Cannot intall Mac OS X on this disk.

The installer has a red triangle with an exclamation point over a disk and says Mac OS X cannot be installed on that disk. It says the computer cannot start up from that volume.
Why could that be?

There are several reasons why that may happen. Is that disk external? If so, is it FireWire? For your Mac, the external drive cannot be USB. Also, is it formatted as HFS+ (Mac OS Extended); it will not work if the external drive has a PC format.

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  • Error Saying I Cannot Install Mac OS X On This Computer?

    Hey,
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    Well I inserted the DVD and booted from it, and after I select language it is telling me that I cannot install Mac OS X on this computer and to read the instructions for system requirements.
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    amsgator wrote:
    Hey,
    I've been having a lot of issues with Leopard and all the 2.2 issues going around. I went to the apple store and he told me to use a retail DVD instead of the ones that came with my computer, since it appears only the 2.2 Macbooks are having the issue.
    Well I inserted the DVD and booted from it, and after I select language it is telling me that I cannot install Mac OS X on this computer and to read the instructions for system requirements.
    It has me completely baffled. Does anyone know why this would be? I tried with the disks my computer came with and it would work, so I completely erased the hard drive, and then tried installing from a bootable copy on my external hard drive. Same problem again.... It makes no sense to me, as he was able to install a copy on my computer at the store from his external drive (which he said was a regular retail copy, nothing special). Also, this is not the upgrade disk mailed out in November, it is the actual retail copy.
    Any and all help will be greatly appreciated!
    I would bring the computer and DVD to the store and show them the problem. Let Apple take care of it.

  • You cannot install Mac OS X on this volume

    Hi,
    A while ago I made this post (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=448726&tstart=0) asking for post-new-harddrive installation help. I have just installed an 80GB hard drive into a iBook G3 tangerine clamshell.
    It was suggested in the above post that I partition my hard drive so that the first partition had less than 8 GBs. I did this - the first partition currently has 6.9 GBs free. The other partition has 67.4 GB free.
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    (Also, be advised... I am a total novice at this). Your help and suggestions are greatly appreciated!
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    Hi Deb,
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    In the meantime, it seems that I might have found a solution to the problem. It seems that a restart is required after the drive is partitioned, whereupon Panther recognizes the newly partitioned disk.
    After the restart, Panther recognized both volumes and let me proceed with the installation. We'll see if things work out (installing Panther now).
    Thank you for your help!
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  • Mac OS X cannot be installed on "Macintosh HD"  This disk is used for Time Machine backups-can you help in layman terms?

    I know there are discussions out there regarding this but my system is 10.5.8, I know how to turn the computer on and run some programs but understanding partitions, etc...forget it.  I have programs on my computer I don't want to lose, images in photoshop that, if lost, I would kill myself so please help me in basic English terms...what the heck do I need to do to update to OS X so I can feel inferior again when I update to OS 7?

    Somehow, your internal HD got selected as the destination for TM backups, perhaps long ago.
    That left a Backups.backupdb folder at the top level of your internal HD.
    All you need to do is open your internal HD (probably named Macintosh HD) via the Finder, locate and delete that folder.

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    Hi,
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  • "cannot install Mac OS X on this volume."

    I've been trying to install a fresh copy of 10.4.6 from a family pack onto one of two freshly-partitioned HD's, one with a jumper set to Master position, the other to Slave. The System Profiler shows my pair of Seagate ATA drives as usual, with one at "disk0s1" and the other "disk1s1". But the Installer won't let me. It says what I've got written in the subject line, and insists neither of these can be can be a startup volume.
    This has got me stumped. I've installed numerous new and used HDs into a whole gamut of Macs, and various editions of OS X, through 10.5, but never seen this.
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    Hard to tell if it's the Install Disc, the HD, or the Optical Dive, but...
    1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc that came with your computer, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
    2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
    *Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
    3. Click the Erase tab.
    4. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
    5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
    6. Highlight the drive, select Partition Tab, then Format type... MacOS Extended Journalled, select the Security Options button, choose Zero Out Data, Erase... after completion hopefully you'll be able to install.
    Don't know how knowing disk couldn't be verified would help...don't bother trying to install, I guess...?
    That reads the Install Disk to see if it reads correctly.
    I do have 512 MB of RAM, so that wouldn't be it.
    Correct, but imho, 512 MB will be painful with Tier, I'd go for 2 GB if you intend to use it for that, CL2 is only $5 a stick more than the CL3...
    http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/133SD5123282/
    http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/133SD512328/

  • Cannot install mountain lion keep getting "This disk is used for Time Machine backups" when trying to install, HELP!!!

    Ok i currently have Lion on my early 2011 15" MBP. When i try to install Mountain Lion to my mac HD it keeps telling me I cannot because its used for time machine backups. I have done a search and I know I have to delete the backups.backupdb folder but I cannot find it for the life of me. If anyone can help I would really appreciate, thanks!
    Nik

    If you double-click on your hard drive icon the Backups.backupd folder should be on the root level of your drive. Sometimes OS X gets confused and incorrectly puts a Backups.backupd folder on your hard drive. That folder should only appear on a drive used for Time Machine
    If you can't find the Backups.backupd folder try using the free EasyFind with both Package Contents and Invisible Files & Folders checked. Search for "Backups.backupd" without the quotes on your hard drive (default selection), not your Time Machine drive. Right-click on the search result and choose to Reveal in Finder. Click on the link that kisuke3 provided and follow those directions
    If you can't find a Backups.backupd folder anywhere try booting into Safe Mode by holding down the Shift key right after you hear the startup chime. Keep holding the Shift key down until you see the Apple Logo. The progress bar that appears indicates the progress of the file check that Safe Mode automatically does. Give it time to finish.
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  • HT5022 i have Mac Os 10.8.2, when intall the airport utility, it still says "airport port utility cannot be installed on this disk. the version of Mac OS on this disk is not supported?

    Hi, I am new comer of Apple products.
    I have a Imac (OS 10.8.2) and just bought a Time Capsule (2T).  I have trouble to install it.
    anyone here could help me?
    I have downloaded the untility 5.6, during the installation, the message "the version of Mac OS X on this disk is not supported".
    what I should do next.
    thanks

    You have Airport 6 right in the Utilities folder already.
    5.6 will not install in ML after the upgrade to ML.

  • Problem  "Can not install Mac OS X on this computer"

    Trying to upgrade from 10.2.8 to 10.4 (with a CDROM not DVD) on a G4.
    Plenty of memory, hard drive, and processor speed.
    Will not complete "Computer Check"
    Keep getting error "Can not install Mac OS X on this computer"
    Mac on line support FAQ said this
    *+Computer check+*
    *+The Mac OS X Installer makes sure your computer can use the version of Mac OS X you're trying to install.+*
    *+Troubleshooting tip: If you see a message that you cannot install Mac OS X on this computer, even though it should work with Mac OS X, you may need to install a firmware update. Restart your computer from the hard drive and install the latest firmware available for your computer.+*
    Well I tried all of this, firmware update said I already had the most up to date firmware installed. So I am stuck and need a little advice...
    PLEASE HELP!!!

    Welcome To  Discussions skatam1!
    Additional info in these links.
    Using OS X Install CDs/DVDs On Multiple Macs
    What's A Computer Specific Mac OS X Release
    Software Update, Upgrade: What's The Difference?
    You should contact the vendor, and request a refund, or an exchange for a Full Retail Version, of the Tiger Install DVD.
    If that is not an option, advise if you would like purchasing information.
    Be sure not to, again accept grey, upgrade or machine specific CDs or DVDs.
    The discs should look exactly like the images in the above links, and not say Upgrade, CPU Drop-in DVD, or "This software is part of a hardware bundle purchase - not to be sold seperately." on them.
    If your Mac doesn’t have a built-in DVD-ROM player, you will have to use an alternative method of installation.
    Info here Installing Tiger Without A DVD Drive.
    And here Installing Tiger Using Firewire Target Disk Mode.
    The Tiger Media Exchange Program, referred to in those articles, is no longer available.
    ali b

  • Can Not Install Mac OS X on this computer (MacBook)

    Puzzles me: Brand new refurb. MacBook with 10.5 installed.
    Repartitioned the drive to get two partitions and tried to use my Full Retail OS 10.5 disk to re-install.
    Get error after the language selection: cannot install Mac OS X on this computer...
    Same thing if I restart with an external drive and try to install from the retail disk to the MacBook's drive. I just can't imagine why I need to use the included machine specific disks instead of the retail version. I know it works if I take the drive out and mount it via FireWire to another Mac.
    So what gives?

    Your other answer had probably in the sentence.
    I looked but could not find it so, as I remember, when Leopard retail came out with all the drivers and libraries for both PPC and Intel and some users were trying to install Tiger on new Leopard MacBooks and, like me, other cross installs, Apple released a short note that said only the install disk would work on the MacBook, not the retail. No reason was given. You have a better life because of it and your computing life is richer too.
    Research Apple Partition Map and GUID. Do what you know works.

  • Mac OS X cannot be installed on "Macintosh HD", because this disk cannot be used to start up your computer

    I have a macbook pro with snow leopard on it. I am giving it away to a family members, but would like to erase the disk before giving it away. When I put my snow leopard dvd in, and click "install", I get a screen asking me to select the hard drive to install on. When I click the only one listed: "Macintosh HD", I get the message:
    Mac OS X cannot be installed on "Macintosh HD", because this disk cannot be used to start your computer
    If I try to boot from the dvd, my mac just hangs on the gray screen that shows the apple logo. Basically I put the dvd in, shut down the computer, when I turn it on, I hold the "C" key, and it just hangs.
    How should I go about erasing everything on the computer, and re-installing the OS, I just want it to look like it did when it came from the factory. Any help would be much appreciated.
    Note: I lost my original install dvd, so I called Apple and asked for a replacement, they charged me $20 and sent the Snow Leopard disk that I am using as my replacement.
    Thanks.

    It's possible you got a disk from Apple you can't use. What you should have gotten were gray disks based on the Mac's serial number so you would get disks which were identical to the ones it came with.
    If the disk you received has a picture of a Snow Leopard on it, then they sent you a 10.6.3 retail disk, which will not have any of the bundled iLife apps on it.
    Much more important is the point release. If your Mac originally came with 10.6.4 or some later point release of Snow Leopard, then 10.6.3 will not install on that Mac. The necessary hardware drivers are not on the retail disk.

  • HT5022 10.8.4 is throwing an error with this software: "Airport Utility cannot be installed on this disk. The version of Mac OS X on this volume is not supported"

    10.8.4 is throwing an error with this software: "Airport Utility cannot be installed on this disk. The version of Mac OS X on this volume is not supported"

    You are trying to install a version of Airport Utility earlier than 6.0, correct? If so see the following: Installing the Old AirPort Utility (Version 5.6) on Mountain Lion | frank.is.

  • "Mac OS X cannot be installed on 'Macintosh HD'. This disk is used for Time Machine backups."

    I am trying to upgrade our MacBook to Snow Leopard, but when prompted to select which hard drive to install on and "Macintosh HD" is selected, the following message generates: "Mac OS X cannot be instaled on  'Macintosh HD'. This disk is used for Time Machine backups."
    I disabled Time Machine switched it "off," put it in the trash can, then "Secure Emptied" the trash can. I also rebooted. Then I connected an external hard drive thinking that might help, but for some reason I still cannot proceed with the Snow Leopard upgrade because "the disk is used for Time Machine backups."
    WHAT is the DEAL!?

    It doesn't sound like an upgrade would work very well anyway. Make sure you have a good backup and repartition the startup volume. Then install Snow Leopard onto the hard drive and migrate your old users and applications.

  • Can't install MAC OS X Lion - Macintosh HD "This disk cannot be used to start up your computer."

    I downloaded OS X Lion this morning and when I went to install it I got a "Screen - Select the disk where you want to install OS X."  -- Had two disk my Macintosh HD and my Time Machine (both are 1TB).  The top and most important is the Macintosh HD (999.86GB - 739.75GB available states "This disk cannot be used to start up your computer".  What do I need to do to install OS X Lion?

    Create a Backup Lion Bootable 10.7  Disk
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    Inside the Contents folder that     appears you will find a SharedSupport folder and inside the     SharedSupport folder you will find the “InstallESD.dmg.” This is     the Lion boot disc image we have all been waiting for.
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