Snow Leopard Instability - Possibly To Do With WD and Lacie FW Drives

I have an early 2009 2,66gHz Mac Pro. 7GB Ram.
At some point it got incredibly unstable running 10.6.4 (and earlier SL versions).
I've tried running it with stock RAM. Same issue. Tried clean re-installing. Same issue.
I post this here because I have the exact same system running on an iMac (cloned) - and it works fine with all my firewire drives so this must only affect certain (older?) machines.
I have read a lot of the "general instability" threads concerning SL and they seem all to have issues as diverse as mine; basically this is what happens for me:
I boot the machine and it works fine until a certain *key event* makes everything wonky. At this point, all these seemingly random issues pop up.
Such as, but not limited to:
The finder will crash and then give that darned "could not be relaunched -10601" error.
Most things to do with saving/exporting will fail and crash the corresponding app.
Toast will not launch.
AFP Server becomes unresponsive, as does screen sharing.
Opera will crash.
Disk Utility will crash on launch.
iTunes will crash, then fail to relaunch "checking library" then beachball.
I have tried to identify this *key event* because it might help the apple engineers get this fixed.
It seems sometimes to be something to do with Quicktime-based operations. Clicking around in Disk utility is also a good way of making it hang. It never happens spontaneously without user input. There is always something I click, that starts the whole thing off, although the trigger is generally very diverse. A friend of mine has the same issue, and he says he can always trigger it by re-scanning AU units (?) in Logic.
Once you have reached "Firewire ****" the machine needs to be hard-reset. A reboot gets as far as the blue screen with the spinning wheel. I don't know if it goes on spinning forever because I don't have forever to wait, but it does not reboot within 20min. If there are no firewire drives attached, none of this ever happens. I have a 2TB DualDrive FW800 WD and a 2TB Lacie which is also FW800.
Now I'm trying to identify which one of the two FW drives is responsible, and I will post back with results. I shall also try FW400. They are both brand new drives by the way.
I swear this is going to make a little vein in my frontal lobe go pop pretty soon.

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Is it possible to use Snow Leopard on Mountain Lion iMac with Virtualbox ?

I've been lucky recently, with people giving the perfect solutions for me so I try again.
But, this one is a tough one: How to run a virtual Snow Leopard on a new iMac ?
I got a 2013 iMac with Mountain Lion (10.8.5 now) so, totally incompatible with Snow Leopard. I need SL anyway.
Give up all you old applications and buy new ones is not acceptable. First, this is not my way of thinking and, second, some cannot be replaced.
Many posts say that you can use Snow Leopard with VirtualBox but I could not find anywhere the "how to" (in this particular configuration).
For instance, I followed these 2 protocols, almost similar:
http://www.maketecheasier.com/install-mac-os-x-snow-leopard-in-virtualbox-on-win dows/
http://www.macbreaker.com/2012/02/snow-leopard-virtualbox.html
but they use Windows as host system and something is not working (for me) with Mountain Lion.
I made many attempts, with VirtualBox 4.2.18, using pretty much everything: Snow Leopard DVD, SL Server DVD, .dmg of both. I've also got Combo 10.6.8 updates for both (but I'm not sure if it can be used before installing). With another MacBook, I managed to install a SLS on external hard drive and update to 10.6.8. Was unable to use it anyway.
Inevitably, I ended up with the message:
"FATAL: No bootable medium found! System halted."
I have no idea of what support to use and even, probably important, if it should be set on Primary or Secondary Master ? (in Settings / Storage)
Is it possible at all ???
Would it work better with VMware Fusion ? Anybody successful ?
Help
Thanx

How to install and run OS 10.6 Snow Leopard on a virtual machine on top of OS 10.7 Lion:
http://osxdaily.com/2011/11/17/install-run-mac-os-x-10-6-snow-leopard-in-virtual -machine-on-lion/
From kappy:
Clean Install of Snow Leopard
     1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc. Insert the disc into the
         optical drive and restart the computer. After the chime press and hold down the
         "C" key. Release the key when you see a small spinning gear appear below the
         dark gray Apple logo.
     2. 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 the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive
         size.) Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window. Set the number of
         partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, set the format type to Mac
         OS Extended (Journaled, if supported), then click on the Partition button.
     3. When the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed
         with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.
     4. When the installation has completed your computer will require a restart after
         which you will be running a fresh install of OS X. You can now begin the update
         process by opening Software Update and installing all recommended updates to
         bring your installation current.
First you will have to prep your new SSD:
Drive Partition and Format
1. 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 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. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.

Two previous questions may not have been as clear as I would have liked. I recently upgraded my MacBook 2008 (10.5.8) to Snow Leopard (10.6.8). With the updates came iTunes 11.1.1 and Quicktime 7.6.6. I am still using Garageband 2008 and iPhoto 2008. When

Two previous questions may not have been as clear as I would have liked. I recently upgraded my MacBook 2008 (10.5.8) to Snow Leopard (10.6.8). With the updates came iTunes 11.1.1 and Quicktime 7.6.6. I am still using Garageband 2008 and iPhoto 2008. When I create music in Garageband I usually adjust the volume and save it. Even now when I share the Garageband created files with iTunes 11.1.1, the volime I previously set in Garageband is retained. However, when I use the music to create a slide show in iPhoto 2008 and export to Quicktime 7.6.6, the volume level I previously set is lost and seems to default to a low level. The problem seems to be either in the slide show export from iPhoto 2008 to Quicktime 7.6.6 or in Quicktime itself. Is there a work around, so that I can retain the volume level I had previously set in Garageband, a volume level that seems to transfer without problem to the new iTunes. But then iPhoto 2008 (slide show) possibly or Quicktime 7.6.6 do not cooperate. Before I did the upgrade to Snow Leopard, the new iTunes and Quicktime I had no problems with the set volume being retained in the old Quicktime. The reason I need control over the volume is that all these music files are uploaded to YouTube.

Two previous questions may not have been as clear as I would have liked. I recently upgraded my MacBook 2008 (10.5.8) to Snow Leopard (10.6.8). With the updates came iTunes 11.1.1 and Quicktime 7.6.6. I am still using Garageband 2008 and iPhoto 2008. When I create music in Garageband I usually adjust the volume and save it. Even now when I share the Garageband created files with iTunes 11.1.1, the volime I previously set in Garageband is retained. However, when I use the music to create a slide show in iPhoto 2008 and export to Quicktime 7.6.6, the volume level I previously set is lost and seems to default to a low level. The problem seems to be either in the slide show export from iPhoto 2008 to Quicktime 7.6.6 or in Quicktime itself. Is there a work around, so that I can retain the volume level I had previously set in Garageband, a volume level that seems to transfer without problem to the new iTunes. But then iPhoto 2008 (slide show) possibly or Quicktime 7.6.6 do not cooperate. Before I did the upgrade to Snow Leopard, the new iTunes and Quicktime I had no problems with the set volume being retained in the old Quicktime. The reason I need control over the volume is that all these music files are uploaded to YouTube.

I used utilities to source my 10.6 snow leopard install disc to my main hardrive, and now when I turn on my computer the apple with the spinning wheel stays on the screen and stuck like that. How do I fix it Help please. I already tried all the commands

I used utilities to source my 10.6 snow leopard install disc to my main hardrive, and now when I turn on my computer the apple with the spinning wheel stays on the screen and stuck like that. How do I fix it Help please. I already tried all the commands such as Command R, Holding down the Option key, C and holding down shift at the start up but nothing happens.
initialy All I was trying to do was downgrade 10.7 to 10.6 .

You have to consider the possibility the hard drive may be dying. If your data isn't backed up, try one of the tools below:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-1689
Once you are sure your data is backed up, we can examine other possibilities. In the meantime call AppleCare for your original installation DVDs. You may need them.

Does anybody know how to install Snow Leopard on an external HD with Lion?

My MacBook Pro came from apple with Lion OS X 10.7.1 installed and it doesn't operate with Pro Tools LE 8.0.5 (or any other version for that matter and PT 9.0.5 is only in beta) So, I'm looking to partition Snow Leopard OS X 10.6 to my external HD so I can bypass the issue without compromising and downgrading my MacBook Pro (which I've been told is not possible anyway but I'm sure there is a way) and having to A) Pay out more money to avid and get PT 9 ( BETA) or B) Run a different DAW (Also costing more $$$) Any help would be MUCH appreciated!!!

Yes it's possible, you need another Firewire capable Mac#2 that can hold c boot off the 10.6.3 Snow Leopard Retail Disks and a Firewire cable and if necessary a FW 800 to 400 adapter.
First you boot into Lion on Mac#1 and use Disk Utility to Erase Free Space, this will take a few hours.
Then backup your data off the Mac#1 Lion partition to a external drive and disconnect. (for safety sake)
Then you create a second partition on the drive in Disk Utility, formatted OS X Extended (Journaled) under the Partition Tab.
While that is all going on, on the other Mac#2 that can boot off 10.6.3 disks, you do the same thing,
First you boot into Snow or Lion on Mac#2 and use Disk Utility to Erase Free Space, this will take a few hours.
Then backup the data off the Mac#2 main boot partition to a external drive and disconnect. (for safety sake)
Then you create a second partition on the drive in Disk Utility, formatted OS X Extended (Journaled) under the Partition Tab.
Hold c and boot Mac#2 off the 10.6.3 Retail Snow Leopard Disk (won't work with grey disks unless it matches the target machine model) and install onto the new partition on Mac#2, reboot holding option key and select the 10.6.3 partition, once in, use the Combo Update to get to 10.6.8. (must do)
Reboot holding T this Lion Mac#1 so it's in Target Disk Mode, connect the Firewire cable to the other Mac#2, then hold option key and reboot into the second partition on Mac#2. Download and use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone the new partition of Mac#2 to new partition of Mac#1
Reboot Mac#1 holding option key to boot into Snow partition on the factory Lion Mac#1.
If that doesn't work, you need to combine the 10.6.3 and the 10.6.8 Combo Update together in this process at the link below, and apply the 10.6.3 + 10.6.8 combined image in the same Target Disk mode fashion
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3264421?start=0&tstart=0
Another method is if you can convince Apple to send you the 10.6.6 install disks for your machine, then use the Target Disk Mode approach to circumvent the firmware which is preventing you from booting off install disks from any previous version of OS X.
For example, my new 2011 MBP came with 10.6.6 grey install disks, but can't boot off the 10.6.3 Snow Leopard Retail Disks.
Another method would be to find another same exact machine as yours, came with 10.6.6 from the factory (even if upgraded to Lion it should still boot 10.6.6), thus will boot off the 10.6.6 install disks and install it onto your parttion.
Needless to say, after going through all this, you really need to make a clone of the partition once it's successfully installed.
Set the startup disk in system preferences to Snow.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/16276201#16276201

Can you install snow leopard on Intel based mac with less than one GB of ra

As the subject relay I have an Intel mac mini with 750GB of ram? will th einstaller let me install Snow Leopard?

No, the installer will not let you install Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac with less than 1 GB of RAM. Even if it did, performance would be unacceptable & the OS would probably be unstable.
If you want to run Snow Leopard you will need to upgrade to at least 1 GB of installed RAM. If you want it to run efficiently, you should install more. Typically, 2 GB will get you most of the benefits of a larger memory space but if your Mac supports more & you want the best possible performance, install the maximum the Mac can handle.

CAn I run Lion and snow leopard on the same computer with different sign-ins?

CAn I run Lion and snow leopard on the same computer with different sign-ins?

Alternatively, partition your internal HD and dual-boot it. Do note that you have to reboot to switch back and forth. You can't do it by logging out and back in.

Moving accounts from Snow Leopard Macs to Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server

I got my brand spanking new Mac mini today with Snow Leopard Server! So far, we (at home) were managing our accounts on individual iMacs and a MacBook Pro. While I will be getting into the innards of account migration, management etc. I thought I'd post a quick question here; Currently I have an iMac with three user accounts on it (wife and two kids). I also have my own personal MacBook Pro with my account (the only Admin account) on it. We'll soon be getting another iMac for our daughter (who currently has an account on the existing iMac). My idea in getting the Mac mini was to move to and centrally manage all the user accounts in the household on the Mac mini server. What is the best way to accomplish this? What is the best way to move the existing accounts on to the server?
Additionally, I'll be looking into connecting the two stationary iMacs with Powerline Ethernet (where one runs Ethernet over existing electrical wires in the walls). My other option would be to rely on wireless network (I don't think this would be a good idea for if I am going to be placing the user accounts on the server and there needs to be a constant on, reliable connection between the server and the client computers as they will be talking to each other a lot!). Any thoughts on Powerline? (I am not looking forward to installing Ethernet cabling behind walls :o))
What say the wise men of Mactopia?!
Thanks,
Kenneth.
P.S. I had earlier accidentally posted this in the corresponding section of Mac OS X instead of the Mac OS X Server forum.

Ok so the esiest way to explain this is to tell you what i just went through.
I have 3 user accounts. All the accounts are network Users meaning that there home folder are kept on the server. I was having a problem with Time Machine giving me error 41 and error 11. After scratching my head for 2 days I ended up copying (Drag-n-Drop) the Home Folders to an External Hard Drive. I then proceeded to erase both of the internal hard drives on the mac mini and did a fresh local install of the Server OS.
Everything was fine at that point. Now this is where Snow Leopard stopped being nice.
I went and Created the user account again using WGM. I let WGW create the home folder and the 9 folder inside. I made sure the short names were the same and the passwords were the same as they were previously.
However, once i Copied files from the external drive to the home folders the permissions copied as well, Which i guess should be expected. So now at this point apparently the UID's of the newly created users wasn't the same as they were before the clean install. I have multiple instances of root listed in the ACL for several folders and also had several instances of System listed sporadically.
Now, This isn't to say that you can't drag n drop because now That I have it all squared away and everything is now working ok, I would probably still drag n drop the home folder off to an external disk, but only because I now know what to do to clean things up.
if you drag and drop be sure to use the CHOWN command and theCHMOD commands afterwards. Take a look at this MacFixIt article: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20013630-263.html?tag=mncol;title
If you copy your local imac users to the home directory on the server you may want to follow the steps on the URL I gave plus you will most likely also have to do the following. In a nutshell you are going to use the chmod command to strip all the ACL Permissions then you are going to use the chown command to re-specify the correct owner and the correct permissions for the network user.
!) Go into ServerAdmin and click on Sharing
2) Go to the users folder you are using and select the user you are going to work with.
3) Click on the Permissions option
4) click on the +sign at the bottom (this will open the users & groups list to the right)
5) Drag the current user from the users list to the owner permissions line under posix section
5a) Click Save
6) Click on the Gear button at the bottom
7) Check the box for Owner Name and Owner Permissions.
8) Uncheck the box for Access Control List then click ok
Once you've gone through that rigmarole you can go back into ServerAdmin and fix the permissions for public and Sites folder which should only take a minute or so.
So the moral of this story and as I found out when i ended up calling Enterprise support is that the act of dragging and dropping user home directories from one server to another, or as in your case, from a local machine to a the server isn't anything that apple recommends or supports. you might want to read through the man pages for "Ditto" or so apple tells me, but honestly now that you know, the steps above aren't all that bad. It's true Knowing IS half the battle!
have Fun!
P.S. FWIW If you run into problems and have to call Enterprise Support be prepared for them to tell you to refer to the user Guides. So reading those would be to your advantage even though they aren't the easiest things to understand unlike apple's consumer products user guides

Working in adobe illustrator - computer crashed - will not soft boot or reset PRAM - should i reinstall from CD snow leopard 10.6.3? I have an extra hard drive in my MAC with time machine on it set to do auto back ups. How do i recover ?

working in adobe illustrator - computer crashed - will not soft boot or reset PRAM - should i reinstall from CD snow leopard 10.6.3? I have an extra hard drive in my MAC with time machine on it set to do auto back ups. How do i recover ?

Well first you have to figure out what is wrong with the machine and solve that problem first.
Your post is very vague on what occured, and there are many types of "crashes" it really depends upon what see on the screen and what the hardware does, we can't see it to tell you, so you have to tell us.
I suggest you run through these user tips and provide more information about your hardware.
Disconnect the TimeMachine drive for now
..Step by Step to fix your Mac
Help us to help you on these forums
Create a data recovery/undelete external boot drive
If this is going way over your head, there are local PC/Mac techs that will assist you for a fee, Apple only does hardware repairs and is advised to use them if you discover it is, especially if under warranty/AppleCare.
Hard drive and RAM upgrades can be handled yourself or by a outside tech in many older models of Mac, but don't expect Apple to cover the new parts.
Install/upgrade RAM or storage drive in Mac's

DON'T Install Snow Leopard on early MacBook Pro with Firmware password on!!

I'm going to summarize my postings from yesterday because I don't want anyone wasting their night like I did.
Many of us who upgraded from Tiger created a Firmware password to ensure that people won't be able to wipe and re-install the HD for sale if the computer gets stolen. I also note that, like me, many have been suffering the recent won't wake from sleep issues that make it feel like the HD is dead. Sometimes it starts from sleep, mostly it's a real hassle to get it to wake up and when it does it's generally in safe sleep mode. I managed to find a "halfway" good fix for that issue by changing the sleep mode from 0 to 3 in the terminal, found a useful script by Googling the problem. Fixes 90% of my issues on that score. But I wanted to install Snow Leopard to "hopefully" fix that issue for good.
HOWEVER, if you have a MacBook Pro 2006-2007 model and the original install disc is still Tiger, WARNING TURN OFF THE FIRMWARE PASSWORD if you created one before you attempt an install. Otherwise you'll be completely stuck in black screen **** and you cannot restart from the Snow Leopard disc once you have it in, neither can you eject it because you never get that far.
The computer, after installing Snow Leopard just gets stuck on the grey screen for a while and then goes black. The computer will not boot from the Snow Leopard disc, Techtool Protege or Leopard disc and the BIGGEST PROBLEM is; you can't Zap the PRAM with firmware active to try and continue installation as some other posters have suggested. Basically, you're screwed.
To get the Snow Leopard disc out I rebooted in Windows and ejected the disc, then put in first the Leopard disc... didn't work... then rebooted, ejected and put in the original installation disc with Tiger, that did work but no firmware password reset!!!
The only solution was for me to wipe the disc, reinstall Tiger from the original install disc, which was the only one that worked. Once I could restart the computer again in Tiger, I was finally able to reboot from the Leopard disc and disable the firmware password.
Then I restarted, zapped the PRAM and using the Leopard disc, restored my machine to its former self with my Time Machine back up. Ran Techtool Pro 5 to fix permissions and rebuild volumes etc. and now have it working again.
I think I'll leave Snow Leopard for a while since I don't know whether the zapping PRAM works during install and frankly, don't have the time to go through this entire debilitating process again. If anyone does manage to get things running on the earlier MacBook Pros please let me know how it went!
Anyway, just thought I'd give people a heads up on the Firmware password thing... it's really a bugger on the older models because it wasn't originally included on the original install disc leaving you with no options!!

Sorry, just wnated to post a comment not question, wasn't sure how to mark it!

I just installed the new mountain lion software on my iMac. I was currently running Snow Leopard. My problem is with my mouse. Now when I scroll down the page it moves in the opposite direction. I checked system S.P. - Natural for scroll feature.

I just installed the new mountain lion software on my iMac. I was currently running Snow Leopard. My problem is with my mouse. Now when I scroll down the page it moves in the opposite direction. In system preferences I tried checking and unchecking Natural for scroll feature. Movement from side to side works fine. Has anyone experienced this problem?

I think this new scrolling behaviour was introduced with Lion. You do get used to it pretty quickly (well I did). Are you sure that deselecting Natural Scrolling in Mouse Prefs doesn't re-instate the previous behaviour, it does here.

Snow Leopard Software Possible?

I know someone who has a 2007 MacBook with the 10.4.11. It won't update anymore. So I am assuming that in order for it to update, you need to buy the new software. How would buying the Snow Leopard software and installing it affect the computer.
She mainly wants to have the MacApp Store and was wondering if buying the Snow Leopard would allow the computer to update and download the MacApp store. Can anyone tell me if it would insure the download of the MacApp store or what else it would download or update?

The App Store is part of 10.6.6 & up, which is a free upgrade for 10.6.0 & up.
You only need the...
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A
UNLESS, you/they want the ox set that includes iLife & iWork...
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MACBOX_SINGLE?mco=MTk0MjIxMDU
For safety, before the Install, make sure of the free space &...
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu at top of the screen. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
*Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Select your Mac OS X volume.
5. Click Repair Disk, (not Repair Permissions). Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Then try a Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it completes.
(Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive.)

I have to downgrade from Yosemite to Snow Leopard because of compatibility issues with some of my software. Can I use PS Elements 12 with snow leopard?

I have to downgrade from Yosemite to Snow Leopard because of compatibility issues with some of my software. Can I use PS Elements 12 with snow leopard?

PSE12 became a 64 bit app for the first time on Mac. The recommended system requirements are Mac OS X v10.7 through v10.8.
Are you not able to use lion or Mountain Lion?

My MacBook Pro, 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo gives me an error message during Lion install. My Intel Duo Core is not an Intel Duo Core and cannot install Lion. I already have Snow Leopard what is the problem with Lion?

My MacBook Pro, 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo gives me an error message during Lion install. My Intel Duo Core is not an Intel Duo Core and cannot install Lion. I already have Snow Leopard what is the problem with Lion?

You need a "Core 2 Duo" for lion, and I'm guessing you only have a "Core Duo" My wife's macbook is also a "Core Duo" and has Snow Leapord, but cannot install Lion.....

I want to install an old airport express, the ones which are directly plugged into the socket - but it does not work with Maverick or Snow Leopard - can I configure it with a windows pc?

I want to install an old airport express, the ones which are directly plugged into the socket - but it does not work with Maverick or Snow Leopard - can I configure it with a windows pc?

The Mac running Snow Leopard should be able to configure virtually any version of the AirPort Express.
Tell us what steps that you are taking to configure the Express and what happens after each step.

Snow Leopard Instability - Possibly To Do With WD and Lacie FW Drives

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