'this software cannot be installed on this computer' install error-why?

10.3.9
have the 2 10.4 dvd's. insert disc 1, 'install mac os x', restarts then begins installation, then get 'this software cannot be installed on this computer' message!!!
have repaired disc and disc permissions from disc utility, have zapped pram, have pulled hair out!!! still get this message, anybody any ideas?
all i want is 10.4 running!
pb g4, 1.25, fw800, 1gb ram

The grey discs will only install on the model of Mac with which they shipped. If these discs didn't ship with your Mac, and they don't work with your Mac, well then there's not much you can do.
As far as it being legal or not, it is illegal to install this software on more than one Mac at the same time. If the original owner of these grey discs is no longer using the software and has removed the software from his system, and he has not retained other copies of it, then it is legal for him to transfer ownership of the software to you, and legal for you to use it. But that's not of much help to you if you don't have the correct model of Mac.
Get the black retail Tiger install disc from amazon.com or elsewhere. It will work on all Mac models with built-in firewire.

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This software cannot be used on this machine (urgent help)

Hey guys
I'm after some help with my Macbook Pro.. I have several mac laptops at home from powerbook, macbook pro and a macbook...
I wanted to do a reinstall of the macbook pro software so i dug out the discs and started the process. the discs say the version of os x is 10.4.5 and during the install of cd1 i got an error but i was able to click on continue and the install seemed to be going ok. At cd 2 the install started but suddenly came to end and said that there was a problem and to start the install again. the cds appear to have become damaged in storage so there are scratches on them...
So from there i have tried to find replacement cds to complete the install...
i recently managed to get the install cds for a macbook pro with version 10.4.9 on them. i have put the disc 1 in and started the install but i get a message saying, these are genuine install cd's that i bought from ebay.
"this software cannot be used on this machine"
Not matter what i try i am stuck half way through an old install and unable to move on.. can anyone help me with this... i have install cd's for my macbook and my old powerbook but nothing seems to work.
can any help me get by this?
thanks in advance
Message was edited by: Kuffdam

Install disks that ship with the computer are highly machine-specific even within the same product line. According to [THIS PAGE|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1159?viewlocale=en_US] your MBP was probably the model introduced in Feb 2006, which never shipped with an OS version higher than 10.4.6. The only MBP model that shipped with 10.4.9 was the one introduced in June 2007, so it could not have been the same model as yours.
I think all Apple need is your MBP's serial number in order to sell you the proper disks for your machine.

PowerBook G4 "this software cannot be installed on this computer"

Hello Everyone,
I recently bought a new MacBook Pro and I wanted to give away my Powerbook G4. I tried using the factory install discs to wipe as well as Mac OS 10.3 retail discs. I thought the hard drive have Mac OS 10.4 was a problem, so I wiped the drive and bricked my computer.
When I try to install Mac OS or use the factory install discs, it gives me the error "this software cannot be installed on this computer"
Does anyone know how to correct this?

If you have access to an Apple Store Genius, by all means.
By "too old" it's not that the disks age and go bad, but the installer checks what exact model you are trying to install onto. You get the error message if it's not a compatible OS and machine, such as the OS being older than the machine needs.
If there's no way your disks could have gotten mixed up with others, it's a mystery that someone with other troubleshooting tools (like a range of retail OSX disks) may have to figure out. Did you ever actually install OSX from these disks? Perhaps they were always wrong and you never knew it?

IMac says This Software Cannot Be Installed On This Computer

My iMac has just had a new HDD fitted and im trying to re install 10.4 on it and it comes up with "ALERT - This Software Cannot Be Installed On This Computer" what can i do?

1) You must use the either Original Tiger Install DVD set or a later Retail Upgrade Disc than came with that iMac?
2) The Partition Map Scheme of most off the shelf drives is normally Master Boot Record and it must also be changed to GUID Partition Table.
1. Boot from your install DVD, Upgrade Disc or Bootable Clone and open Disk Utility.
2. Highlight the new HD in the list of drives and select the Partition tab.
3. Under Volume Scheme select 1 Partition and click on the Options... button.
4. Select GUID Partition Table in the drop down window and click OK.
5. Set the Format to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and click the Apply button.
6. Once thats done then you can do a clean Install, Restore your Bootable Clone.

Alert - This Software Cannot Be Installed On This Computer

I need your assistance. I have this refurbished iMac G5 that my father gave me several years ago. I believe he purchased it directly from Apple or from an authorized seller. I have all of the cds it came with. Long story short, I am trying to install the OS using the discs provided and it keeps cropping up with the alert message - This software cannot be installed on this computer. I have 2 gray CDs - it says it's iMac G5 Mac OS X Install Disc 1, Mac OS version 10.4, AHT version 2.5.1. I also have another disc that will go further along in the installation process but stops because I do not have OS 10.3 installed. This CD is black with an X and says Mac OS X Tiger Includes Xcode 2, CPU Drop In DVD, Version 10.4. I performed the Apple Hardware Test and everything passed. I tried partitioning it like other users have offered but it still comes back with the same message.
Your suggestions and assistance will be most welcome! Let me know if I should include any other details.

Hi,
I have all of the cds it came with...
I have 2 gray CDs - it says it's iMac G5 Mac OS X Install Disc 1, *Mac OS version 10.4*, AHT version 2.5.1.
I also have another disc that will go further along in the installation
process but stops because I do not have OS 10.3 installed. This CD is black with an
X and says *Mac OS X Tiger* Includes Xcode 2,
Something is not right -
If gray discs marked 10.4 really did ship (or were supposed to ship) with your computer, then you would *already have* a Tiger version, and there would be no role for the Tiger upgrade DVD. In fact if your computer really is a model that came with Tiger originally, then you couldn't now install Panther on it even if you had Panther install discs.
I believe that the iMac G5 model that came with grey 10.4 Tiger discs was the 2005 "Ambient Light Sensor" (ALS) model. To be sure you have that model, you can obtain its serial number from the base of the computer as shown on [this page|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1749] and then plug the last 3 characters into the identifier box on [this page|http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup].
What model did it report? If your iMac is not an "ALS" model, then you probably have the wrong original install discs. If you do have that model, then perhaps the HD was not formatted correctly before you tried the install. Let us know.

Error Leopard Install "This software cannot be Installed on this computer"

I formated the hard drive with my Leopard cd disk utility then did a 7 pass erase still getting message "This software cannot be installed on this computer"
Installer log says:
localhost LCA [65]: Folder manager is being asked to create a folder (cach) while running as uid 0
Installer log says: localhost LCA [65]: Folder manager is being asked to create a folder (asav) while running as uid 0
localhost OSInstaller [146]: Installation check failed.
localhost OSInstaller [146]: Installation check failures: This software cannot...
localhost OSInstaller [146]: Folder Manager is being asked to create a folder (asav) while running as uid 0
Model Name: Mac mini
Model Identifier: Macmini1,1
Processor Name: Intel Core Duo
Processor Speed: 1.66 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per processor): 2 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MM11.0055.B08
SMC Version: 1.3f4
Serial Number: G87243UBW0C

JillTechie wrote:
Yes, I'm using the gray 2 disc set of Lepoard, full version, and yes I chose the GUID type partition.
Do you know what the error log messages mean? or how to fix it so it will install as now I have nothing. I don't have any Tiger disks to go back to because I got my Mac Mini used.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank You, Jill
It sounds as if the CD set you have is not for the computer you purchased. Each CD set is made specifically for the computer for which it ships with. That CD set will not work on any other computer.

This software cannot be installed on the computer/sibling link error

I have been helping a friend overseas troubleshoot her computer.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1741148&tstart=0
We are at the point where she was able to get her data off the drive and would now like to reinstall her system.
She has a refurbished iBook which was running 10.4.11 with software updates. Her startup disks are in the states as she is in a village in Africa. She has borrowed disks which contain 10.4.8 and is receiving the message that +"This software cannot be installed on the computer."+ Would this be due to different versions and trying install an older OS onto a computer with a newer OS?
She had a sibling link error on her hard drive, so we were able to recover data. I was hoping to reformat her hard drive to remove the error and reinstall the system. Would this error effect the installation process?
Thank you.

If this is an iBook model she will need to use a retail Tiger installer or the discs that came with her computer. She could try with Leopard if the iBook meets the requirements:
System requirements
You must have a Macintosh computer with:
an Intel processor or a PowerPC G4 (867 MHz or faster) or G5 processor
a DVD drive
built-in FireWire
at least 512 MB of RAM (additional RAM is recommended for development purposes)
a built-in display or a display connected to an Apple-supplied video card supported by your computer
at least 9 GB of disk space available, or 12 GB of disk space if you install the developer tools

"This software cannot install"?

Okay,
So a little more than a year ago, i purchased a black macbook that came with the mac os x 10.4.10. i installed it and everything was fine and dandy.
However, the computer got stolen, but i still have the two install discs.
Recently, i bought a used macbook pro (the bottom says 2006) and tried installing mac os x with the discs i had from the stolen macbook. this will not install, and i get a message that says: "this software cannot be installed" and asks me to select a startup disk.
what's going on?
as you can see, i am not THE most computer savvy person, so i need all the help i can get.
i'm just confused as to what can and cannot work on my macbook pro.

It's not a matter of the software not being able to run on your computer, but the discs that came with your Black MacBook are specifically designed for that computer. You will need to obtain a retail copy of Mac OS X in order to install the OS on your MacBook Pro.

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'this software cannot be installed on this computer' install error-why?

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