MBP Unable to Install Snow Leopard on New Hard Drive

I recently had a hardware failure on a my MBP drive and had to purchase a new one for replacement. I purchased a 320GB Western Digital Scorpio Blue and installed it. I booted from the Snow Leopard disc, and proceeded to do a clean install.
I tried several times, but I continue to receive a "Install Failed" message right as it seems to be completing. I've formatted with Disk Utility from the boot CD as well as via target disk mode. I created a GUID partition, Mac OS Extended Journaled. Didn't work. I also ran Disk Warrior on it via target disk mode. Nothing.
Although it took several hours, I was able to run the Snow Leopard install disc from my MacPro and install it on my MBP with was connected via target disk mode. The install completed successfully, but the MBP will not boot now. I've held the "D" key to force booting from the startup disk, but it either freezes or gives me a kernel panic. Ideas?

From the date you joined the Discussions, (June 2009), I'm wondering if your computer shipped with Leopard (10.5.x) or Snow Leopard (10.6.x)?
If it came with Leopard, you need to boot from the original OS disk(s) that shipped with your computer and do the hard drive install from that version, then do the upgrade.

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Installing snow leopard on new hard drive - disc not seen or found

I can't provide too many details right now as my hard drive is out, and I'm trying to reinstall an operating system.
Problem: Installed a new hard drive purchased from reputable repair store. Last installation disc I have is OS X Snow Leopard. When I get to the point to choose where to install it, it is not seeing the new hard drive. I've double checked that the wires/bar connecting the actual hard drive are snug. Could there be another problem? Something to do with Lion? I've read several forums, but to no avail....
Computer: Macbook Pro unibody. Probably mid 2009.
OS X: The last one before Maverick... 10.8.5
The reason I am putting in a new hard drive is that my computer was having trouble starting up or unexpectedly crashing, although I could do a Safe start or Diagnostic (d). So, on the old hard drive, I did PRAM reset, and Disk Utility, but could not run the Apple Hardware Test, so I took it in. There is a little issue with battery not being full, but they did not think that was causing the problem, and that it was probably a hard drive issue. With the new harddrive... they suggested trying to download an OS from linking to another computer by firewire.... The other computer, (Macbook 2 GHx intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB 10067 MHZ DDR3, OS 10.8.5) does not have a firewire, but does have thunderport, so I tried doing a Target start to reboot... but Macbook Pro did not read the 2nd computer (Macbook). Then I found my old Snow Leopard disk and here I am...

If the repair store installed the drive, I'd take it back and let them make it work. Take your Snow Leopard DVD also.

Snow Leopard and new hard drive

I want to install a new hard drive in my MacBook and then restore from Time Machine. After I install the new hard drive do I have to reboot from the original OS X disk that came with my MacBook or can I just use the new Snow Leopard disk and restore from time machine?
If I can't reboot right from the Snow Leopard Disk would I have to restore from the original disk, then install Snow Leopard and then restore from time machine?

not sure where & how to start a conversation with you but here it is: bought a time capsule 2 weeks agao... tried to handle the whole thing by myself... however can't access hte message that says "which disk would you like to save your files too?" it just won't make that step... yet the green light is on... I did put snow leopard on... another thing don't see my time capsule in the finder left column??? any great ideas? can't wait to start with my TC... thnak you

How to install Snow Leopard onto external hard drive.

I'm currently running on 10.5.8, and I just bought the Snow Leopard installation disc to update to 10.6.3.
My mac has been running on an external hard drive for about a year. The internal just stopped working.
I want to install Snow Leopard onto my external hard drive, but all of my files are on there, and I read that if I do the install, all of the data will be erased.
If I used time machine to back up the files before I do the install, are they at risk of being erased, since they will be back-uped on the external?
This is probably super obvious, but I want to be very careful with this.
Any help is very much appreciated!
^__^

1. The data won't be erased unless a problem occurs.
2. The Time Machine backup should be on a different drive, as drives can fail.
(92634)

Install snow leopard from external hard drive-terminal problems!

hi everybody ,
i have a big problem :s
wanted to restore and getting "Restore Failure Could not find any scan information... then i've followed some terminal commands..finished restoring and couldn't boot cause i only find Macintosh HD when i use "alt option" when i restart my macbook pro and even if i go to "startup Disk" i can find my partition of the external hard drive but when i click on it nd do retart it's can't boot ...another thing is tht m having a slow start and it's ask for my Password (i've no problem with password it just doesn't ask me to enter it before and i have internet and server failure)
Due to terminal commands?? :((
Plz help :s

"How to install Snow Leopard from an External Hard Drive"
* Launch Disk Utility
* Select the External Firewire/USB device that you want to use as the boot drive for the upgrade
* Click “Partition” from the menu options
* Select 1 Partition, then click “Options” below the partition scheme
* Select the top option for “GUID Partition Table” – it MUST be GUID to be bootable!
* Click OK to create the GUID partition (this will reformat the drive, ie: all data is lost)
* Next, click the “Restore” tab within Disk Utility
* Select your newly made Snow Leopard 10.6 Install DVD image and restore this image to the GUID partition you just created OR…
* Alternatively, you can select the Snow Leopard Install DVD and restore directly from the DVD to the GUID partition
* After the restoration is complete, your GUID partition will now be bootable by Mac OS X!
* Reboot the Mac holding down the “Option” key to pull up the boot loader, select the Snow Leopard install drive you just created rather than your default Mac OS hard drive
* Install Snow Leopard as usual!
Hope this helps!

After installing snow leopard my external hard drive won't show up on screen or backup

Afer installing leopard my external hard drive won't show up on my desk top. It also won't backup my hard drive with time machine. I need help.

Try going to finder preferences, general, make sure show these items on desktop external disks is clicked. You can also go to sidebar (same pane) and click it there so it will show when you open your HD. Time Machine>system preferences>time machine>turn it off click select disk, make sure the correct disk is selected, the turn TM back on. Hope this helps.

Installing Snow Leopard on New Lion formatted macbook pro

I just purchased a new 15" macbook pro and it came with lion. I need to revert back to snow leopard for a couple of my programs because they aren't currently supported. When I try to boot from the snow leopard disc to add a partition to my hard drive, my laptop beats and will not boot. I installed snow leopard on a different hard drive and swapped it out for the lion formatted one, same result when I try to start, it beeps. When I try to install snow leopard on an external drive I get this error "You can't use this version of the application Install Mac OS X with this version of Mac OS X. You have Install Mac OS X 23.1.1" Any ideas of how I can get snow leopard installed? Thanks!

Sure! A picture is worth a thousand words:
Start up the Target Mac (the one you want to install Snow Leopard on) while holding T. Plug it into another "Helper" Mac using a FireWire cable. Insert the Snow Leopard installer DVD into the Helper Mac, then restart and hold C.
Now you should be able to go through the Snow Leopard installer as normal, but make sure to choose the Target Mac volume as the install destination.
Immediately after installing, download the Mac OS X 10.6.8 combo updater on the Helper Mac and install it to the Target Mac while it's still connected via Firewire. Once that's done, restart the Target Mac on its own, and it should be ready to go!

Had to get new hard disk for my macbook. After installing snow leopard on new HD the computer only connects to free wifi at certain places and not others. Took it to genius bar (of course it worked find there!) they said it was fine. Not!

Had to get new hard disk for my macbook. After installing snow leopard on new HD the computer only connects to free wifi at certain places and not others. Took it to genius bar (of course it worked find there!) they said it was fine. But problem persist.

Hi there ricalimo,
I would recommend taking a look at the troubleshooting steps in the article below. If the issue is location specific, than you may want to save the article so you can perform troubleshooting when you are experiencing trouble.
Wi-Fi: How to troubleshoot Wi-Fi connectivity
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4628
-Griff W.

Unable to install Snow Leopard via disk or USB drive

I have a white MacBook bought in the summer of 2008. A few weeks ago, I attempted to install Snow Leopard and got a disk error (the one where it tells you to clean the disk and start again). I returned the disk, got a replacement, tried again and got the same message. At that point, I called Apple, and the person I talked to concluded that the problem was my optical drive rather than the disk. The optical drive was replaced a year ago under warranty, and it works fine with everything but Snow Leopard. Then I decided to try to install Snow Leopard from a USB drive instead. Everything worked fine until it was restoring Snow Leopard from the CD to the USB drive (I was doing this through Disk Utility), and I got the message Restore Failure Input/Output Error. I don't know if this means that the disk is screwed up after all or that this is a different version of the same problem with my optical drive. I'm really not sure where to go next. I don't need Snow Leopard, but I'd like to be able to update, and I'm not sure what my next step is. My MacBook is my only computer, and I am reluctant to leave it for several days to have the optical drive fixed yet again, if, in fact, that's the problem. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Understood that you don't want to leave your Mac for several days to have it fixed, but ultimately this is something you probably will need to do unless you are willing to buy an external optical drive.
The failure error message probably means the optical drive is defective, although there is some small chance you got two defective DVD's in a row. If you have an Apple Store in your area, take the MacBook & the DVD in & ask them to check both. They should be willing to help you install Snow Leopard by an alternate method even if your optical drive is the problem.

I can't install Snow leopard on my hard disk which has 10.4.11 on and lots of space.

I can't install Snow leopard on my hard disk which has 10.4.11 on it and lots of space, I run the snow Leopard install disk and it says it cant be installed on my hard disk, which has 160 GB of space.

Which iMac? If it's a G5, the highest OS you can run is Leopard. Are you using the full retail copy of Snow, or a grey, machine specific disc from another computer? If it's the latter, that's the reason.
Message was edited by: WZZZ

How to install and reconfigure a new hard drive?

How to install and reconfigure a new hard drive?
I installed a new hard drive from best buy for my "vintage" MacBook laptop. When I turned on the laptop and the flashing folder appeared, I need help?
I looked online for some clues. I put in the software disk I received when I bought the disk but I cannot select a destination volume to install the software. I tired to partition the drive within disk utility but there was an input/output error. Should I just plug in my external hard drive and hope everything reboots like magic ?
Thank you for any help you can give

How to replace or upgrade a drive in a laptop
Step One: Repair 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, Leopard or Snow 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.
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.
Step Two: Remove the old drive and install the new drive. Place the old drive in an external USB enclosure. You can buy one at OWC who is also a good vendor for drives.
Step Three: Boot from the external drive. Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager appears. Select the icon for the external drive then click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Step Four: New Hard Drive Preparation
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. After DU loads select your new 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. 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. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
Step Five: Clone the old drive to the new drive
1. Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
4. Check the box labeled Erase destination.
5. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
6. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
7. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the new internal drive. Source means the old external drive.
Step Six: Open the Startup Disk preferences and select the new internal volume. Click on the Restart button. You should boot from the new drive. Eject the external drive and disconnect it from the computer.

MBP 5.5 can't see my new Hard drive

MBP 5.5 can't see my new Hard drive even though its running Mavericks off the new Hard Drive through a usb cradle

I've seen suffienct posts on this site to not argue about the problems with SATA cables, however it sounds like what you're saying is that the SATA cable is bandwidth limited. The types of things I remember reading about are actual breaks in the cable, rendering it useless for all drives, or the insulation wearing off. In the latter, it's on units where the cable crosses over an optical drive and starts intermittently shorting out on the case. If this happens the user typically gets data corruption, but the drive is usually seen and visible.
On the other hand, I do software development and we have to be able to boot numerous versions of MacOS. For reasons known only to God (and Apple, I hope) once in a while the NVRAM seems to get mixed up and ends up being unable to see the boot drive. Doing the resets always corrects the problem.
I wouldn't dismiss your recommendation of replacing the cable, but the resets are free and easily done.
Another freebee to try would be to hold down the "alt' key before powering on the unit, turn on the power, and then, while holding down the alt key, see if the drive shows up as a bootable drive. This will only work if there's an OS installed on the drive.
In my opinion, it's always best to try the free things before going out and buying anything.

Imac problems loading snow leopard and reformatting hard drive so its fresh

hello im currently running a 2.8 Ghz intel core 2 duo i mac i have apparently downloaded the new snow leopard but my hard drives are all funky i have a 500gb internal and a 1tb external but neither seem to be responding to the new update ?

Does the hard drive appear in finder (on your desktop)? If not, does it appear in Disk Utility (
/Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility.app)? What was the format of the hard drive?

How to install Windows 7 on new hard drive?

I have changed the old hard drive (500 gb) with a new hard dirve (1 Tera), and now I have two problems: -
1. How do I install Windows 7 on new hard drive?
2. My laptop was pre-installed Windows 7 Pro, but all the DVD kit (Application & Drives Recivery Disc + Operating System Revocer), which was provided (by Lenovo) for the laptop is in the Windows 8 Pro. So how do I install Windows 7 Pro, in my laptop while all DVD kits are in Windows 8 Pro?
by the way this is my laptop spec (for reference) ; -
* Note *
I plan to install Windows 7 Pro in my new hard drive using another Windows 7 DVD (Not DVD provided by Lenovo), but how do I get all the Leveno program which found within the 'Application & Drives Recivery' disc (such as ; - Lenovo System Health and Diagnostics, Lenovo Power Control,Lenovo's Fingerprint Reader) to install in that hard drive? (as I tell you before, all the DVD kit is in or only for Windows 8 Pro)
I hope somebody will help me answer my question,
Thank You
Solved!
Go to Solution.

I got the solution;
Answer to question 1 ; using a backup & recovery software to clone my current OS, then transfer to my new hard drive.
Answer to question 2 ; download all the Drivers and software ( all the application that located on the DVD kit that I have) on Lenovo Official Website.
or other solution, send it to a computer service shop and let the experts ( the workers) install it for me ( the most simple and safe way).

Any ideas on how I install Lion on a new hard drive

Any ideas on how I might install Lion on a new hard drive when I purchased the OS online from Apple prior to my hard drive failing? I don't have a disk.

when you install your new drive, what happens? it should boot into internet recovery and you setup from there.
does it not do that?
here is an article about how to force internet recover http://www.cultofmac.com/106669/force-lion-to-start-internet-recovery-on-your-20 11-or-later-mac-os-x-tips/
here is apple literature about the recovery partition (if you had a hard drive) http://www.apple.com/osx/recovery/
here is a do it yourself downloader that makes a usb stick the recovery disk. If you have data on the usb drive I would back it up, as this will erase everything else on the thumb drive. http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1433

MBP Unable to Install Snow Leopard on New Hard Drive

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