How to revert back to Snow Leopard from Lion?

Foolishly I just jumped straight in, downloaded Lion and installed it, and well... I really don't like it. It's not a patch on SL.
So I'm trying to work out the best way of reverting back to Snow Leopard.
I have:
My Snow Leopard install disc.
A SuperDuper, bootable backup from 48 hours pre-upgrade.
A Time Machine backup from 48 hours pre-upgrade.
I'm fairly sure that just putting the SL install disc in, isn't going to work.
I think I have a couple of options.
1. Erase the hard drive completely, and then do a fresh SL install, then restore the last TM backup.
2. Boot from the SuperDuper backup, then restore the last TM backup.
I'd prefer option 1, as this gives me a clean install (I hope).
Before I go ahead, can anyone:
a) See any problems with carrying this out, or
b) Suggest a better, safer method?
I'm a bit concerned that SL was an upgrade to an existing OS, rather than a complete OS in itself, so I'm very wary of what might happen if I wipe the drive then put the disc in, hoping it'll give me a nice new version of SL. Might need to go and do a bit more reading up.
Thanks.

For ref.
Dragged and dropped copies of important files (Docs, Pictures, Downloads, Movies etc) to a spare drive.
Printed off any docs that I absolutely could not afford to lose.
Shut down Mac.
Attached USB drive with SuperDuper backup, and powered up drive.
Powered up Mac, and immediately pressed the option key.
From the window that popped up, chose my USB drive as the boot disk and pressed return.
Mac powered up running Snow Leopard from USB drive.
Started Disk Utility, and erased the disk labelled 250.06 GB Fujitsu.... etc In the 'name' field, entered 'Macintosh HD'
Started up SuperDuper! and copied my backup over Macintosh HD.
Incidentally, the first step it took was to erase Macintosh HD anyway, so I could probably have skipped the first erase.
Let SuperDuper! do it's thing for 90 mins.
Once it had completed, closed the machine down (it wouldn't let me eject the USB drive, as presumably it was still using that as the boot disc).
Detached and powered off USB drive.
Pressed Mac power button and crossed fingers...
And goodbye annoying Lion, hello again, good old Snow Leopard!
Didn't even need to restore the last Time Machine backup.
I may take another look at Lion again, further down the road, when hopefully Apple will have realised that OS X and iOS are two completely different animals, and that we don't all want our Macs behaving like our iPads.
For now though, I'm sticking with SL.

Similar Messages

Can I revert back to Snow Leopard from Lion?

Hey guys,
Last night i upgraded to Lion. Have since found out my Focusrite 24 DSP audio interface wont work with Lion (No Drivers yet).... can i simply re-install Leopard from the install discs that came with my imac until such time as drivers become available for my hardware, then re-install Lion? Can this be done without clearing my entire hard-drive and starting again?
Cheers
Sean

mscys wrote:
If you have a complete Time Machine backup of your previous Snow Leopard system, going back to SL is really quite easy.
Just boot from the Lion Recovery partition (option key at startup) and choose to restore from Time Machine backup. (You'll be able to see your last dated and identified SL backup, even if you'd already been using TM with Lion.) It will erase the drive for you and restore a bootable SL. No DVD required.
Works great.
(If you don't have a complete TM backup, then you'll have to wipe the drive, install SL and updates, then use Migration Assistant to bring over your partial TM backup, ie: does not include system and apps.)
Thanks very much for this. I've just restored Snow Leopard from Time Machine, and it only took 30 mins. Worked perfectly. Now I have an OS that works properly (hooray!).
Bob.

How do I revert back to Snow Leopard from OS Lion without losing files etc

I need to revert back as my work VPN cannot operate with the java cocoa version that is part of safari due to the OS Lion upgrade I performed. I have done a ton of work on my system in the last week and don't want to lose any of it - and no I didn't use time machine. HOw much am I going to lose when I uninstall Lion and then reinstall Leopard?
Thank so much for your help,
cmw

First, do a full backup of your current system.
Reformat your hard drive's main partition that you want to revert to Snow Leopard from Lion. This will delete EVERYTHING on the partition, which is why you need to do the backup first.
Reinstall Snow Leopard from the installer media you own.
Download then install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Combo Updater.
Run Software Update repeatedly until there are no updates left to install.
Reinstall all your third-party applications.
Connect the backup you made of the Lion system and copy over your data. You should only have to copy over the files you know about within your own user account folder.
If you do this right, you'll have everything back in Snow Leopard with no loss. If you do it wrong, well, that's another reason we made a backup all the way back in the beginning of this process - you can always start over.

Can I revert back to Snow Leopard from Mountain Lyon ?

Since updateing to Snow leopard my computer has become very slow. The nice man at the White Cathedral said it was because of the age of my computer (bought 2007) and he wouldn't advice me to update to this level. I now wish to revert back to Snow Leopard. Is it Possible and how do you do it. I have a complete Time Machine backup on an external drive.
My computer is an iMac, 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 4GB SDRAM.

Thanks to everyone for their help. It would appear that I want be able to access my documents from the Mountain Lion Time Machine backup disk after I have reverted to Snow Leopard. I guess I'm just stuck with a very slow machine.

How to switch back to snow leopard from mavericks

My macbook takes forever to lauch and many applications crash when i use them.
i need my laptop to run as fast as it used too before mavericks.
im not a professional concerning computer so i need step by step instructions on how to switch back to snow leopard.
Please help me !!!

See this User Tip > https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6161

How do I recover apps after switching back to Snow Leopard from Lion?

I upgraded to Lion, had problems with it, then went back to Snow Leopard. I now have no mail app, safari or app store app. I have downloaded all software updates and am at a loss as to what is next. Please help!

I wrote a user tip here how to revert your machine to 10.6
How to revert your Mac to Snow Leopard
However I don't use Mail, so I don't know how you can bring back the emails to 10.6.
Sometimes you can redownload them from the server again, or perhaps you can export the emails out of 10.7 mail in plain text or something and save them as text files.
If you use Mail to show the headers too, then "select all" and copy and paste (a lot of work)
Another method would be to swtich hard drives, put a new one in the machine and install 10.6. fresh on it.
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/
How to erase and install Snow Leopard 10.6
Take the old internal drive and put it into a USB enclosure with it's own power supply (or cheaper SATA to USB adapter), you then can hold the option key down and select the 10.7 drive to boot from to access the old emails in Mail like before.
BTW, I totally agreee with you about 10.7 and 10.8.

How do i downgrade back to snow leopard from Lion?

Having installed Lion on my MBP I have realised there are too many incompatibilities for me to work effectively at present.
How do I downgrade back to Snow Leopard without losing data?
I have a full TimeMachine backup and OS X disc that came with the machine. I am concerned that email data has been converted.
When will we see Lion work with all MS Office Apps, AutoCAD and SL Server?
h

https://discussions.apple.com/message/15706096#15706096

How do I move back to Snow Leopard from Lion if Lion came on the computer?

I have a 27" iMac that came with Lion on it. I want to go back to Snow Leopard so that some of the old software that I liked can be used again. I do not use apps, do not have an iphone or ipad, would never put information in to a Cloud, so Lion aor Mountain Lion are not for me. Is there a way to go back to Snow Leopard and still have the ability to upgrade should I change my mind?

Install Snow Leopard into Parallels in Lion:
[click on image to enlarge]
Full installation instructions are here:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1365439

Help.. i want to go back to snow leopard from lion

if I reinstall snow leopard and restore my latest backup from my time capsule will it leave snow leopard or will it restore lion? I don’t like how lion has slowed down my system so i want to go back to snow leopard and restore my latest files. here's what i got:
Hardware Overview:
Model Name:          MacBook Pro
Model Identifier:          MacBookPro8,1
Processor Name:          Intel Core i5
Processor Speed:          2.3 GHz
Number of Processors:          1
Total Number of Cores:          2
L2 Cache (per Core):          256 KB
L3 Cache:          3 MB
Memory:          4 GB
Boot ROM Version:          MBP81.0047.B0E

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.

Back to Snow Leopard from Lion

How can I remove OS Lion from my 17" Intel iMac and go back to Snow Leopard. I have many documents and forms that I cannot open which are used in two different settings - a farm market and a social club - which I need and made with Appleworks. Cannot open them. Can't open anything I did on '09 Pages either. I bought 2011 Microsoft Office, but it would take me months to make over several years worth of forms and documents. PLUS - I don't like LION and the ways that it makes my computer act. I am 75, have been using Apple computers since 1987, and am fairly proficient BUT I don't want to learn a lot of new stuff as far as motions, etc., just to get done what I could do quite well before. I have both the magic mouse and the magic pad and both of them drive me crazy. I am spending more time trying to figure out how to get rid of little icons following the cursor around than I am getting actual work done. What used to be simple has become annoying and difficult!! Lion is no improvement as far as getting real work done as far as I can see.
HOW DO I REMOVE THIS ANIMAL? HELP!!!

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.

I'd like to go back to Snow Leopard from Lion.What should I look out for?

I downloaded OS X Lion from the Mac App Store back in February, and I'm getting sick of Lion so I'd like to go back to Snow Leopard. I have the install disc. Will all of my files be used in Snow Leopard, or will I have to save all of them?

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.

Can i do a time machine back to snow leopard from Lion?

After hearing lots of good and bad about Lion, i've re-considered paying the 29 and doing an upgrade. Mostly because of the full screen two finger swipe feature.
would you agree that feature alone is worth the upgrade?
if i didn't like it, could i do a time machine back to snow leopard no problem? I don't have any installation discs.
Thanks for your feedback.

Lion has lots of good features, but the trouble is it has lost nice features too. You can ONLY tell what you think after a week or so of use.
"Going Back To Snow Leopard" is a LOT of work - you will have to use the DVD install disk that came with your computer to erase Lion and install SL from scratch. That means saving your valuables in SL first (Time Machine or some other external drive export like Carbon Copy Cloner). It takes hours of your day, but can be done.
Lion needs a lot of care (adjustments) to make it behave the way you like it - it is REALLY different at first, but there are ways to make it behave a LOT more like SL by tweaking options in System Preferences and so on. It also takes hours to index - leave your machine on for 24 hours after you first install Lion - it will speed up a lot quicker that way.

How can I go back to Snow Leopard from lion without loosing files, etc.?

I recently downloaded Mac OS X Lion, but I can't stand it. I've heard you can't get a refund from the app store but I'm not sure how that works and I'd realy like my money back. Also, if I do downgrade, I'm not sure how to back up my files. I have music, documents, and pictures I don't want to lose. I don't have time machine. I have a usb but I'm not sure if it is capable of holding music from itunes? Other than that I'm not sure how else to back up things. I realize I have a lot of questions and I'm not exactly well informed with this stuff so any help would be greatly appreciated (:

See Kappy's going back to SL from Lion guide and Bombich's Get Ready for Lion tutorial.

Going back to Snow Leopard from Lion

I Just bought a Refurbished Macbook from Apple(2.4GHz Core 2 Duo). It came with Lion loaded on it, but I want to downgrade it to Snow Leopard so I can run Quickbooks and Office '04, but It won't let me restart to my Leopard or Snow Leopard disc. Is it possible to drop it down to a previous OS or is this not allowed?
I've erased hard drives and reinstalled OS's in the past, so I'm familier with the process, but it's not letting me. Does anyone know if this is possible?

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.
Note that this will only work on computer models that do not require Lion (Lion did not come pre-installed when new) and requires a version of Snow Leopard compatible with the model, e.g., you cannot install 10.6.3 on a model that requires 10.6.4.

How do I uninstall Snow Leopard Server, so that I can revert back to Snow Leopard?

I was experimenting with the Snow Leopard Server DVD on my MacBook Pro running Snow Leopard. I started the installation process, expecting that it would not install on the Startup Disk, as I had not booted from the DVD.
To my surprise it installed!
How do I "uninstall" or revert back to Snow Leopard, without have to take such drastic steps that I would lose all of my Snow Leopard System folder contents (such as doing a wipe and starting over with a fresh Snow Leopard install)? Thank you.

I assume by "back up your data" you mean a Time Machine backup?
Preferably, yes.
I have a BootCamp partition to run Windows; does Time Machine back that up, too?
No, but it won't be affected unless something goes wrong. You still need to back it up, of course, just like all other data.

How to revert back to Snow Leopard from Lion?

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