Snow leopard won't boot up on lion

I have been using a Mac Mini with Snow Leopard to run my adobe suite programs. It worked fine. A few months ago the hard drive failed on the Mac Mini and I purchased a new Mac Mini running Lion. I'm having problem with my adobe suite running these programs with Lion.
The solution I came up with was to partition an external hard drive and install Snow Leopard as a startup disk. I used an iMac to do this and Snow Leopard runs fine on my partitioned disk with the iMac that is running Snow Leopard. When I try to run Snow Leopard as a startup disk on my new Mac Mini with Lion, it will not start up and run. I've visited a number of forums online on the subject and spend time with apple tech support. So far no one has come up with a solution. When I try to run it on my new Mac Mini with Lion, it will proceed through the start screen past the apple icon until it reaches the main program screen, then it stops and no applications appear.
I'm wondering if you have any ideas I could try? It would be nice if the adobe products run well on Lion but I'm finding that's not the case.

rkaufmann87 wrote:
Yes you are right Snow Leopard will not run on a Mac that was built after Lion came out. Apple has seen to that with some type of hardware or firmware block.
No that isn't it at all! When OS X is installed on a Mac the version of OS X is formulated for the hardware of that Mac. Attempting to run earlier versions of OS X than what the machine initially shipped with will be missing drivers and not run. Some hacks have been done to force earlier versions to run however they usually don't run well because they don't have the correct drivers and never will. BTW this has always been the case with OS X and is NOT specific to Lion.
Well if you look at the early 2011 MBPs they came with Snow Leopard and the hardware is just about the same as late 2011 MBPs and you can't even try to install SL on the late models. It won't let you as I have tried. All the computer does is Beep Beep Beep
Why is that? Becasue Apple has lock out the hardware or in firmware, EFI, code to not allow it.
Formulate this.
I have a brand new Dell E6420 notebook that came with Winidows 7. If I wanted to I could install Windows XP or Vista on it. Would I need SOME drivers after the install? Yes I would. Would the system run without those drivers being installe? Yes it would. But it would still install and run.
Oh and by the way PCs and Mac use the exact same hardware.
So why can't you install a version of SL that originally came on a early 2011 model MBP on a late 2011 model MBP.

Similar Messages

My 2006 iMac running Snow Leopard won't boot even after erasing and re-installing Snow Leopard (via my MacBookPro), either from the HD or DVD drive. Can't get it to run Hardware Test. Disk Utility says disk OK - files are there. What can I do?

My 2006 iMac running Snow Leopard won't boot even after erasing and re-installing Snow Leopard. I erased and re-installed by putting the iMac in Target Disk mode and usin my MacBookPro as the host. But after numerous attempts I still can't get it to boot either from the HD or DVD drive. I just get the white screen after the wheel stops spinning. I can't get it to run Hardware Test - just get the white screen. If I use Disk Utility via my MBP it says the disk appears OK. All the Snow Leopad files appear to have been installed. What can I do?

Hi-NRG Bwoy wrote:
I erased and re-installed by putting the iMac in Target Disk mode and using my MacBookPro as the host.
Reet the SMC and the PRAM
 Cheat sheet to help diagnose and fix your Mac
Perhaps you installed the wrong version OS X onto the iMac, you can't use the disk from another Mac.
clean the disk.
If it's not working then use this method to create a bootable 10.6 USB from the iMac machine specific 10.6 disk or the 10.6.3 retail disk on your other Mac, use it to boot the iMac with.
http://www.maciverse.com/install-os-x-snow-leopard-from-usb-flash-drive.html
How to erase and install Snow Leopard 10.6

Snow leopard won't boot, but windows bootcamp does.

My mac has a partitioned hardrive. I have xp on one side and snow leopard on the other. Starting yesterday, snow leopard won't boot. I ran the apple hardware test and came up with these 2 codes: 4MOT/4/40000003:HDD-1347 and -1352. The mac still runs properly though if started with xp.

That error is the HDD cooling fan I believe.
Could be many things, we should start with this...
"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.)
If perchance you can't find your install Disc, or are running 10.7+, at least try it from the Safe Boot part onward.
Re-install if that doesn't work.

IMac 27' (year 2010 - Snow Leopard) won't boot - white screen only

Hi,
my 2010 iMac 27in running Snow Leopard won't start - when I switch it on, I can hear the chime, the screen goes white and gets stuck at this (no Apple logo, no question mark, no mouse pointer). I have waited for minutes but it's definitely stuck.
When there is a DVD in (tried both OSX Instal and Apps Instal), I can hear the drive reading for a few seconds, then it goes silent.
I have found a few similar topics in this and other forums - the issue was solved or helped by entering one of the special boot modes via keyboard shortcuts upon startup. In my case though, none of these shortcuts work - with the sole exception of Cmd+Alt+P+R to reset the NVRAM. What I tried was: C, D, Alt, Eject, N, T, Shift, Cmd-V, Cmd-S ...none of them has any effect.
I learned there are some issues with a wireless keyboard when using these shortcuts, so I got a USB one to rule that out - but it didn't help.
In the beginning, I heard "clicking" noise I am not used to hearing - so I suspect a HDD failure but it would surprise me the machine would not indicate that in some better way than a blank white screen. The clicking then went away - could be after I did the NVRAM reset - not sure.
I also performed an SMC reset by unplugging the power cord for a while - no effect.
As per one recommendation, I tried NVRAM reset a few times in a row. Didn't help but, interestingly, I found that after 3 such resets, holding D will eject the DVD (without the 3 resets, "D" won't do it). Prior to that I had no way of getting the DVD out.
The computer was running fine before I switched it off for the night on the previous day. There was no system update, no change I am aware of.
The only thing beyond default is extra RAM but that has been there for months now without problems (and just to be super sure, I removed the modules but no effect).
At this point I have run out of ideas - any suggestions are very welcome.

Some things you can try.
Startup Issues - Resolve
Startup Issues - Resolve (2)

Mac pro OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard won't boot after software up-date

I am new to Apple/Mac products. I recently bought an iPad and liked it so much mt epiphany was that this must be why Mac users are so loyal to Apple products. So I bought a used Mac Pro on EBAY, received the unit in good condition, set it up and booted. after I got it online I discovered it was due for a software update. No problem. I followed the software update icon, downloaded 4 updates and began the 2 hour download. When the download completed I clicked to install and left the room. when I returned the screen was blank. I grabbed the mouse in an attempt to "wake it up". The fans kicked on and it sounded like a jet taking off bot the screen remained blank. It has not booted since. Any ideas on how to recover?

Me: bought off ebay? then take the DVD OEM discs and clean system install.
Upper right corner "About this Mac..." More.... takes you to System Profiler.
Top lines of what model etc. do not include serial number but you might want to call and / or check that too and order replacement DVDs if it didn't have those.
but for now, Wipe the drive.
You can backup first if you want.
Utility folder: Disk Utility: Restore: allow drag and drop the source and target.
www.macupdate.com "backup programs" I recommend Carbon Copy Cloner to maintain bootable backups and can also archive changes. Similar to what Paragon Manager Suite offers in Clone OS to SSD.
Boot from the OS X DVD it should have come with. Choose the Utilities from menu bar : Disk Utility to repair or format. Then go back and Install OS X.
Using Cloning as a Backup Strategy
http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/7032/carbon-copy-cloner
http://www.bombich.com/software/updates/ccc-3.5.htmlOS X Lion Install to Different DriveHow to create an OS X Lion installation disc MacFixItMigration Assistant Update for Mac OS X Snow Leopard
http://www.apple.com/support/lion/installrecovery/ Create an OS X Lion Install dischttp://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20080989-263/how-to-create-an-os-x-lion-ins tallation-disc
How to clone your system:http://macperformanceguide.com/Mac-HowToClone-backup.htmlhttp://macperformanceguide.com/Mac-HowToClone.htmlhttp://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/7032/carbon-copy-clonerhttp://www.macperformanceguide.com/blog/2012/20120711_2-MacPro-internal-clone-ba ckup.html
Mac OS X Help
Isolating Issues in Mac OShttp://support.apple.com/kb/TS1388
https://www.apple.com/support/osx/https://www.apple.com/support/quickassist/http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/help/http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/tour/
Get Help with your Product
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304725
TimeMachine 101 https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427
Mac OS X & Mountain Lion Communityhttps://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_oshttps://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os/os_x_mountain_lion?view=discussio ns
Recovery Modehttp://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718
reset SMC For "Mac wont' turn on or boot" and relatedhttps://support.apple.com/kb/TS1367
General purpose Mac troubleshooting guide: Isolating issues in Mac OS XCreating a temporary user to isolate user-specific problems: Isolating an issue by using another user accountIdentifying resource hogs and other tips: Using Activity Monitor to read System Memory and determine how much RAM is being usedStarting the computer in "safe mode": Mac OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?To identify potential hardware problems: Apple Hardware TestGeneral Mac maintenance: Tips to keep your Mac in top form
First, if at all possible make a backup of the drive in its present configuration. If something goes wrong during repair attempts and makes things worse you will have a backup. You will have to decide how to work this in the light of any present backups you may have, for example, a backup that may be a few days out of date. In that case you may want to keep that one and make a second backup of this as they are now, though I realize people often don't have a lot of empty drives sitting around.
Boot from the System Installer disc that came with your computer or is the one for the version you currently have on there, select language if applicable, choose utilities, run Disk Utility and verify (and repair if necessary) the drive. You can verify a drive from DU on your main drive while booted but I have found this can result in incorrect reporting of errors. To repair your drive you have to run it from a drive other than the boot drive anyway. Next, boot from your drive in Safe Mode (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107393) and repair permissions. You can repair permissions while booted from the installer disc but this uses the permissions configuration on the installer disc which may be out of date if you have run any updates on your computer. Booting your computer to Safe Mode restricts the number of things running on your computer while permissions are being run and does a bit of spring cleaning at the same time.
Reading
Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck - http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214Using Disk Utility in Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later - http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302672Disk Utility's Repair Disk Permissions 10.0-10.6 - http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25751"Try Disk Utility" (modified from http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1417)
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc that came with your computer (Edit: Do not use this disc if it is not the same general version as what you have currently on your computer, e.g. use a Tiger disc for a Tiger drive, not a Panther 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. (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. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
6. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."

Cloned HD running Snow Leopard won't boot in new MBP running Lion., cloned HD running Snow Leopard won't boot in new MBP running Lion.

Hi, I've seen a lot of discussion on this topic but nothing specific to my situation. I have two macs, a personal mac (macbook running Snow Leopard vers. 10.6) and a newer work macbook pro (late 2011 running Lion vers. 10.7.5). I want to use some of the applications at work (that is on the Macbook Pro) that are on my home macbook with Snow Leopard. I cloned the entire HD of my Macbook onto an external drive. The clone seems to have worked as I can use it as a boot disk for the macbook (from which it was cloned). However, if I try to boot the MacBook Pro running Lion, with this same clone on the external drive it won't work. I get a bit of text in the background and an overlay in dark grey saying (in several languages) restart the Mac by holding down the start key etc. I don't know if this has to do with the kernel panic problem or the Lion restore disk business. I don't see the point in trying to do an internal partition of the MacBook Pro hard drive and then add the cloned Snow Leopard, if I can't get the thing to boot externally as it is.
Does anyone have any fixes for what really should be a simple proceedure but is not?

Make sure the mac you are cloning from has the combo 10.6.8 update applied to it. The late 2011 models need at least 10.6.7 and better with 10.6.8. So if your older mac is running anything lower than 10.6.7 it will not boot on the 2011 model.

Kann ich, wenn ich snow leopard habe, per Boot Camp Mountain Lion installieren?

Hallo,
ich habe mal eine Frage: Kann ich, wenn ich Snow Leopard (10.6.8) habe, per Boot Camp Mountain Lion istallieren?
Danke

Yes thye will be BUT, and that us a BIG BUT, if you are now using some older programs that were written to work on Power PC Macs with Rosetta on Intel CPU Macs those program will no longer work.
So check into what program versions you are using and make sure they will all work with Lion.

Snow Leopard won't boot (10.6.2, MacBook Pro)

I recently did a fresh install of the retail DVD on my MacBook Pro.
Last night before I shut it down, I repaired the disk permissions with the disk utility, it is maintenance that I have done regularly since Apple released OS X. I saw some error about FontInfo but unfortunately I did not pay much attention to it.
It boots from the DVD. I tried verifying the permissions, and get a whole slew of errors of this type:
Open error 5: "Input/output error" on System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/A TS.framework/Versions/A/Resources/FontInfo/ and the names of a bunch of fonts starting with "G".
GBMetro24Mono.ttf.(extension)
Garamond.0.44D68.fontinfo
Geeza Pro Bold
Geneva
Georgia Bold
Garamond
These appear to be System fonts.
I then tried to verify the disk and it failed! Gives an invalid key length for the catalog file. This is most unfortunate...

The general approach at this time is to ask if you've checked for any problematic fonts (all languages) with Apple's Font Book (look in the Applications folder). Find and remove all duplicates also.
Start there to be sure all fonts that are in play come out with a clean bill of health.
Don't hesisate to perform wholesale deletion of old and/or little used fonts - be skeptical of anything that has come from Office 2008, including those related to an Equation Editor installation.
By all means be sure any 3rd party apps AND plug-ins are Snow Leopard compatible.
An additional measure is to clear the existing font caches:
http://www.macworld.com/article/139383/2009/03/fontcacheclear.html
That said, 10.6.2 release notes have this to say about fonts:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3874
Fonts fixes provided for:
• an issue with font spacing
• an issue in which some Fonts are missing
• font duplication issues
• an issue with some PostScript Type 1 fonts not working properly
Good luck in any case.
Did you update via Software Update or did you download the combo? If you used Software Update, get the Combo updater instead and re-apply:
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL959

Following a drop, my MacBook Pro with Snow Leopard won't boot OS X

I get to the grey screen with the twirling icon, but it gets no further.
I have BootCamp installed and can run up Windows XP.
What are the techniques for salvaging data and/or repairing the OSX partition?

BTW - I upgraded to Snow Leopard later on - should I use the Snow Leopard disk or the one that came originally? Or maybe either should have that utility....
...well the Snow Leopard disk seems to be doing the job.
Verify Disk decided that a repair was necessary and this is now in progress. Fingers crossed...

My Mac Book Pro (2010 - Snow Leopard) won't boot, or boot from safe mode.

Hi, a bit of back ground knowledge bout the situation first, I was visiting home to see my family for two weeks in the UK, as i am currently on an internship in Dubai.
A few days ago (one day before i flew back to Dubai from the UK - Thursday 10/07/2014) I noticed out of the blue that my Mac book Pro (i believe early/mid 2010 model) suddenly started running extremely slow. (prior to this I had be using it fine, using an array of programs like Safari & Photoshop that i know usually slows down the Mac, but unlike what I would usually experience, this was pretty much a complete freeze for 5 minutes at a time every time i tried moving my mouse/closing a program or even clicking on something. I decided I would close everything and give the computer a rest. This took a long long time, I had to force quit many of the programs open, then once going to the drop down menu to shut down the laptop it wouldn't shut down. So after a long time of waiting to shut down I decided to force it to shut down by holding down the power button.
I left it for the evening, and then decided to turn on the laptop so it was 'on and working' for my flight back to Dubai as there had been 'stricter airport measures introduced in the UK for flights abroad' and there was a rumor that you had to prove that all electrical devices can be turned on when and if asked by airport security. after a long time it finally turned on and loaded the home screen, it had a long period on the grey apple screen with the turning gear. However still when turned on the problem of being extremely slow - freezing for 5 minutes every time i would click a program or something on the mac, like the drop down menu with the shut down option for example - still persisted. As I had to fly home the next morning (Friday 11/07/2014) I just closed the laptop lid like i had down thousands of times before over the past 3-4 years, packed it in my hand luggage and and went to bed. I flew back to Dubai.
Over the next few days (Saturday 11/07/2014 - Monday 14/07/2014) I used the laptop sparingly a it was super slow, but i did manage to watch the second half of the world cup runners up match between Holland & Brasil. I then went on to attempt to use the safari the on the Monday night, but it was too slow to really do anything, e.g. i couldn't even really look at the BBC website as it was too painfully slow!
This is when I decided to look up why it may be working so slow via my iphone.
So I shut it down,
I looked on forums and support ages and first thing they recommended was a 'safe mode boot up', so I decided to boot up in safe mode. This is where the problem seems to worsen. The Mac book pro would turn on to the grey apple screen and the progress bar appears, it begins to fill up but then reaches perhaps 20-30% then suddenly the laptops fan seems to go into over drive, making lots of noise when before this moment as it tried to boot up it was silent, then it just turns off.
I decided to retry booting up without holding down shift (safe boot mode), but it returns to the grey apple screen with the progress bar again, as if it was in safe mode even though I had held down shift. The same problem happens, its silent as the bar fills until abut 20-30% then it seems to 'overheat' and then turn off again.
I tried to boot it up again and again, both 'normally' without holding down shift, and 'safe mode', but the same issue arises.
So i turned to the forums and help pages again, and there was a mention of a PRAM reset. So i tried booting it up this time but holding down 'CMD + ALT + P + R' on the moment of the first chime, then as normal with a PRAM reset it chimed twice more before I let go of the keyboard. The progress bar again appeared on the grey start up apple page, and this time reached roughly the same 20-30% mark, but without overheating or making a fan noise, it then seemed to restart the progress bar a second time. This time as it reached the 20-30% it would again over heat and then instantly turn off.
I then decided to do a Hardware test. So i turned on the power and held down 'D', this successfully brought up the Hardware testing window, I did a regular test and within a few minutes it said there was no hard ware issue. Not convinced i decided to do an detailed/advanced hardware test which took alot longer. This time after a few minutes it started to make fan noises and 'overheating noises' however completed the hardware test and again said there was no hardware problems. I opted for the 'shut down' option on the screen instead of 'restart'.
I then decided to try and boot it up normally again, and the progress bar appears on the grey apple start up screen, it again reaches 20-30% then turns off.
I've exhausted my knowledge of what to do, and all the forums seem not to give the answer i'm looking for. It sees like no one has had the EXACT same problem i'm experiencing. Also being in Dubai for a further 7 weeks, I can't take the Mac book pro to an apple store, and I do not have any of the install DVD discs ect with me to try booting from DVD disc install.
Does anyone have any suggestions for me on what I could try next? I'd be hugely grateful! Please reply below or email me.

Some things you can try.
Startup Issues - Resolve
Startup Issues - Resolve (2)

Upgrade from snow leopard 10.6.8 to montain lion on a iMac system won't boot getting a crossed out circle

Upgrade from snow leopard 10.6.8 to montain lion on a iMac system won't boot getting a crossed out circle

Clean install OS.10.6.8 update it completly. May be you ignored some firmware update.
I have two incedents.
My thunderbolt port stopped working after upgrading to ML 10.8. I booted from external 10.6 , 10.7 still didnt work. Then i clean installed 10.6.8 and ran software update it updated the thunderbolt firmware and all is well now. This firmware update for some reason didnt show up in ML 10.8.
Secondly , when i upgraded my Brother's Macbook from 10.5 to 10.6.3 it would install but stuck with crossed out circle. Then i downgraded checked for update found an efi update , then the 10.6.3 worked fine.

I have created a new partition on the Mac HD for Lion as I would like to dual boot. Do I need to install Snow Leopard on that partition before installing Lion? If so, can I use one of my Time Machine backups to do this?

I have created a new partition on the Mac HD for Lion as I would like to dual boot. Do I need to install Snow Leopard on that partition before installing Lion? If so, can I use one of my Time Machine backups to do this?

zoominnana wrote:
Can I set up 2 different time capsule backups? one for the lion partition and one for the snow leopard partition?
No, you can't partition a Time Capsule's internal HD. Both partitions will back up to the same sparse bundle. keeping the backups for each partition separate.
Time Machine will not take the two OSX partitions as two different computers, but for best results, exclude the Snow Leopard drive from backups on the Lion partition, and exclude the Lion partition from backups on the Snow Leopard partition.
There may be some files on the Lion partition that Time Machine on Snow Leopard won't like, among other things. See #10 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions for details.

Install Disk for Snow Leopard will not boot on an iMac 27in

My Install Disk for Snow Leopard will not boot on my iMac 27in. The Apple Logo is the only thing the user will see. The current OS on the system is 10.6.6. Upon placing the Snow Leopard DVD in the system, the DVD players spins for a few seconds and displays the Apple Logo. Nothing happens after 20 minutes.

Yes, it is ridiculous how it is impossible to install Snow Leopard. I have two Snow Leopard DVDs: one that I purchased for a Macbook soon after it's release (10.6.0), and one that came with my iMac (10.6.4). Both of these boot up my Macbook (running 10.6.7) just fine. My SL 10.6.0 DVD mounts onto my iMac (Lion 10.7.0), but you cannot run the install. I attempted to boot from this DVD and got the infinite white screen and Apple logo, as some have reported above. The other SL 10.6.4 DVD will not even mount in Lion, and will not even show up as a bootable drive when I attempt to select it after holding alt/option on reboot.
I created a bootable external drive from SL 10.6.0, attempted boot, same infinite white screen/apple logo.
I created a bootable external drive from SL 10.6.4 on my macbook. I attempted to boot from this drive, and got the white screen of death, except that this time I actually got the loading symbol underneath the Apple logo. After about a minute of attempting to boot, the Apple logo changed to a circle with a diagonal line through it (the "NO!" sign).
I took my iMac to the genius bar. They inserted SL 10.6.0, which would not boot. Then they determined that my computer had to run 10.6.4 and later. So, they restored an image of SL 10.6.4 onto my partition (not an install from an image, but an image of SL already installed). Hurray! Snow Leopard was successfully shoved onto my iMac!
I then deleted a third partition on my hard drive I did not need anymore, which somehow screwed up my SL partition (even though it said "Will not erase partition SL or Macintosh HD). Now I am back at square one, and I guess I need to take my flippin iMac back to Apple for them to do what I should be able to do.
I like Apple, but sheesh do I hate Lion right now.

Won't boot after installing Lion

I upgraded to Lion on Sunday. The machine started to act real slow, so I ran Disk Utility and it said my hard drive needed repair.
I shut down and rebooted and hit COMMAND + R. Nothing happened.
Reset PRAM and nothing happened.
The machine loads to the grey screen, and you cannot hear the machine working at all. If I let it sit for about 30 minutes, the Apple shows up, but never goes any further.
My machine was working perfectly in Snow Leopard.
I am not finding any solutions, short of calling Apple and paying the $49 fee to see if they want walk me through fixing it some other way.
Any other suggestions?
Thank you
Sean

Your options are quite limited. You need to reinstall Snow Leopard, but to do that involves erasing the hard drive. After reinstalling Snow Leopard you can upgrade it to 10.6.6 or later. Open the App Store where you can re-download Lion should you choose to install it.
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.

V10.6.8 Snow leopard won't update

Snow Leopard won't update, no matter how many times I try. I suspect Flashback is the reason. How can I scan and remove it? Complete Mac novice. Any assistance is appreciated!!!

I doubt that very much. I'd also be sure to do the following:
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.

Snow leopard won't boot up on lion

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