Macbook Snow Leopard Install Fails

I have been trying to install Snow Leopard on my cousin's macbook for like 2 weeks. I boot up to the install DVD and run the installation. It goes through the entire process all the way to the end and then I get a message that the installation failed with a restart button under it. I have tried doing disk repair and permission repair with disk utility and then running the installation but it still fails. I am at my wits end, I don't know what else to do. I wanted to do this because my cousin's computer was having issues booting. I couldn't even boot the Leopard 10.5 CD that came with her computer. But when I did the snow leopard dvd it boots up perfectly, it just won't install. She needs a computer and I need to not have to share mine with her because hers is broken. I am the only one in the house with enough know how to fix the computers when the break, so that's why I am fixing her computer. I am about ready to throw her Macbook out the window because I am so frustrated. It is 2 years old and shipped with Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard installed on it. It is newer than mine, which I have had for 3 years. Mine is working perfectly still and it is one of the ones that shipped with Tiger installed. Then I upgraded to Leopard, and then to Snow Leopard. I haven't had a single problem with it. I don't understand why her 2 year old computer is having issues when my 3 year old one is not. Especially when they are both Macbook 13" White laptops and look identical when you don't get a close look at the keys. That is the only difference, her function keys are a bit different than mine, and have the buttons for controlling dvd's on them, like play, pause, and rewind. Mine are just like volume, brightness and stuff like that and just normal function keys. Mine is older, if any of them was going to break it should have been mine, but hers is the one with all the issues. I don't get it! This is her second laptop, her first was a Compaq PC laptop and it got a ton of viruses on it and crashed. I suggested that her parents get her a Macbook because they work better and get far fewer viruses (if any at all) than PC's do and for a wonder, they did. She is always the one with the computer problems. I guess it's because she's a teenager and doesn't always take very good care of her stuff. I just don't know. I do know that I have a huge problem with her laptop and need help!!

It doesn't. It just starts up to the Macintosh Hard drive and doesn't do anything differently because I am holding the D key during start up.
For the D key to work one of two criteria must be met:
1. The HD has a hidden partition on it with the Apple Hardware Test (AHT) on it. Some recent Mac models come from Apple with this HD configuration, most older ones do not. Any drive that has been reformatted will not have the hidden partition.
2. An original grey system disc with the specific version of AHT for that Mac model must be in the optical drive. The disc itself will be marked to indicate that it has the AHT on it.
Retail OS installer discs (Leopard, Snow Leopard, whatever) do not have any version of the AHT on them. The AHT is not an application, it is a tiny operating system. Each version is designed only for specific models; they are not interchangeable.

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Installing Mountain Lion from Snow Leopard, Install failed and HD write-locked

I recently downloaded the mountain lion installer from the App Store and I ran the installer. Stupid person as I am, I did not have any backups for my file and I naively assumed that an apple OS installer would be without flaws. Boy, was I wrong. I need every bytes of my data (or close to every bytes) but the installer failed.
Mid installation, the installer stopped and said that the installation failed and that I need to repair my disk. So I restarted the computer and I ran disk utilities (my start up disk was the OS installer and the installer allows me to run several programs, including terminal, disk utilities, and by the way, when I held option while starting up to see which start up disks I have, I only had the OS installer as the start up disk. Also, the installer allows me to run a program called "Startup Disk" when I click on the apple logo on the top left corner, but it doesn't allow me to startup my computer using Macintosh HD) and noticed that when I highlighted Macintosh HD, my "Repair Disk" button was grayed out. So first things first, I ran the "Verify Disk" button but after a minute or so, Disk Utilities said that verification failed and that Macintosh HD needs to be repaired. But the "repair disk" button is grayed out! So I went to the Mountain Lion installer again and ran it. Of course, it failed again so I restarted the computer.
So I tried to first back up all files in Macintosh HD to an external hard drive using Disk Utilities, and I used features such as "New Image" and "Restore" but they both ended up in "Input/Output error". I tried many methods with Disk Utilities but they resulted in errors.
After some research, I noticed that some people's computers worked after they reset their PRAM. So that's what I did. I held command+option+P+R when computer started up and I reset the PRAM. When the start up disk (which is the OS installer, not the normal operating system) loaded, I was greeted with choose languages option and then I was back in the Mountain Lion installer state. I again ran the installer again, hoping something would be different, but then it was different. But not in a good way. When I was told to choose where I would like to install Mountain Lion, I noticed that Macintosh HD was grayed out. Last time, I was at least able to run the installer but this time, Macintosh HD was grayed out. The installer said that my Macintosh HD was locked. After some research, I learned that apparently, the Mountain Lion installer write-locks Macintosh HD mid installation.
So now I am stuck and I am thinking of two things (plus some questions)
1. I am wondering if there is a way to unlock Macintosh HD. But even if I can unlock Macintosh HD, there is no guarantee that the installer will successfully install Mountain Lion, am I right?
a. so how can I un-write-lock Macintosh HD?
2. More realistically, I am thinking of borrowing someone else's macintosh computer and use it as the backup center. I have a firewire cable and a terrabyte external hard drive. So what I'm thinking is that I'll hook my computer in target mode to my friend's computer and I will also plug in my external hard drive to my friend's computer and then I can download and run Carbon Copy Cloner from my friend's computer to copy all data from my Macintosh HD to my external hard drive. And then I will erase my Macintosh HD, freshly install Mountain Lion onto it and then copy all data back from my external hard drive. But I am not sure about few things.
a. it looks like my Macintosh HD is write-locked. Can I still use Carbon Copy Cloner to copy all data from Macintosh HD (in target mode) to my external hard drive?
b. will my computer allow me to erase (or format) Macintosh HD?
c. will my erased/formatted Macintosh HD able to install + be installed Mountain Lion OS?
If you are here, then you have read my long long problem. Thank you very much and I would really really really appreciate your answers and opinions. Thanks

I'm not sure where you read that about the disk being "write-locked." That doesn't make much sense, given that the major task an installer like this must achieve is writing a whole bunch of files to the hard drive. I think your source was mistaken.
As to what happened, it sounds like your hard drive was badly corrupt to start with, or possibly was on the edge of failing and is now in the process of dying entirely. If you don't have backups of your data, that does not bode well for you, unfortunately. If you can manage to use target mode to copy your data, do that.
Once you're sure you've got all your data, you need to start up from your Snow Leopard install disk and repair the hard drive. (Since it sounds like the Mountain Lion installer didn't work, I wouldn't trust the recovery partition that Mountain Lion installs.) Or, even better, just erase the hard drive entirely and reinstall Snow Leopard. Then, once you're back up and running, with all your data back on the system and with Snow Leopard updated to the most recent version, try installing Mountain Lion again. If any of that fails again, the problem is likely to be a dying hard drive, and you'll need to replace it.

Snow leopard install fails on 17" MacBook Pro

I left the install disk running then came back to see the Apple logo screen - the machine will not boot into OS X of any number. On second try, the installer ran into an error and reported that MacOS cannot be installed on this disk!
I used disk utility to repair disk - it was ok except for a mention that SUID file "system/libray/coreServices/remoteManagement/ARAAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/ARDAAg ent" has been mdodified and will not be repaired. As well, the boot support sections would be made as required.
I then repaired the permissions - there was nothing too out of place there.
I am now making a disk image of my drive incase anything worse happens.
Sure hope I don't have the pain of recovering all my email and setting, passwords and junk from my disk image - should I have to erase to do a "clean install"
I read that Apple recommended installing Snow Leopard over the existing OS .. and cleaned-up detrius from previous installs.
Soundl like I have some trojan in my remote management - or some system fault is interfering with the install.

No, it sounds like you either have corrupted files or a problem with the hard drive.
The SUID message is irrelevant. Unless you are maintaining Windows systems from a Mac you are not even using Apple Remote management. However, the error is not reported by Disk Repair. It would be reported by Permissions Repair. You need to do both:
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
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 Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger and Leopard.) 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 4.1 for Leopard) and/or TechTool Pro (4.6.1 for Leopard) 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.
After you backup I would erase your drive and install Snow from scratch. I would reinstall your third-party software from scratch but avoid third-party add-ons such as contextual menu items, preference panes, startup items, login items, Internet plug-ins, input managers, and the like as some may or are not compatible with Snow.

Snow Leopard Install Failed

Tried installing Snow Leopard on MacBook Pro (Intel Core i5). Drive has been repartitioned, however install fails with message "Install Failed - Mac OS X could not be installed on your computer - The Installer could not copy the necessary support files".
Tried several times but same message each time. Can't even seem to eject disc to check it (although brand new so shouldn't be any problems). Help appreciated...

Restart, holding down the mouse key. That should eject the disc. You might have a faulty install disc. Call Apple.

Macbook Snow Leopard Install Trouble

Just installed Snow Leopard on my macbook. Restarts and all i see is a white screen. I hear SL music and all the audio. Tried reinstalling SL using another comp in target mode.. same results. Wont boot into safe mode
any thoughts...new HHD maybe?

Where did you obtain the Snow Leopard disc? Have you tried reinstalling on the same computer (not using another computer in TDM?) I would do this:
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from the 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. 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.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro 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.
Now continue with the installation. This will not erase the hard drive.

Just got snow leopard install failed now Mac will not boot up?

I got a iPad and snow leopard very excited to use them I try to install leopard and it fails so I turn on the comp to try it again and I get the apple logo then the spinning wheel then it just shuts off and that's all it will do now!
Glad I got the iPad so I could post this!
Anywho I've tried all the command option P+R stuff so any other suggestions would be great!
Thank you

Try inserting the instalation DVD provided by Apple and start the computer while holding the 'c' key down on the keyboard until you hear the DVD spin and some action in the DVD drive. If your mac doesn't start and show something meaningfull then, take it back to the shop it has a hardware problem, or your installation disc has.

Snow Leopard Install Failed on iMac

I have a late 2006 iMac and cannot get SL to install. Every time I try something different I still get the "Could not install the necessary support files" error. Here is what I have tried:
- Clean install of SL on erased drive (including a 7-pass erase), fail.
- Installed Leopard, then upgrade, fail.
- installed Tiger even, then upgrade, fail.
- Thought I had bad DVD, returned it to Apple store, new disk but same problems.
- tried my friend's disk that worked on his MB, failed.
-Per AppleCare rep I reset my SMC and PRAM, tried clean install, failed.
- Hard Drive verification cheks out fone.
- Permissions, fine.
- Apple Care reps now tell me that they are out of ideas and that I should bring it to the store, but I have found that the store "geniuses" are usually NOT that.
The only thing I have not tried is booting from an external drive. Have other iMac users with these problems with SL had success this way? I mean I don't like the fact that anytime I want to reinstall my operating software that I will have to go through this circus.
Any other ideas to try? What has worked for others?
Help!

A 2006 24" iMac should be the same as mine and I installed SL on 2 of them with no problems at all. It's really very weird that you should be having this problem even after reformatting the drive.
Only thing I can think of that might be causing this is hardware problems, most likely the DVD drive is going bad. Or perhaps the motherboard, but I think you would have had many more problems than this if it was the motherboard. You might even have a hard drive going bad, which seems unlikely after doing a 7 pass erase. That will usually isolate any bad blocks.
As someone said you can do a remote install from another Mac if you have one or can get the use of one. You could also try hooking up an external DVD drive and see if that works. Make sure it's firewire, that works much better, but USB 2 should still work if you have no choice. If a remote or external DVD works then it is most likely the the internal DVD.
Kevin

Forgot admin password on MacBook Snow Leopard, Install disc is stuck

Can someone please help - I reset my password to my computer (have no idea why), and I must have hit a wrong key in doing so.
Now, I cannot log in - I installed the Original disc from Apple, and now it is stuck in the laptop.
When I open the computer, the screen I see is the log in box, with my name, but I do not know what key I
mis-typed in the password. Have tried all variations, no luck.
Thank you, SO much, in advance for help.

Are you using a retail 10.6 disk that looks like this?
and not the gray install disks that look like this? The Gray Disks are machine specific and only have the drivers for the Mac that they shipped with.

I have a copy of Windows 7, and I am trying to bring up Boot Camp on my MacBook with Snow Leopard. But my Snow Leopard install disk is too old for Windows 7, so attempted Boot Camp install of drivers fails.

I have a copy of Windows 7, and I am trying to bring up Boot Camp on my MacBook with Snow Leopard. But my Snow Leopard install disk is too old for Windows 7, so attempted Boot Camp install of drivers fails.
I have hand-installed the NVidia graphics driver, and I have keyboard, minimal trackpad, and hardwire to internet all working. So the WIndows machine is usable. But I am hurting for wi-fi, better trackpad, and whatever else is delivered by Boot Camp. I can't use any of the Boot Camp upgrades because I do not have XP or Vista.

While we all have MacBooks in this forum not all of us use Boot Camp. There's a Boot Camp Support Community where everybody uses Boot Camp. You should also post this question there.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/windows_software/boot_camp

My MACBOOK Pro turned out to be Snow Leopard, and later upgraded to LION. And update the EFI, I would like to replace the Snow Leopard, EFI can not boot, how do? How to use the Snow Leopard install disk to reduce EFI?

My MACBOOK Pro turned out to be Snow Leopard, and later upgraded toLION. And update the EFI, I would like to replace the Snow Leopard, EFIcan not boot, how do? How to use the Snow Leopard install disk to reduce EFI?

Do you mean some of your software does not work in Lion? Do you want to return to using Snow Leopard? If so, then do this:
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 have snow leopard installed as an OS. When trying to reboot a MacBook Pro I am getting stuck on grey screen with apple logo and rotating symbol. What can I do?

I have snow leopard installed as an OS. When trying to reboot a MacBook Pro I am getting stuck on grey screen with apple logo and rotating symbol. What can I do?

Maybe this might help.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570

17 inch i7 Macbook Pro Snow leopard install problems

Got my new 17 inch i7 MBP, powered it up everythings fine. So I go to re partition the drive and do a clean system install. Middle of the install it fails. Log file shows it cant read files from the DVD.
So I grab a snow leopard install version 10.6 to install from. It will not boot the mbp i7. It hangs on the apple screen with no activity circle underneath the apple logo. Same for 10.6.2 SL install disc I have.
I then try to install SL to a external drive and update it to 10.6.3. It boots all my non i7 macs here but when I try to boot the i7 mbp it hangs again on the apple screen.
I really want to use the i7 machine and Im dreading waiting on apple to send me mbp 17 replacement disks. I have no problems buying a 10,6,3 version of the SL installer but after my experiences with 10.6 and 10.6.2 and the external disk to upgrade to 10.6.3 I have a feeling the i5/i7 machines need specific installer discs.
Is any one aware of this or run in to it yet ? Thanks.

The only OS installer that will work with your MBP is the one that came with the Mac originally so you will need to wait for a new set.

Can I wipe my hardrive before upgrading my Macbook to OS X 10.6 by using the Snow Leopard install CD?

Can I wipe my hardrive before upgrading my Macbook to OS X 10.6 by using the Snow Leopard install CD? Or do I need I need to wipe my computer from the OS X 10.5 CD that came with the laptop?
In other words. If I purchase the Snow Leopard Software for $29, can I wipe my hard drive first before installing it? Or do I need to wipe my hard drive, reinstall OS X 10.5, and then continue to upgrade to Snow Leopard?

If you want to wipe the drive in Leopard, do it from the install disk. Otherwise do it from you Snow Leopard install disc.

MacBook Pro will not read Snow Leopard install disc.

Trying to install Snow Leopard on daughter's MacBook Pro, which is still on 10.5.8 so that she can install Lion. Her computer refuses to read the Snow Leopard install disc and keeps kicking out the disc.

Are you using a retail 10.6 disk that looks like this?
and not the gray install disks that look like this? The Gray Disks are machine specific and only have the drivers for the Mac that they shipped with.

Macbook, Snow Leopard 10.6.8 Since the last software update Safari 5.1 will not save history. Prefs. are set correctly, reset has been done, appropriage plist has been trashed, now Saf. 5.1 has been re-installed. Still dumps history every time

Macbook, Snow Leopard 10.6.8. Safari 5.1.1
Since the last software update, Safari will not save bookmarks history.
Prefs. are set correctly, Cache has been dumped, reset done, appropriate .plist trashed, and finally an uninstall and clean install done
with 5.1.1 download from the Apple support site.
The problem still exists, making me very suspicious that this is a bug.
Any solutions? Let's hear 'em.

M. Davis:
Thank you for your kind and prompt solution. It is a winner.
Problem solved, again many thanks and a very fine evening/day wherever you
may be.
~Very best.
cwxpro

Macbook Snow Leopard Install Fails

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