Downgrading from Lion on Intel iMac (2008) problems

After upgrading to Lion on our iMac (2008) [Intel Core 2 Duo], which had been originally running 10.6.8, we began experiencing lots of strange problems (intermittent crashes, freezing). On Saturday, the whole computer just shutdown and couldn't be restarted.
I attempted to install a new OS from a Snow Leopard CD purchased when we upgraded from the original software (10.5.2) by first building a new partition (Mac OS Journaled, GUID) and then installing Snow Leopard, but at the very end of the process, got an error message stating the installation failed.
I then went back to the original installation disks that came with the iMac (10.5.2) and did the same process and have been able to get Leopard running. From that point, I thought I could pop the Snow Leopard install CD in and do the upgrade, but got the same error message stating the installation failed.
I'm now back to installing the original OS again (10.5.2), but am unsure how to go about getting Snow Leopard to install. Do I need to go through the software updates to get it up to 10.5.8 before installing Snow Leopard, or has Lion just done some irreparable harm to the system.
At various points during this whole process, I've sometimes been able to boot from the CD from startup by pressing C, but sometimes that fails, and I have to hold down the option key. Sometimes that even fails, and I've had to clear the memory, and restart, going through various iterations just to get the Mac to see the CD.
Any advice on how to get from Leopard to Snow Leopard would be much appreciated. Before Lion was involved, there were no problems in the upgrade process, but now that I'm trying to rebuild, it seems like things are going massively awry.
Also, it seems like the specs on Lion indicate it should be stable on this type of machine, but clearly it isn't. I've read about some incompatabilities with graphics cards (we have a NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS), but I don't know if this was the problem or not. If anyone knows what could have happened with the Lion issue, I would be curious about that too.

After "successfully" installing a version of 10.5.2 onto the iMac, I ran a Verify Permissions and received a long list of Open Error 5 problems, which could not be fixed using the Disk Utility on the Mac itself, nor with a downloaded copy of DiskWarrior. Also, when verifying the hard drive, there was an invalid sibling link error, and it stopped the verification process - there was no option to repair.
I'm a little confused because I started the clean install from the Disk Utility via the installation CD by building what I thought was a "clean" partition.
Is the next step to try and run disk utility from the install CD to try and fix these errors?
I now have a copy of Disk Warrior (downloaded) sitting on another machine and my Time Machine. I'm not sure how these could be useful in the rebuild process, but if so, please let me know.
Thanks so much,
Marie

Similar Messages

  • Password issue when re-instaling Leopard (downgrade from Lion)

    Hi there!
    I'm havig a problem:
    I need to downgrade from Lion to Leopard, because some of the programs i use, dont work on Lion!
    But im havig a problem, after Leopard instalation (and after i erased Lion)... the instalation of Leopard runs with success, but when i have to put user name and password to LOG IN... my password doesnt work! And im sure i only have this password! HELP! Any ideas on how i could reset it some how?
    Without this correct password, i need to restore (from my MAC OX 10.7 backup) my MAC to Lion again, because i just cant LOG IN!!
    I've made the whole process 3 times already!!
    Hope i've explained myself ok.
    Thanks for your help in advance... and sorry about my english!
    Benny

    Well, you cannot do a clean install of Snow Leopard without going through the Setup Assistant. There is an automatic suggestion for the username - typically your first name - and a blank password field you must fill in then confirm by entering a second time. If you did not do that then you have no password. Although this will not impede the ability to log in you cannot change a blank password and you cannot install software with a blank password.
    So you will need to try this:
    How to change your username and/or password from the Terminal
    1. Boot into single-user or verbose mode
    2. At the prompt enter the following commands.  Press RETURN after each:
    fsck -fy
    mount -uw /
    launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.DirectoryServices.plist
    dscl . -passwd /Users/username password
    Replace username with the targeted user and password with the desired password.
    reboot
    This allows you to reset the password in single user mode without booting from the install media.  The above tip is attributed to Satcomer.

  • I recently Downgraded from Lion to Snow Leopard 10.6. How do I update to 10.6.2 or beyond?

    This is the problem... How do I fix that?

    app61 wrote:
    I recently Downgraded from Lion to Snow Leopard 10.6
    How did you do that ?

  • How can I downgrade from Lion to Snow Leopard?

    Hello.
    Yesterday, I upgraded my Mac to Mac OS X (10.7 Lion) from 10.6.8 Snow Leopard. However, I wish to downgrade.
    Obviously, I would like to not lose any data at all. However, I have never downgraded before.
    I still have the Snow Leopard installation disk that came with my Mac.
    How should I do this? I was thinking it would be easiest to simply head on over to an Apple Store...
    I did some research (aka Googling), and I read up on the subject quite a bit.
    If I simply put in the disk, will I be able to downgrade from Lion to Snow Leopard as easily as the upgrade was?
    Also, I have heard about holding down the "C" button to do this... how exactly?
    I have never backed up my Mac, nor used Time Machine.
    Also, is it possible to install Snow Leopard on a separate disk, and set it up so that I can switch between them on command?
    Will all of my preferences be saved, or does this wipe everything, not just the system and libraries folders?
    I realize that I have a lot of questions, and therefore I appreciate everyone's help in advance. Thanks again.
    Sincerely, Zach

    Backup your files.
    Booting From An OS X Installer Disc
    1. Insert Snow Leopard Installer Disc into the optical drive.
    2. Restart the computer.
    3. Immediately after the chime press and hold down the "C" key.
    4. Release the key when the spinning gear below the dark gray Apple logo appears.
    5. Wait for installer to finish loading.
    Erase Drive
    1.  Boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button.  When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
    2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area.  If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing.  SMART info will not be reported  on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
    3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
    4. Upon completion quit DU and return to installer. Install Snow Leopard. Restore your files after the installation has completed.

  • How do I downgrade from Lion to Snow Leopard without losing iWork 09?  I upgraded my MBP from 10.5 (originally 10.4) to 10.6, then again to 10.7.  Should I go back to 10.4, 10.5 or just to 10.6?

    How do I downgrade from Lion to Snow Leopard without losing iWork 09?  I upgraded my MBP from 10.5 (originally 10.4) to 10.6, then again to 10.7.  Should I go back to 10.4, 10.5 or just to 10.6? I don't remember which system included iWork 09 and don't want to lose it. Thanks for any help.

    Thanks for the information!  My sister gave me the MBP for my daughter with Leopard installed.  I purchased Snow Leopard and installed it, then my daughter purchased Lion.  So I do have all the installers.  If iWork wasn't included with any of those, I guess my sister purchased it while running Leopard.  I'll have to contact her.  Thanks again.

  • Setting up a 2011 intel imac 10.6.8 from an 2006 intel imac 10.4.11

    setting up a 2011 intel imac 10.6.8 from an 2006 intel imac 10.4.11

    I am not sure if my  last post was actually posted.
    In short, use Migration Assistant (MA) this is located in Applications - Utilities - MA on the 2011 machine. Then connect either the bootable clone backup EHD you created on the 2006 to the 2011 iMac and follow MA's on screen instrucitons. If you did not have a bootable clone backup then connect either a FireWire to Firewire cable between the two computers or a Firewire to Firewire 800 cable and run MA from the 2011 and follow the on-screen instructions. Read Apple's Move your data to a new Mac - Apple Support and also Pondini's guide located at http://pondini.org/OSX/Setup.html

  • Can I install 10.6 OS X from USB drive? Imac 2008 24"

    Can I install 10.6 OS X from USB drive? Imac 2008 24"

    Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
    You can, but it's a bit difficult because you have to copy the Snow Leopard disc content to a USB drive. There are a lot of pages which have got the steps to install Mac OS X Snow Leopard from the USB drive, like this page > http://www.maciverse.com/install-os-x-snow-leopard-from-usb-flash-drive.html

  • Hi i am having problems connecting to internet using ethernet,in the network diagnostics i get all green,except network settings which is orange.i am running mountain lion on intel imac

    hi i am having problems connecting to internet using ethernet,in the network diagnostics i get all green,except network settings which is orange.i am running mountain lion on intel imac

    hi have done as you said plug ethernet straight into computer and into back of router,and worked straight off,i had the the powerline on extention when imac was up stairs,when i had computer down stairs it still would not work with powerlines even on main wall sockets,so they are getting binned,looks like i will have to move router upstairs,just wondering if i got extention wire from back of openreach box to router upstairs```,would it be ok,,the openreach box is next to my only phone socket in house,which is in back kitchen..any advice would be great,

  • Downgrading from Lion 10.7.5 to Snow Leopard 10.6 w/o Time Machine

    I've been trying to solve this issue for a bit, and would appreciate any fresh perspectives on the issue.
    I recently purchased a 2006 Mac Pro 1.1. It has a dual 2.66Ghz Xeon processor. I'm fairly sure nothing has been customized in the machine hardware-wise, and that it is in the original configuration apple sold it with in 2006.  
    The machine arrived with the Lion 10.7.5 OS on it, which was incompatible with some of the software plug-ins I use for editing audio, so I decided to re-install Snow Leopard 10.6. I inserted my install DVD like I would normally, and was greeted with the error message "OSX cannot be installed on this computer, please use version 23.1.1".
    I checked out the forums, and seeing that this was a common problem (with what seemed like an easy fix), proceeded to try and install anyway. I booted from the DVD by holding "C" on start-up. After booting and asking what i wanted to use as my language, the error message "Mac OSX cannot be installed on this computer" was displayed. Thinking this was another glitch, I clicked "restore from back-up, then managed to use Disk Utility to wipe my HD and zero out the contents. I reformatted my HD to Mac OS Extended Journaled, Re-partitioned it, and then reset my NV or Pram (Command+option+P+R) until i heard the start-up noise twice.
    Next, I restarted the computer, booted it from the disk again, and crossed my fingers it would let me install. No luck.
    I don't have a second mac pro to clone, or a Time Machine back-up from this machine (as it is brand new to me). Furthermore, it's previous owner left me with no restore disks, or usb sticks to even put Lion back on (which i don't want to do anyway, but would at least make the machine functional until i can correctly install 10.6SL). 
    I do have a spare 2009 imac to work with in the meantime, with Snow Leopard, though I'm assuming attempting to clone that drive would screw with the drivers and firmware in the Mac Pro. Are there any tricks to re-install my OS without using a Time Machine back-up or clone? I have the DVD, my machine just doesn't seem to want to install from it. The nearest repair shop is several hours away.
    I'm at a loss for what to try next. Any ideas?

    The following will only work on a Mac that is capable of being booted by a retail Snow Leopard DVD. Fortunately, you can do the following on your model should you prefer. As an alternative you could simply create a second partition on the hard drive and install a fresh copy of Snow Leopard without having to erase the drive.
    Downgrade Lion/Mountain Lion to Snow Leopard
      1. Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer Disc. After the installer
          loads select your language and click on the Continue
          button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the
          Utilities menu.
      2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the
          mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status
          of the drive in DU's status area.  If it does not say "Verified" then
          the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing.  SMART
          info will not be reported  on external drives. Otherwise, click on
          the Partition tab in the DU main window.
      3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions
          from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS
          Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the
          partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on
          the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
      4. Quit DU and return to the installer. Install Snow Leopard.
    This will erase the whole drive so be sure to backup your files if you don't have a backup already. If you have performed a TM backup using Lion be aware that you cannot restore from that backup in Snow Leopard (see below.) I suggest you make a separate backup using Carbon Copy Cloner.
    If you have Snow Leopard Time Machine backups, do a full system restore per #14 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions.  If you have subsequent backups from Lion, you can restore newer items selectively, via the "Star Wars" display, per #15 there, but be careful; some Snow Leopard apps may not work with the Lion/Mountain Lion files.

  • Migrating from a 20" Intel iMac to a 24"... any gotcha's?

    I want to buy a new 24" iMac, mainly for the increased speed and Firewire 800 port. I have to make the switch from one machine to the other quickly. A few questions...
    Any know problems moving 3rd party app's using the Migration Assistant? How about with Apple app's such as FCS, iTunes (actually iTunes was hosed during the last upgrade so this isn't critical). Microsoft locks certain programs to the CPU S/N and system configuration in a Windows environment; same true on the iMac? After the migration, what's left on the source (20") computer; i.e. when the Migration Assistant moves programs to the new computer does it delete them from the old computer? I plan to sue my existing 20" Cinema display as the 2nd monitor with the 24" iMac. Any scaling problems? Basically, are there any gotcha's I should be aware of before spending all that money?
    (This is my second posting of these questions. The original seems to have disappeared. If this ends up being a duplicate, my apologies.)
     20" Intel iMac + Cinema Display + Sony HDR-HC7 HD camera   Mac OS X (10.4.10)   All tools, no talent!

    I simply took the FW400 HDD containing my most recent backup of my old computer, connected it to the new computer, booted to this drive, then did a 'backup' from from it to the internal HDD of the new computer. Once completed, I booted to the new computer and the job was done.
    Interesting... when I tried Apple's approach I also got stuck around 6 hours into the process. I tried twice and finally gave up. The SuperDuper approach was fast and worked the first time I tried it. I should add the SuperDuper folks told me this wouldn't work, but I figured, worst case, I'd have to rebuild the new computer's boot drive from the supplied disks. Fortunately this wasn't necessary.
    Message was edited by: transco

  • Intel iMac sleep problem, need help !

    My 17" Intel iMac has sleep problem past few days.
    I use the Ctrl+Eject on the keyboard to put my iMac to sleep and it only needs 3 to 5 sec before.
    But now I use same method, it got 30 sec. to sleep; same result thru Apple menu>sleep.
    Used Onyx & repair permissions, still no change.
    Anyone know what's the problem, how to fix it?
    Plz help!
    Thx!

    Danlam,
    A simple SMC (System Management Controller) reset is known to resolve a lot of sleep/wake related issues.
    Here's how to do the reset:
    - From the Apple menu, choose Shut Down (or if the computer is not responding, hold the power button until it turns off).
    - Unplug all cables from the computer, including the power cord and any display cables.
    - Wait at least 15 seconds.
    - Plug the power cord back in, making sure the power button is not being pressed at the time.
    -Then reconnect your keyboard and mouse to the computer.
    - Press the power button on the back to start up your computer.
    Follow this link to the Apple Article that describes the SMC and how to reset it in more detail: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303446
    Hope this helps you out.

  • New intel iMac 20" problems...please advise.

    I just purchased my first Mac last week. It is a 20" Intel iMac Core Duo with 2 gigs of RAM (apple RAM installed on site). After a day of use I began to have random kernel panics. Later, my system would shut down after two hours of use. I reset the SMC and that did the trick for 3 days. Now the top of the unit near the camera is getting hot and when I boot up from a shut down, the system does not boot to the desktop... it boots right into sleep mode, then takes about 15 to 20 minutes to wake from sleep mode where it goes into a couple of restatrs. Over the phone assistance has not been able to diagnose the problem and hardware tests all indicate that there are no problems. Furthermore, my work hours make it realy difficult for me to schedule time with a genius. I switched from a pc to a mac because I was tired of the problems with my pcs, but I am having far more trouble with my mac.

    I will call apple when I get home. I have apple care for three years. The tech support has been good, but they are worried about the heat eminating from the area by the camera. Sadly, all the techs at my local apple store tell me that they are unfamiliar with the new intel iMac core duo and don't know what else to do. To top it all off, there was a popping sound from my mac and the the sound went out. I toggled the volume on the keyboard and the sound came back. I was told over the phone that I have to make an appointment with a genius to look at my system, but that they would only replace it if necessary. Sadly, my work schedule does not permit this. I wish I could just walk in and get the blasted thing replaced.

  • Downgrading from Lion to 10.6.8?

    Is it possible to downgrade after installing Lion back to 10.6.8? As of last night I installed Lion onto my MBP 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (mid-2007) and my laptops performance has basically gone to **** due to Lion trying to use up all my active memory and I'd much rather go back to Snow Leopard where everything ran smoothly and I didn't have to deal with Lion's sluggish performance.

    Back to Snow Leopard from Lion install method
    Read and print out these instructions, your computer is going to be offline and you wil be cutoff from help until your machine is restored.
    Clear the Desktop, Downloads and Trash of anything you wish to keep by placing their files in the respective Documents, Music, Pictures, Movie folders.
    If you have a TimeMachine drive, update it and disconnect for the duration of this restore time. It will be your second backup system and will have to be wiped and setup again after successfully going back to Snow Leopard if it was connected to the OS X 10.7 boot drive. If it wasn't, then leave it disconnected without updating to Lion.
    Backup ALL your Users folders (Documents, Pictures, Movies, Music etc) manually (drag and drop methods) to a (not TimeMachine) external powered drive (HFS+ journaled formatted in Disk Utility) and disconnect, your going to be wiping the entire disk of ALL DATA. (warning, everything will be gone and not recovered)
    Here we go!
    Hold c and boot off the 10.6 installer disk that comes with your computer and second screen in just STOP.
    Look at the Utilities Menu for Disk Utility.
    On the left is the name of your hard drive maker, click it and Erase (format HFS+ Journaled), give it the same name as before, and click Erase...
    This should wipe the drive of ALL partitions (GUID, OS X and 10.7 Recovery, Windows if present)
    When it's done, quit and install OS X 10.6. Then install all your programs from fresh sources and validate/update.
    When you setup a first account, use the same user name as before, this way you can simply drag and drop the content of your previous Users folders from the external drive right back into the new Users folders and everything should work peachy. Links in iTunes to music, playlists and iPhoto links especially.
    Update OS X to 10.6.8 using the Combo Update for best results.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1399
    (Note: If your original machine had 10.5 and you want the free iLife that comes with the disks with the computer, then you'll have to install 10.5 first using the same c boot/erase/format methods as above, then update to 10.6 via the disk, then Combo Update 10.6.8)
    Final step optional but highly receommended.
    A lot of people use a Carbon Copy Clone of their boot drive to a HFS+Journaled external drive as a "hold the option key" bootable backup in case something goes wrong with their boot drive or need to restore to a previous OS X version..  (in addition to TimeMachine drive for more immediate backups.)
    It's not advised to have a Bootable Clone and a TimeMachine partition on the same external drive, as two drives gives hardware protection in case one fails.

  • Downgrading from Lion w/o having SL Installation DVD?

    After two month of using Lion I am so disappointed that I would like to downgrade to Snow Leopard. I bought a new iMAC in Oct 2011 with Lion pre-installed. I know that the mid 2011 iMac model has been delivered with Snow Leopard before Lion was released and published.
    I do not have any SL Installation DVD. Can I buy just a standard Snow Leopard DVD set or do I have to find someone which has the original SL Installation DVD delivered with the mid 2011 iMac model before Lion was released.
    Would be great if someone can provide help. Thanks.
    Regards,

    Downgrade Lion to Snow Leopard
    1.  Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button.  When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
    2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area.  If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing.  SMART info will not be reported  on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
    3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
    4. Quit DU and return to the installer. Install Snow Leopard.
    This will erase the whole drive so be sure to backup your files if you don't have a backup already. If you have performed a TM backup using Lion be aware that you cannot restore from that backup in Snow Leopard (see below.) I suggest you make a separate backup using Carbon Copy Cloner 3.4.1.
    If you have Snow Leopard Time Machine backups, do a full system restore per #14 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions.  If you have subsequent backups from Lion, you can restore newer items selectively, via the "Star Wars" display, per #15 there, but be careful; some Snow Leopard apps may not work with the Lion files.
    You will have to purchase a retail Snow Leopard DVD that installs a version of OS X later than the version that was originally installed from the factory. According to my information that was 10.6.6. If you cannot find a Snow Leopard DVD that installs 10.6.6 or later then you will have to order replacement discs from Apple. I suggest you do that anyway because those discs also have the installers for all the pre-bundled software that came with the computer along with the Apple Hardware Test. None of that will be on the retail DVD.

  • Intel Imac display problems

    I have an old intel imac (17 inch white screen) bought just over 5 years ago.  The imac has just 'died', the screen will not display anything.  It will chime on starting up and I can hear activity but nothing displays on the screen.
    I returned it to my local Apple store, upon investigation they said the graphics card had gone (£500 to replace) so I bought a brand new iMac a few days ago.
    All of my data is backed to up an external hard drive.
    I run a database programme on the old iMac called 4D, which has a huge amount of data stored in it (all backed up).
    I have installed the most current version of 4D on my new Imac, but it will not open the data on my back-up (error message: data cannot be published).
    I have installed my old original version of 4D from my original bought CDs, but again it will not read the data.
    The guy in the Apple shop gave me instructions on how to link my old 'dead' iMac, to my MacBook Pro via a Firewire cable, and using Target Disc Mode, I should be able to access the dead iMac hard drive on my MacBook ... have just tried this and the dead iMac hard drive will not show up on my MacBook.  It does not appear on the desktop as suggested by the guy in the Apple shop, nor does it show up in System Preferences > Start Up Disk as an alternative disc to boot from.
    What I need to do is access the 4D database on the dead imac, so that I can export the data as a text file, to put into a new application on my new iMac.
    Althought the data is backed up to the external hard drive, it is backed up 'in the database' ...  and I need to EXPORT the data, which I cannot do unless I can open the database ... which I can't !
    I'm going round in circles with this, so if anyone can please point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated.
    Many thanks
    Rock of Ages.

    make sure you execute the instructions for target disk mode properly, because your screen is dead and you won't see the icon displayed.
    see here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/8443.html
    you may have to hold the T longer on the deadhead mac.

Maybe you are looking for