Leopard on MacBook Pro using Macbook discs?

I recently purchased a Macbook Pro Core2 Duo Intel 1.86ghz from eBay. It's been gently used, and works ok, but I'm thinking of upgrading the hard drive from an 80 gb to a 250+ gb [ newegg ]. However, the seller did not include the Leopard install disc. It's on the system, so I have to assume it's legit; however, I'd like to have the install media. I've found an auction for someone who no longer needs the recovery discs for a Macbook.
My main question: *Are the recoveries so different that they couldn't be used? * Sadly, I'm a new Mac convert.
Had an LCII in college during the early 90's, and have been a windows person for work reasons ever since (and I'll still maintain dual citizenship as a Windows and Mac person), so I'm just now getting up to speed on OS X.
Thanks in advance, and cry pardon if this isn't quite the right forum for my question.

Recovery discs are machine dependent. If you purchase those specifically for your model they will work fine but will only install the version of OS X that came originally with the machine. In the case of your model that will be a version of Tiger. For Leopard you will need to purchase a retail copy or contact the vendor from who you purchased the computer and ask that they send you the Leopard installer DVD which they should have in the first place.

Similar Messages

Time to install Leopard on MB Pro, using install DVD to migrate

hey folks, wondering how long it takes to migrate from 10.4.11 to Leopard using the install DVD. I have a brand new MB Pro. I installed Leapord, using the Leopard DVD, and started the install process. It has been 'stuck' at the Apple and 'activity flash' for over an hour now. I believe this is 'grey screen' others have referenced, but my situation is that I am stuck on that screen and can't find a way past it. It won't do anything else, and the DVD is spinning but it sure looks 'stuck' to me. I looked through the troubleshooting pages, but don't see a hit for this one. Is there a way to break this process or am I just impatient ? 1.5 hours and counting so far for the 'install'.

MACBOOKPROROX wrote:
Hello, I was able to get past the screen that gives you different install options. I could have selected 'install options' and there was another box below that, but I don't recall what the name of that was. I selected the 'basic/main install' option from that screen. After I selected that option, from the screen, the system appeared to reboot, and that is where I have been ever since. I did not see a DVD self-check, but I would think that would have happened before it allowed me to select the installation option/method, which was the basic/main option, which is the top right on the install DVD, (just above the install options).
At this point, the system appears to be 'stuck' on the grey screen that displays the Apple and the flashing activity, and you can hear the DVD spinning, but there is NO dialogue, interactivity or status display at all (other than the activity flash, below the Apple) , which is what is making me think it is hung or stuck. When you did your installs for Leopard, did you see any status or messages during the installations ? Thanks.
You are probably safe, in the sense that if you did not see the DVD selfcheck screen, it did nothing
At worst, simply hold down the start/stop button and abort the install.
I suspect that your DVD is dirty.
Hold down the mouse button or trackpad bar while restarting to eject the DVD and see if the system boots back into Tiger, which is should, if you did not see that selfcheck screen.
Post back what happens.

Why won't my original Tiger discs boot on my Macbook Pro, and why can't I reinstall Snow Leopard using other discs?

I have 17" MacBook Pro 3,1 I am trying to reformat so I can sell (I recently bought a 2011 MBP). I had upgraded the OS to Snow Leopard, but the original discs are for Tiger. Of course, now I'm searching high and low for my Snow Leopard upgrade disc, but can't find it. I decided to try and boot from the Tiger discs, but when I did, all I got was a screen that looked like a blizzard of pixels. I was able to boot using the Snow Leopard disc from both my new MBP and my girlfriends MB, but both said that OS X could not be installed on this computer, and I couldn't even use the disc utility to wipe the drive.
After reading a few of the questions on here, I went to my hardware overview to double check the product line for the computer. When I did, I found that my serial number is missing. Apple recently replaced the logic board in the computer (the nVidia graphics card melted, so nVidia floated the bill, even though the computer was long out of Apple Care), so I'm wondering if that's why my serial number is missing. Do I need to have a serial number to reinstall OS X? Am I in deep deep trouble?
I appreciate any and all help, thank you all in advance!

Pyralus wrote:
I decided to try and boot from the Tiger discs, but when I did, all I got was a screen that looked like a blizzard of pixels.
The firmware was likely changed and it's not compatible anymore or the disk is bad.
I was able to boot using the Snow Leopard disc from both my new MBP and my girlfriends MB, but both said that OS X could not be installed on this computer, and I couldn't even use the disc utility to wipe the drive.
Those disks don't have the hardware drivers your machine needs.
Your going to need to get a Snow Leopard retail install disk from Amazon/elsewhere.
Do I need to have a serial number to reinstall OS X?
Thankfully No.

Can i install windows 7 via bootcamp (MB Air) while using remote disc? I put the windows 7 disk in my macbook pro drive, and connect to my brand new macbook air. In bootcamp i allocate the partition then i click install and bootcamp will not see the disk.

Can i install windows 7 via bootcamp (on my MB Air) while using remote disc? I put the windows 7 disk in my macbook pro drive, and connect to my brand new macbook air via remote disk. In bootcamp (on my air) i allocate the partition, then i click install, and bootcamp will not see the disk from my macbook pro's drive. How do i get the bootcamp assistant running on my MB air to automatically find the disk in my macbook pro with the ISO image of windows 7? The remote disk on my air can find the cd but bootcamp will not begin installing it. Anyway to do this without buying the damned usb drive?

I don't know first hand if you can use the Remote Disk option with Windows but as of 10.7.2 you can now use BCAssistant to make a bootable USB (thumb drive or external disk) W7 installer with the Boot Camp drivers installed also. Have you tried that yet?

We are having old home movies put on DVD's. How do we import them to MacBook Pro using Snow Leopard and iMovie 8.0.6. Can watch the video, but can't get it to import.

We are having old home movies put on DVD's. How do we import them to MacBook pro using Snow Leopard and iMovie 8.0.6? Can watch the movies on the laptop, but they will not import.

We took 3 video cassette 8mm that were recorded in the early 90's to a place that burned the videos onto 3 DVDs. When inserted to our Mac, the DVD player comes on to play the DVD. Opened Quicktime, but can find no way to import. Went to File>Open File>Sony_DVD_Recorder_Volume. Clicked on Sony_DVD-Recorder_Volume and it shows a file named VIDEO_TS. Clicked on that and 6 files showed VIDEO_TS.BUP, VTS_01-0.BUP, VTS_01_0.IFO, VTS-01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB, VTS_01_3.VOB. Where is DVDxDV?

I own PSE 10 installed on my MacBook Pro. Can I use the disc to install it on new iMac?

Have PSE 10 installed on my MacBook Pro. Can I use the discs to install it on my new iMac? also considering PSE 11 and Lightroom 4. Comments?

Yes you can install it on your new Macintosh. If it does not have an optical drive then you can copy the contents of the installation media to a USB drive and then install the software from there.

How to install Snow Leopard on Macbook Pro? keep getting msg- cannot install Internal HD is used for Time Machine- this was reset to external HD and still get msg?

How to install Snow Leopard on Macbook Pro? keep getting msg- cannot install Internal HD is used for Time Machine- this was reset to external HD and still get msg?

At some point, your internal HD was selected for use as Time Machine backups, and a Backups.backupdb folder was created at the top level. So OSX thinks you're trying to install it on the same drive as your backups.
Open your internal HD with the Finder (you won't find it via a Spotlight or Finder search) and delete that folder.

Ikeep getting a message that my start up disc is full and i don't know how to free up space.. also when i o to download some files i am told there is no space left to download i bought this macbook pro used an receiver no discs.. what can i do?? t

ikeep getting a message that my start up disc is full and i don't know how to free up space.. also when i o to download some files i am told there is no space left to download i bought this macbook pro used an receiver no discs.. what can i do??

You need to purchase an external drive and start moving some files to it or you can try trashing some files that you no longer need.
Download OmniDiskSweeper and see where your larger files are... you can move them to an external drive or trash them: it's up to you.
I would also begin, since it's obviously don't have backups, a backup scheme or two. See Most commonly used backup methods.
Good luck,
Clinton

I bought Snow Leopard and my MacBook Pro rejects the disc. Trying to upgrade from Leopard in order to upgrade to Lion. Why is the disc being rejected before it even shows on the desktop?

Snow Leopard Update. I bought the updated but my computer - a MacBook Pro - rejects the disc befoe anything appears on the desktop. I am trying tp upgrade from Leopard to Lion. Does anyone know why this might be happening?
Thanks

You need to check to see if your machine can handle Lion, it needs 4GB and a Intel Core 2 Duo or better.
Download the free MacTracker and see more specifics of everything.
http://mactracker.ca/
Next, you must realize that your Rosetta PPC based programs will not operate under Lion, likely you will have to buy all new programs.
If you machine is dated, a lot of the trackpad gesture features you won't have.
Check the source of all your third party sofftware and hardware drivers for scanners, all-in-one's and the like to make sure they work or there are updates, or upgrades available and how much.
http://roaringapps.com/apps:table
IDEALLY, it's best to backup files and then "fresh install" Snow Leopard clean, then upgrade to Lion.
Also you should make a option bootable clone of Snow Leopard on a external drive, this will allow you to return if something doesn't work.
You can learn all of this and more at my exhaustive post here, enjoy.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/16276201#16276201

Can I use a Macbook Pro 17" installation disc in a Macbook Pro 15"?

I cannot find my MBP 15" installation disc, as I need to format my computer.
I did find the 17" MBP discs though.
Am I able to use these safely?
The 17" is a few years newer than my 15" though.

Rocksully wrote:
Ive used the "Disc Utility" to check my hard drive for errors.
It states to restart the macbook with the original discs and utilize the Disc Utility from there as my hard drive needs repair.
If you start your Mac in "safe mode" (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455), OS X will run the equivalent of a Disk Utility "repair disk" operation.

Can't install Snow Leopard on Macbook Pro MC700 - 3 beeps after installer starts.

can't install Snow Leopard on Macbook Pro MC700 - 3 beeps after installer starts (10.6.3 retail). Lion installer starts normally. What's a problem?

I have the same trouble, I try installing rEFI but when I try start my Pro from DVD doesn't recognize.
Can I start from USB Memory? with files from SL DVD? or have some thing else?
I have original DVD of SL 10.6.3, if I buy the latest stable version, can I install? or the EFI firmware with Lion change again?
I try to use Lion, more than one week but I can't, and some app that I use for my profession, doesn't work, I really need downgrade to SL.
Really Thanks for any help.
Pablo

The certificate on my applications install DVD has expired. I am unable to reinstall with this dvd on my snow leopard on macbook pro. Pl help.

The certificate on my applications install DVD for bundled software has expired. I am unable to reinstall with this dvd on my snow leopard on macbook pro. Pl help. If I use Lion, it works fine with the expired certificate. But doesnt work with snowleopard.

Create a DMG file of your DVD (instructions here: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-DMG-File-on-a-Mac).
Then follow the instructions here: http://managingosx.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/fixing-packages-with-expired-signatu res/

Cannot install Windows XP Professional on my MacBook Pro using Boot Camp.

Cannot install Windows XP Professional on my MacBook Pro using Boot Camp. When I get to the point of inserting the Windows disc and clicking 'Install' at the Boot Camp Assistant screen, it keeps telling me that it cannot find the Install Disc. The installation disc I am using is a new full install disc. I have tried to do the same thing using a Windows 7 disc with the same results. Does anyone have any answers. I am getting desperate!

saturnotaku wrote:
Csound1 wrote:
Windows XP is not supported, install Windows 7 or 8.
Reading the entire post is your friend:
I have tried to do the same thing using a Windows 7 disc with the same results.
Perhaps you could offer a suggestion then.

Install OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard on MacBook Pro problems

Hi all,
     About early November, I upgraded my MacBook Pro (Mid 2009) but failed to restart it. The spin sign stayed there for a very long time and nothing happened more.
     So I decided to reinstall the OS X 10.6 with a CD ordered from Apple with the MacBook Pro, but the installation stopped and reported failure after a few minutes. Then, I tried to format the hard disk (Toshiba 250G), but it reported either "Input/output error" or "Could not allocate memory". I thought my hard disk may be broken, I bought a new one (Hitachi 750G) but still can not format the disk with same errors.
     After search related topic in the community, I took the internal hard disk out and mount on my Desktop (Mac Pro, OS X 10.5.8) through USB port, I could format both the hard disks (Toshiba 250G & Hitachi 750G). I followed one instruction about "Installing Snow Leopard onto an External Hard Drive" (Dan Hinckley, Maciverse) and installed the OS X 10.6 on one hard disk (Hitachi 750G) through my Desktop Optical Driver (Booted on the DVD).
     I mounted the hard disk (Hitachi 750G) on my MacBook Pro and could run the system. Then I decided to move this external hard disk into my MacBook Pro as an internal hard disk, however, when the MacBook Pro started, it showed a STOP sign (one circle with an oblique line) and several quick flashes of Apple icon, then reported some error messages like below (I list some of them),
   "Panic CPU0 Caller", "Unable to find driver for this platform", "SourceCache Debugger Called", etc.
     What shall I do next,
      1 Install the OS X 10.6 one more time when the hard disk (Hitachi 750G) inside my MacBook Pro, booting from DVD through Optical Driver.
      2 Get the hard disk (Hitachi 750G) out and mount as USB external again and update to higher version of OS X (but which version?).
      3 Other suggestions?
Thank you!
Bart

I purchased a Macbook Pro on Nov 2 2011 which was pre-installed with Lion and I'm trying to install Snow Leopard on it. It won't recognise my SL Install Disc at all and just hangs so I wiped the drive and attempted to start up from a bootable SL memory stick. I got an audible alarm from the Macbook Pro which would only stop when I restarted the computer. I had to re-install Lion from a Time Machine back up via the internal recovery disk. I'm pretty sure that late 2011 MBP will not take SL but I'm waiting for a Firewire 400 to 800 cable to arrive so I can try to wipe the internal drive entirely and install via Target Disk mode. I'm not hopeful but I gotta try as I need Snow Leopard to run Pro Tools and other programs. If only I'd bought it before October 24th this wouldn't be happening!!!!!!!!!!

Cannot install snow leopard in macbook pro early 2011. disk is rejected. what do I do?

Unable to install snow leopard in macbook pro early 2011. When I put in the disk, the computer does not accept it. What can I do?

lord1908,
some Early 2011 MacBook Pros originally came with Snow Leopard installed, and some originally came with Lion installed. If yours originally came with Snow Leopard installed, then you should be able to install Snow Leopard from its model-specific grey Mac OS X Install DVD. (The white retail Snow Leopard DVD can’t be used with it; it was made for use with earlier models, which originally came with either Tiger or Leopard installed.) If yours originally came with Lion installed, then it won’t accept any Snow Leopard DVD; instead, you’d be able to use OS X Internet Recovery to download and install its original version of Lion from Apple’s servers.

MacBook Pro stopped reading discs, ejects them

I bought this MacBook Pro in December of '08 (referbished, but from the apple website) and shortly after had a problem with the drive not reading discs and making odd noises. Took it in and they replaced it under the 90 day warranty. I haven't used the disc drive in at least a year or more now, but when I tried to recently it would act like it was reading the disc with nothing showing up. After a minute it ejects the disc. I've tried at least a dozen different discs that all work fine on my other computer and my MacBook Pro spits them all out.
Obviously I no longer have this thing under warranty, being 4 years old, so is there anything I can try to do without spending $400 I don't have for ANOTHER new optical drive? All of my software is up to date.
Also, if it comes to replacing the drive again, is there any way that I might get it free since this is a recurring problem with a refurbished laptop? I know it's a longshot, but worth asking.

I'm not sure where you come up with the $400 figure unless you are including some very expensive labor. A replacement drive should not cost more than about $100. They can be user installed and does not require any exotic tools. (I have done it)
Have you tried a little cleaning of the drive. Often a DVD cleaning disk can clean a dusty lens and make it function. Not having used it a long time does not mean that dust has not seeped in during that period. I have also heard that judicious use of compressed air will clean the lens.
It never hurts to ask but your chances of getting a new drive for free are about as good as getting palm trees to grow in Antarctica.
Ciao.

Leopard on MacBook Pro using Macbook discs?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for