Re-download Lion from clean Snow Leopard install

My hard drive and back up drive both died at the same time. Aside from that fiasco, I've now reinstalled Snow Leopard on my new hard drive and want to re-install my previously purchased Lion on it. There are many posts that indicated that all you need to do is hold down the option key while selecting to buy it from the App Store, but since this is not being done from Lion, I only get the option to re-purchase it. I can't believe they wouldn't have an option for re-downloading it when it's clearly tied to my Apple ID. Any ideas?

Thanks for the quick response. Unfortunately there is nothing listed for Lion. All my other apps are there. When I try to use the Option key and click on purchases or the Lion purchase button it only wants me to actually purchase it again for the full price. Its as though it was tied to the physical drive that is dead instead of my Applie ID.

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Why am I getting a white screen after downloading to OSX Mountain lion from OSX Snow Leopard. What caused this?

I just upgraded to OSX Mountain Lion from OSX Snow Leopard, thinking this was the thing to do. I have NEVER had any problems with Snow Leopard, but
after just a few days after downloading OSX Mountain Lion when I turned the computer on, the screen was white. Stayed white. I had to go onto another
computer to find out what to do. What caused this and will this happen again?

Did you see a circle made of light grey hash marks in the center/bottom of the screen? My iMac is 5 years old and for every update until 10.8.2 I would get the same white screen and the first few times I paniced and thought the machine was broken! Just let it play out until the desktop comes back up and it should not do it again until you do a system update.

Clean Snow Leopard Install yields the Welcome Video to loop continuously

Has anyone seen this before?
Mac Mini (MA468LL/A) with a clean Snow Leopard Install. After I kicked off the install, I returned an hour later to find the Welcome Video looping continuously. There is a brief moment at the beginning (or end of the video) when I can move the mouse on the screen with a grey background.
Now, no keyboard combo's work at bootup. I can't boot to the DVD again, I can't clear the NVRAM, etc. I can eject the DVD, but only when the unit is looping the video.
Any help would be appreciated, Please!
PS - The only thing different from a typical install was this - I deleted the previous Leopard partition using the the Disk Utilities.
Message was edited by: GordonInCleveland

Welcome to Apple Discussions.
After ejecting the DVD and shutting down your Mac, can you restart normally? If so, then you could wipe the partition again and re-install.
Also, have you tried starting in single user mode. At the prompt type fsck -fyremember to leave a blank space before the "-fy".
This will run a file system check, like Repair Disk and repair any problems if it can. If you run into errors run fsck multiple times until it reports OK.
Then, type rebootreboot to restart to OS X.
-mj

Macpro dual core xeon. Why can I not download Lion even with snow leopard 10.6.8 already as sysyem?

macpro dual core xeon January 2008 Why can I not download Lion even with snow leopard 10.6.8 already as sysyem?

If you need to purchase Lion call 1-800-692-7753 or 1-800-676-2775. Ask for a Sales Representative. They will check your Apple ID, and email you a code and instructions. The cost is $29.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download.

TS3243 My Desktop Mac won't startup, it turns on to the grey screen flashing question file. I have been able to startup from the snow leopard install cd but once I try to repair within DU the disk never appears in the side panel. The only thing there is "

My Desktop Mac won't startup, it turns on to the grey screen flashing question file. I have been able to startup from the snow leopard install cd but once I try to repair within DU the disk never appears in the side panel. The only thing there is "Media"... What can I do? Help!

If Disk Utility cannot see your drive it doesn't look good.
You could try DiskWarrior. It is expensive but can often fix directory structures where DU cannot.
Replacing the drive is also a strong likelihood. If you don't have a fairly recent backup, then it might be worth buying DiskWarrior
additonal notes;
Gray screen appears during startup

After clean snow leopard install, ical crashes on startup

I just did a clean install of snow leopard and then restored from time machine backup. Now iCal crashes within 5 seconds of opening. I don't have a chance to make any changes or expeiment becuase it doesnt stay open long enogh.
I deleted the .plist enteries from ~library/preferences as advised in various forums, this has had no effect, positive or negative. I'm out of options.

I'd do this:
Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
Do the following:
1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
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. 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.
2. Reinstall Snow Leopard
If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed with reinstalling OS X. Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files. After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.
If you are reinstalling an earlier version of OS X then download the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo to upgrade.
Just an afterthought: Do you have at least 1 GB of installed RAM (and preferably more.)

Can I restore a time machine osx lion backup using snow leopard install DVD?

Hi.
I've been using osx lion but my hard drive died. Fortunately I have been making time machine backups. Since I downloaded lion from the app store I only have the snow leopard install disks.
I know there is an option to restore from a time machine backup using the snow leopard disk, but since the time machine backup is of a later operating system (lion) will that time machine restore work?
If it won't, can you recommend how to restore from my time machine backup?
Thanks.

Once the replacement hard drive is installed, boot from your original Snow Leopard Installation Disk. From there format the harddrive and install Snow Leopard and then download and install its Updates. Next, navigate to the Mac App Store and login using the Exact same Apple User ID that you did the first time you downloaded Lion. You will now be able to download and install the Lion OS for Free. Download and install the Lion Updates. Lastly, using Migration Assistant, migrate your Apps and Data from the Time Machine external hard drive to your internal Lion harddrive. This method should give you a very stable version of Lion on your internal harddrive complete with all your previous settings, Apps and Data.
Hope this helps

Windows drivers from retail Snow Leopard install DVD older than the computer

I'm trying to install Windows 7 64-bit on my mid-2010 Core i7 MBP (running 10.6.8) via Boot Camp. Since I am experiencing the "Windows support software is not available" bug when I try to download the drivers etc., it looks like I will have to install the drivers from an OS X install DVD, but I don't have access to the OEM disc that came with the computer.
I do have a retail Snow Leopard DVD that I got to upgrade my old Macbook right when Snow Leopard came out; will this disc (which predates the computer by about one year) have the drivers I need to get the hardware to work with Windows? My concern is that since the disc is older than the computer, the disc may not have the drivers needed for the newer hardware.
Another issue/possible solution: I had planned to upgrade to Lion as soon as this Boot Camp situation is straightened out; would there be a way to get around this issue by upgrading OS X first and then setting up Boot Camp?

Any OS X DVD from 10.6 or later is fine, as we never tire of saying....
Yes, sortof to upgrade OS X first, or leave as is and install Lion on an external drive (you can clone 10.6 only first with CCC to do that). Then clone back is one idea.

Upgrading to Mountain Lion from 2011 Snow Leopard

I have a Macbook Pro that I bought in 2011. I have been running under Snow Leopard without issues but have been looking into upgrading due to the fact that a game I am wanting to purchase minimally requires Lion. I have been told, by a tech person, that upgrading to Yosemite would be a lot on my computer and would likely cause issues like others have been having (I have been watching the reviews through the App Store). So I have been looking into Lion and Mountain Lion because I was told that since they were closer to my model it wouldn't be as hard on my computer as Yosemite or Mavericks would be.
Basically want to know / get a second opinion if anyone has gone from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion/Lion and if that worked well for them?
I don't know a lot about computers and just really don't want to mess up or crash my computer all because of a game!
Thank you!

I'm using Yosemite on an early 2008 iMac, so Yosemite should run on your computer. The biggest thing that would help Yosemite run better is maxing out your RAM.
I would pick Mountain Lion over Lion. Tried them both and Mountain Lion was much better.
One option is to create a new partition (~30- 50 GB), install the new OS, and ‘test drive’ it. If you like/don’t like it it, you can then remove the partition. Do a backup before you do anything. By doing this, if you don’t like it you won’t have to go though the revert process.
Check to make sure your applications are compatible.
Application Compatibility
Applications Compatibility (2)

Time Machine Not Recognized After Clean Snow Leopard Install

I've searched for this particular question.
I was unhappy with Snow Leopard dragging. I wanted a clean install. I did not have the original snow leopard installation for my computer, so I got a different snow leopard DVD. This has apparently caused problems with time machine.
The clean install in complete. I am now ready to migrate my Time Machine backup onto my iMac24". However, Time Machine is not recognized--at least not in the way I want.
When I plug my time machine HD into the USB, snow leopard asks if I want to use this for future back-ups. I decline, because I specifically want to restore what has already been backed up. The HD is visible as an external device--and I can in fact see the raw data of my time machine backup stored in folders.
However, when I enter migration assistant, time machine is invisible. On the page where I am expecting to select time machine, I instead get a perpetually spinning circle icon.
I suspect time machine is "linked" to the prior snow leopard operating system, rather than to the computer ID. Obviously, this is a bit of a mistake on my part. However, I'm already into the breech and I've got no choice but to go forward.
Please advise how to redirect my time machine to its new master (same computer, different snow leopard registration)?
Thanks so very much.

Retail disk? Yes, it was the snow leopard CD.
I used a single license snow snow leopard CD install the first time around, when snow leopard was first released. At at that time I "upgraded" my system from leopard.
This time, I used a different physical disk with snow leopard with a family license. This time I did a "clean" install in which I first erased my hard drive using disk utilities.
There were no problems with the installation.
As I say, my time machine hard drive is "recognized" by the computer as an external drive. It just is not recognized when I utilize the migration assistant. It is also "recognized" as a time machine, but only as a potential time machine for prospective use to update going forward, whereas I want it to open up as a time machine for my iMac that I just wiped clean yesterday.
Thanks for your assistance.

How to download Lion from Developer Center to install in Parallels VM

I have an iMac and a MacBook Air (MBA) both with OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. I need to create a Parallels virtual machine with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion as the guest OS to be run on the MBA. I have Parallels installed on the MBA; all I need to do now is to create the VM. But first, I need a Lion install.
So, I accessed the Developer Center and generated a Redeem Code for OS X Lion which I have successsfully added to my list of purchases in App Store. However, when I try to download OS X Lion the following message is reported.
Any ideas how I can download Lion to install into my VM?

Kappy wrote:
I guess I shouldn't ask why you would want to run Lion in a Parallels' VM.
I'm a software developer. I have a customer that has expressed a need for me to test the software being developed on Mac OS X Lion as well as OS X Mountain Lion. (I may also need to test on Snow Leopard but that's not definite at the moment.) I have Mountain Lion installed on my development machine (iMac) and test machine (MacBook Air) and I'd like to keep it that way - hence, my desire to install Mountain Lion in a Parallels VM.
As a registered member of the Apple Developer Program and as I understand it, I have access to past versions of Mac OS X - hence, the redeem code. This appeared to be the easiest way to get the OS X version(s) I need. It turns out, appearances can be deceiving.
Nothing shifty going on here, I assure you.

Problems with Booting from the Snow Leopard Install Disc

I need to do a reformat of my iMac drive and reinsall Snow Leopard. Then I want to run System Migration and move the contents of my Mac Pro (running Snow Leopard) over to the iMac.
I placed the retail Snow Leopard installation disc and held the "C" key down during restart. My optical drive make a bit of random noise and eventually ejects the SL disc. I've tried a CD, movie dvd and another software program installation disc and none of them seem to be able to be read. I've sold the Mac Pro and am in a bit of a bind as I need to get this done and shipped out. I'm also going to have to wipe the Mac Pro drives clean and do a reinstall of Snow Leopard.
Can anyone help?
Thanks,
John

Do you have the original install discs that came with the computer?
If you do, try powering up the mac pushing in the disc and hold the OPTION key, which will bring up the start up manager, select the insrall disc to boot from.
After booting, select the language, on the next page go to the menu bar and select Utilities/disk utilities, select your volume (default name is Macintosh HD, or what ever you ma have named it) First aid tab, run verify disk.
If it comes up with errors (they will be in red font) click repair disk. Rerun this till it it comes up with "this disk seems OK i(n green font)
Then quit the installer and eject the disk.
Try the Snow Leopard disk using the same proceedure (power up, push in disk, holding the OPTION key) to boot to the start up manager, and select the SL disk, and do a clean install.
Make sure that you have a retail install disk (white SL on it)
You can try this from the retail SL disc, if you do not have the Original disc(s) you should include all of them to the person you seel/give it to.
After install, follow these instructions.
http://www.thesafemac.com/how-to-prepare-your-mac-for-sale/
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5189?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
Hope this helps

Reload osx lion from osx snow leopard

Was running osx Lion bef Mac book pro (2011) have logic board problem. Now that the Mac Book is repaird and reinstalled with OSX 10.6.8 I could not find my previous purchase OSX Lion in the purchased Mac Apps Store
Click on search will only bring to osx mountain lion.
Where can I reload my purchased osx lion?
Anyone can help?

Same app store Apple ID - initially it was there but later just disappeared
The hold Option key and click Purchase tab does not make it appear.
After searching found that can do a reboot with Command and 'R' with MacPro connected to the internet will enable a Online reload of OSX Lion.
Thanks everything is back to normal Lion after reinstall online with all data intact.

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.

Downgrade Lion back to Snow Leopard

I have a 3 month old macBook Pro - which came with Snow leopard (I have the original Snow Leopard install disc)
I have installed Lion but want to revert back to Snow Leopard
but Snow Laeoprd install app won't work under Lion using the DVD
as yet there is nothing on this laptop that I need - so I won't need a backup - I just want to get rid of lion & have a fresh start
When I try to boot from the Snow Leopard install disc (by holding C or option key) - I get a grey panic screen which says "You need to restart your computer. Hold down the power button until it turns off, then press the power button again"
I have done this several times - but when holding "c" I get the same message
any ideas ?

that thread assumes you can boot from the SL install DVD - there is no way my MacBook pro will do that
as I stated
When I try to boot from the Snow Leopard install disc (by holding C or option key) - I get a grey panic screen which says "You need to restart your computer. Hold down the power button until it turns off, then press the power button again"
there seems to be no way I can get into the disc to allow me to delete Lion and replace it with Snow Leopard

Re-download Lion from clean Snow Leopard install

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