The application "install mac os x" cannot be used from this volume

I have an older 2008 macbook, with leopard, I am trying to download snow leopard and when i try to install I keep getting the message, "the application "install mac os x" cannot be used from this volume". Can someone please help

There is no way to download the upgrade to Snow Leopard.
What you are downloading are updates.
In order for the update to work your Mac must have Snow Leopard installed first.
The only way to upgrade to Snow Leopard is to purchase the Snow Leopard DVD from Apple Online.
Allan

Similar Messages

  • "Install Mac OS X" cannot be used from this volume

    Hello,
    I have a first generation MacBook, and the CD-R drive doesn't always function reliably anymore. So recently I've taken to putting my mom's iMac into Target Disk mode for installing software.
    Normally this works just fine. However, this evening I tried to do this for installing Snow Leopard and cannot. What happens is:
    1) I connect the 2 computers with FireWire and put the iMac in Target Disk mode.
    2) I insert the Snow Leopard disc and double-click on the "Mac OS X Install DVD" icon on my desktop
    3) I double-click on "Install Mac OS X"
    It is at that point that I receive this message:
    The application "Install Mac OS X" cannot be used from this volume.
    I searched the forum here, but actually didn't find this exact question. Any help will be very appreciated!
    Jim

    Try following these steps instead:
    1) Insert the Install DVD into the machine with a working disc drive.
    2) Power off both machines, and connect them with a Firewire cable.
    3) Start the machine with the DVD inside in Target Disk Mode.
    4) When the Firewire symbol appears on that machine, boot the other with the Option key held down.
    5) Choose the Install DVD from the list of options, then proceed with the install.
    That should work for you.
    Are you using a retail copy of Snow Leopard (black disc)? Machine-specific gray discs will not work.
    ~Lyssa

  • Solution: mac os x cannot start up from this volume

    I purchased a new WD 300GB SATA drive recently to replace a failing OEM 250GB drive in a G5 tower. I installed the new drive and ran the 10.4.3 Installer DVD. I opened Disk Utility, selected the new drive, clicked the Erase tab, etc., etc. Went back to the Installer, saw an error: "You cannot install OS X on this volume. Mac OS X cannot start up from this volume."
    Long story short, it appears that sometimes Disk Utility doesn't actually correctly format the drive. The key thing to look for is that if you go to Disk Utility and select the physical drive volume, then hit Get Info, under Partition Type it will say "FDiskpartitionscheme," even though it claims to be formatted Mac OS Extended, Journaled. The Installer will reject any disks not listed as "Applepartitionscheme."
    The solution is to go back into Disk Utility and try different methods of reformatting (select the physical drive, select the logical volume, Erase, Partition, etc.) until you get "Applepartitionscheme." Then it should work fine.

    To install Panther, you need the retail install version CDs (black with silver X). I suspect you are trying to use a model specific version or upgrade version (gray), that won't work.
    When you formatted the new drive, did you check to install the OS 9 drivers? The drivers need to be installed if you want to be able to boot OS 9.x. If you just want to be able to run in classic mode, the drivers are not necessary.
    If OS X has never been installed on your Mac, you need to check if your Mac requires a firmware (Boot ROM version in System Profiler) update. Mac OS X: Available firmware updates
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86117 If an update is required, the update must be installed (using OS 9) BEFORE you install OS X.
     Cheers, Tom

  • Upgrade "Mac os x cannot start up from this volume"

    I'm trying to upgrade my tiger installation with leopard, but I get the message "Mac os x cannot start up from this volume". It is the internal disk and I have a Linux install too on that disk. Earlier I used Refit but I have removed it. Do I have to repartition? Partiontabel is GUID-partiontable in diskutil.

    sigge44 wrote:
    I'm trying to upgrade my tiger installation with leopard, but I get the message "Mac os x cannot start up from this volume". It is the internal disk and I have a Linux install too on that disk. Earlier I used Refit but I have removed it. Do I have to repartition? Partiontabel is GUID-partiontable in diskutil.
    Removing an app or bootloader like rEFIt or OS such as Linux does not ensure that the drive is back to where it was before you installed these programs.
    Even having a partition for TechTools eDrive will cause problems.
    First I would run DU and check/repair your HD and then run a file permission verify/repair and zap the PRAM.
    I would then suggest backing up Tiger and Linux with clones and completely erasing the HD using the full (not quick) erase and then installing Leopard and migrating your Tiger material back.

  • Can't Install Leopard "Cannot Start up from this volume"

    I have 10.4.10 currently installed on my MacBook (120GB aftermarket HD).
    HD works fine and is properly partition/formatted and working just fine in 10.4 (GUID partition, journaled, etc). Ran repair permission/disk to be safe and it checked out ok.
    10.5 installer loads up ok but when I get the list of drives to install to my HD has a red exclaimation on it and when I try and select it I get the message "You cannot install Mac OS X on this volume. Mac OS X cannot start up from this volume."
    I have no problems running 10.4 on that volume and I don't want to reformat unless I am 100% sure it will fix the problem.

    Since nobody replied after 26 views I assumed nobody wanted to help me.
    So I ended up reformatting my HD to the same options it currently had and that fixed it. SO I am starting to do the install now.
    Thanks to the 26 people who viewed it and didn't offer any help.

  • When I try to install Lion it tell's me "You can't use this version of the application install mac os x Lion with this version of Mac os x" even though I have the latest update 10.5.8 of Mac os X?

    When I try to install Lion it tell's me "You can't use this version of the application install mac os x Lion with this version of Mac os X" even though I have the latest update 10.5.8 of Mac os X?
    The install icon has this sign on it 

    moose0422 wrote:
    You can't install Lion over Leopard. To install Lion, a requirement is Snow Leopard. So you can either upgrade to Snow Leopard first or you can make a bootable Lion install disc and use that to wipe your hard drive and install a fresh copy of Lion.
    So to make a disk would require you to purchase Snow Leopard and upgrade to 10.6.8 so you can use the App Store, unless you have access to another computer to download it from with your Apple ID. Remember it is about a 3.4GB download.
    Good Luck

  • How do you solve error "You can't use this version of the application Install Mac OS X.app with this version of Mac OS X" when trying to go back to leopard from lion?

    How do you solve error "You can't use this version of the application Install Mac OS X.app with this version of Mac OS X" when trying to go back to leopard from lion?
    Local Mac shop said to hold down "c" after inserting disk to get "disk utility" to come up in order to wipe hard drive.  I can't seem to get it to do this.

    This W7 was purchased for using Fusion, as others did - per reviews from amazon.  The technician today called their contact at VMWare - Fusion not officially for use with Lion - even though I read at the VMWare support site that others have made it work.  Apparently my setup doesn't work. 
    Do you know how to do the proceedure for bringing up the disk utility when starting the disk?
    BTW, some of the windows applications I want to continue using are Incredimail, Calendarscope, Stamps.com and a few others I have used over many years.  What do you use for email and calendar?
    Wow, sounds like another reason to not use MS Windows.
    Regarding your Disk Utility question, please elablorate I'm not sure what you're trying to do. Disk Utilty is just that...a utility, it's something most users never have to use especially on a new computer. Let me know what you're trying to do there before I give you some instructions.
    As for as your Windows apps I would recommend using Mail and iCal, both come as part of OS X and are very robust tools. Don't discount the software built right into OS X it's very robust and powerful not all like the bloatware most Windows boxes ship with. Stamps.com well I'd look for another alternative. It's clear they don't support OS X which makes me a little suspicious that they're so behind the times. 
    Also if you have not been exposed to these links before I'd strongly recommend bookmarking them and using them. They're extermely useful!
    Switch 101
    Mac 101
    Find Out How Video tutorials

  • Installing snow leopard, got "The application Install Mac OS X quit unexpectedly"

    Installing show leopard from the install disk on white MacBook (2,0 GHz), got "The application Install Mac OS X quit unexpectedly".  What's wrong?

    Haven't a clue, but the machine didn't like something. Zap the PRAM and Reset the SMC, then try reinstalling again.

  • Mac os x cannot start up from this disk

    I have a 2008 MacBook Air which runs Leopard. I want to upgrade to Snow Leopard and then Lion. I have the Snow Leopard family pack disk and try to do the install but it say 'Mac OS X cannot start up from this disk' and shows a yellow triangle with a !
    I went to the genius bar and they told me to put the Snow Leopard disk in the superdrive and restart holding down C and it would then work - but it did not. I also saw on a forum about using disk utility and partion and resizing the partition then putting it back as it was originally and then re trying but I get the same message.
    Anybody got any ideas?

    Saw an article by Topher Kessler: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10330520-263.html
    The extract from that article below worked for me.
    Note when I first resized the partion (comment above) I did not 'apply', this time I did and then resized back to the original full size and hit 'apply' again. Although when the install starts it shows the size of the partion to be the smaller (temporary) size, it is not and the install completes with no issues.
    Boot from the Snow Leopard DVD and select your language. Then launch "Disk Utility" from the "Utilities" menu and perform the following steps:
    Select your boot device (the device above the boot volume name), and select the "Partition" tab.
    Resize the partition by selecting the volume name in the rectangular volume representation and drag the bottom-right corner of it to change its size.
    Click "Apply" to change the partition's size.
    Revert the change by dragging the same resizing corner back to the bottom, and click "apply."
    After this is done, quit out of Disk Utility and try installing Snow Leopard again. Since you are booted from the Snow Leopard DVD you should be able to continue immediately without having to reboot your system.
    Hope this helps others. Thanks Topher!

  • Installing Leopard over Tiger: "MacOs X cannot start up from this [volume]"

    That's the message I get on an iMac dual 2-GHz. Each partition has a yellow '!' with the message "MacOs X cannot start up from this [volume]" (I think it says volume) not 'cannot be installed on this..."
    Trouble is, it says this about the current 10.4.11 start-up volume. Is this a GUID partition map thing? Any ways around it?
    TIA,

    TimDanaher wrote:
    "MacOs X cannot start up from this [volume]" (I think it says volume) not 'cannot be installed on this..."
    Trouble is, it says this about the current 10.4.11 start-up volume. Is this a GUID partition map thing?
    That's easy to test. Launch Disk Utility, select that drive (not volume) in the column on the left, and look for "Partition Map Scheme" at the bottom of the window.
    Any ways around it?
    If it's not already GUID, you'll need to repartition the drive. That will erase everything on it.

  • "You can't open the application "Install Mac OS X"...

    because it is not supported on this architecture."
    I don't know why either? I am currently running OS X 10.5.8 and thought I would just upgrade easy peasy lemon squeezy to Snow today but hit a bump in the road as soon as I clicked o "Install". I tried searching this forum but wasn't hitting anything. Could someone steer me in a good direction or let me know what I am doing wrong? lol Thank you.

    I haven't tried doing anything further about this install as I'm cleaning up my computer but I noticed yesterday when I got my copy of Tangled with the Digital copy, my DVD was having trouble. It would read 10% before it said it was done and really wasn't. (this happened before with my old drive before the drive just died) I just BARELY (on Tuesday) picked up my Mac from the Apple Store from having it's optical drive replaced but I'm starting to think, I have a secondary issue or else, this optical drive is having issues too. ::sigh:: Time to make an appointment for the Genius bar again.

  • Maverick upgrade issue : OS X cannot start up from this disk

    Hi all, everytime I try to upgrade to Maverick for my new mackbook air, I got this problem 'OS X cannot start up from this disk' (MACOSX). I tried deleting files to get more space, repairing disk and determine that it is not time machine issue, but to no avail.  I have 58 gb free space on my 128 gb SSD.  Can anyone help ? It is really frustrating.  I am not sure what is the other disk called OS X install ESD which is 5.42 GB total.

    sigge44 wrote:
    I'm trying to upgrade my tiger installation with leopard, but I get the message "Mac os x cannot start up from this volume". It is the internal disk and I have a Linux install too on that disk. Earlier I used Refit but I have removed it. Do I have to repartition? Partiontabel is GUID-partiontable in diskutil.
    Removing an app or bootloader like rEFIt or OS such as Linux does not ensure that the drive is back to where it was before you installed these programs.
    Even having a partition for TechTools eDrive will cause problems.
    First I would run DU and check/repair your HD and then run a file permission verify/repair and zap the PRAM.
    I would then suggest backing up Tiger and Linux with clones and completely erasing the HD using the full (not quick) erase and then installing Leopard and migrating your Tiger material back.

  • I just upgraded to photoshop 6 and i cannot install because i am getting a message that reads "You can't open the application "Install Adobe Photoshop 6.0" because it may be damaged or incomplete".

    I just upgraded to photoshop 6 and i cannot install because i am getting a message that reads "You can’t open the application “Install Adobe Photoshop® 6.0” because it may be damaged or incomplete".
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    you probably have an incomplete/corrupt download.
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    then re-download perhaps with a different browser.
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  • Are the Mac hardware drivers on the "Applications Install DVD?"

    And would it need to be inserted while Windows is running?

    Hi tabqwerty,
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  • You cannot open the application app store because it is not supported on this architecture

    My Apple store app will not open, and it gives me this error. What can I do?
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    The Mac App Store application is damaged. Open  > About this Mac, and check which Mac OS X version you have.
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