot From The OS X Installer Disc:
Insert OS X Installer Disc into the optical drive.
Restart the computer.
Immediately after the chime press and hold down the "C" key.
Release the key when the spinning gear below the dark gray Apple logo appears.
Wait for installer to finish loading.
E. If updating:
Download and install update(s)
Use Software Update, or
Download standalone updater(s).

Cannot install Mac OSX Snow Leopard on Macbook Pro Unibody with a new SSD

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