Using timemachine backup of snow leopard system to restore on system with Lion

Hello,
My son has a 13" MacBook Pro (2.66 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo) currently running Snow Leopard 10.6.8 which has a broken keyboard and a battery that won't charge. He regularly uses timemachine to make full backups of his system. We want to give him an old 13" MacBook Pro (2.66 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo), which is currently running Lion Mac OS X 10.7.5.
Is it possible for him to restore his entire system from Time Machine running Snow Leopard to a MacBook Pro that has Lion? If so, what are the best steps to have the target MacBook wiped or prepared for him to restore from his Time Machine back up, given that the systems are on different levels of OS X?
He's not wedded to keeping Snow Leopard - so can the migration occur without him having to upgrade his old broken MacBook Pro first? Would the target Mac get "downgraded" to Snow Leopard on the restore (which would be ok too)?
Thanks in advance. If there's any other info that will help clarify, please ask.

If he has no PPC apps that won't run on Lion, then the simplest thing to do is hook up the two machines and use the Migration Assistant to transfer his user account to the newer MBP. Once done, have him log into that account (assuming that it's an admin one), launch the Accounts prefPane, and delete the other accounts. That should do the trick.

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Installing Snow Leopard on macbook pro that came with Lion?

I recently bought a new MBP, model MC721LL/A, that was originally released with Snow Leopard. When I received it I found out that it had Lion installed. Can I install Snow Leopard on it? I have some software that is NOT Lion compatible and am waiting for an update, but till then wanted to stay with Snow Leopard.
Also, can I leave the Lion Restore partition on the hard drive for future use or will I need to do some kind of backup os the entire OS?

Mine did not include snow leopard disks.
I did try to startup from my Snow Leopard disk but it never finished the startup
Where did you get the Snow Leopard disc from if you did not originally have it? In either case, the one you have now did you get it from the previous owner? You need the system discs that originally came with the computer.
As to how to downgrade an os from Lion to Snow Leopard, you should post in the Mac OS X v10.7 Lion forum area.

Installation Options for iMovie HD on Snow Leopard system with iLife '09

Greetings and thank-you for contributing suggestions on what is a well worn subject. I have read many of the posts existing on this topic and am trying to nip some details.
I have a late 2006 iMac that came with Tiger and iMovie HD which is now at version 6.0.3. When I upgraded to Snow Leopard (Boxed Set) I got iLife 09 but, as it was supposed to do, it left me iMovie HD which is what I have used. I have both sets of installation DVD's. (from the iMac and the SL upgrade)
Today I got a new MacMini and am plotting how to get iMovie HD on it.
I gather that I first need to remove iMovie 09 from the Mini. I do that by dragging its application bundle in finder to the trash and removing any receipt packages.
Do I have to remove all of the iLife 09 applications or just iMovie 09?
Then, I reinstall either all of iLife 06 from the iMac DVD or just iMovie HD. After that I can load iLife 09 from the SL DVD. That will leave the iMovie HD on the system but upgrade everything else.
Should I run software update from iMovie HD to try to get the 6.0.3 version or download and run the upgrade image? Does it matter?
I am good to go. Did I miss anything?
I also have a SuperDuper clone of the iMac system. Another possibility is to boot from that and clone it to the new Mini. Does anyone think this is a better idea?
Thanks again for the insights of your experience.

I think the issue is that if you install iMovie 06 on a system with iMovie 09 installed, iMovie 6 has no knowledge that iMovie 09 exists. Therefore iMovie 6 installs itself in the iMovie folder in the Applications Folder and assumes anything in there is old and can be trashed.
Apple fixed this with iMovie 6.04, but this is no longer available.
But if you install iMovie 6 first, and iMovie 9 second, iMovie 9 knows about iMovie 6 and will move it to a folder called "iMovie - Previous Versions".
In your case, I would uninstall iMovie 09 as you started to do, then run the migration assistant, then reinstall iMovie 09.
It should also work to create a folder on your old system called "iMovie - Previous Versions". Drag the iMovie 6 app into this folder and verify that it works. Then do the Migration Assistant. This should work, but I hesitate to recommend it because I have not tested it. Best case, it installs and you did not even have to uninstall iMovie 09. Worst case, delete the iMovie folder and reinstall iMovie 09.
For what its worth, I recently did a Migration Assistant from a SuperDuper clone (after a failed hard disk) that had both iMovie 09 and iMovie 6 installed, and it worked fine. But I have not tried your scenario.
I would use Migration Assistant because then you have the correct version of Snow Leopard for your system. You may not if you use a clone. A new machine may have microcode that is not released to the general release of OSX for several months. If your Mini is a used one and at least 6 months old, a clone should work OK.

My Airport is USELESS with Snow Leopard..What will it be with Lion?

Mr Jobs,
Like you would every get this . I am super annoyed
wth Snow Leopard.I ususally wait for the second to last or
last version of an OS before I upgrade. The reason is
simple, my Apple computer has worked fine, I didn't
have any big need to upgrade and though I want to stay up to
date I hate to fix something that "ain't broken.:" Well
Snow Leopard has screwed up my MacBook Pro big time. My
trusty MacBook Pro 17 (old core duo) has paid the rent for
since day one.
I am a Shooter/Director and need my laptop to work. I am a
more than adequate FCS editor. Snow Leopard has sent me
into a spin! My airport is useless. There is no simple
path to older software so though I may be 60 years old I
still need to use tools I have used or at least be offered
the option of moving forward to new ones. It is NOT YTOUR
style.
I am writing this from my old G5, edit suite. My MacBook Pro 17 is not able to connect to my Airport. My sister-in-law is in the next room with her MacBook Pro (same year as mine but 15") and on lien skype-ing and chatting and surfing. I can connect for more than 30 seconds and my "update software" is at the top of the chain. *****! I will be re-formating my hard drive and going back to Leopard SANS SNOW tomorrow! And folks spare me the silly advice. If you buy an OS and install it and do the upgrades , it should work. That is what Apple is about. That is why I have bought and used Apple since DAY One. I sold my TI and Commodore when I saw an Apple!
I know you will NEVER read this, but I needed to vent.
If you do, I will super happy to hear you did, you are well
and that you have passed it down the line.
Stay well and with us for a long time and all the great
innovations!
Best
Brian Murphy

If I had a nickel for every time I saw someone blame a system update for something silly, I'd be quite rich by now. If you believe reports on public forums, every release of Mac OS X has been the worst ever, which is obviously not true to anyone who has actually used all those systems. So, while there may be a lot of people reporting wireless problems with SL, that does not make it fact that the cause of the problem is SL. Fact: I have not seen wireless problems with any Macs running SL.
But, you seem not interested in listening to such things. You know that it's SL's fault. So there's really no solution for you but to revert to Leopard. If you're interested in getting things working with SL, as I said, post back on a different topic with details. (Since you started this topic with a bit of a rant, it's going to be difficult for you to get help on this topic.)

Moving Snow Leopard iPhoto Libraries to new iMac with Lion

Can I move iPhoto Librarys from a iBook G4 running Snow Leopard to a iMac running Lion and if so how? Thanks, HJZ

Linc,
Thanks for the info, but I want to use an external FireWire drive as the target disk, not the old iMac. I'd need to keep the external FireWire drive connected to the old iMac in order to use the screen, keyboard, mouse, etc. Could I just connect the FW drive to the new iMac and then start up the new iMac in hopes it would "recognize" the external FireWire drive through Setup Assistant?

Hi there,I was using MacPro with older snow leopard just now i install OS X LION,before install i backup all deta to time machines about 70GB,now when i connect i dont know how can backup the old deta to OS X LION,but it just backup the recent deta to tim

Hi there,
I was using MacPro with older snow leopard just now i install OS X LION,before install i backup all deta to time machines about 70GB,now when i connect i dont know how can backup the old deta to OS X LION,but it just backup the recent deta to time machine,pls guide me how i can backup my old deta to my computer??
Will be much appreciated !!
Thanks.

>Step 1. Backup existing data using time machine.
Time Machine is nice, but you have very little in terms of ability to verify that your data is all backed up. I find Time Machine is better for the occasional recovery of previously written data at specific times. A good backup solution that survives an erase and install (there is no clean install in Mac OS X), is a clone, and preferably TWO clones. See my FAQ*:
http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html
Time Machine can work as good as a clone, and in fact I once had to rely on it because my hard drive died. Thankfully it did recover everything. But I had my clone just in case it didn't work. Now I feel more comfortable since clones allow you to boot themselves, and thus prove all the important system information got saved, and not just the user data.
Clones are also easier to import with the migration assistant.

Will I need to buy Lion on a Lion preinstalled macbook air after transferring a snow leopard system from an old macbook pro

So will I need to buy Lion from the app store to upgrade, after I transfer my old snow leopard system to a new macbook air, that came with Lion?
Thanks!

Use Setup Assistant when your new Mac first starts up to transfer your stuff from the old Mac or it's backups.
If it comes with Lion, see Using Setup Assistant on Lion
If it comes with Snow Leopard, see the slightly-different Using Setup Assistant on Snow Leopard or Leopard, then upgrade to Lion.

Can I restore TM backup of Snow Leopard running on Ext disk to new HDD

My internal HDD will be replaced due to failure. Whilst have a TM backup prior to the failure, I have installed a temporary Snow Leopard system on my External drive which also has TM backups. As this is the latest updated system can I use the TM backup of my external drive to restore the system to the new HDD?
I have looked at the detailed TM 'tips' and FAQs but have to confess I am confused as to th right answer.

You could do that, but it may be better to install a fresh OS on the new drive and then use Migration Assistant to restore your data.
Mac OS X v10.6: How to use Migration Assistant to transfer files from a Time Machine backup

I just restored my 13" MBP i5 at the apple store to the newest version of Lion after issues with a previous Time Machine backup from Snow Leopard- this time I created a new account and just ported files and folders, and now MS Office doesn't work. Help?

I just restored my 13" MBP i5 at the apple store to the newest version of Lion after issues with a previous Time Machine backup from Snow Leopard- this time I created a new account and just ported files and folders, and now MS Office doesn't work.
^^ that's the main problem. Here's the full history.
I bought a new 13" i5 MBP, early 2011 edition. I had an old white Macbook 2.14 ghz core2duo on Snow Leopard. I attempted to port over my time machine backup, but encountered problems in that my User was inaccessible from the new computer after the import finished, and I had to go in and change the root password, etc, and for some reason or another, I couldn't install any programs at all from that administrator's account. By "couldn't" I mean I could install them, but upon installation they would never boot. So, I took it to the apple store and did a clean install from the most up to date Lion OSX. Then, I created a brand new admin account, instead of trying to import the old one, and things seemed great. Then, I just imported my old files from the TM backup, but not any system settings, permissions, or user data. Just my Docs, pics, vids, apps, and itunes stuff.
Here's where things get weird again. I imported this stuff under the name "old", but all of these folders have a red negative sign on them, marking them as restricted. So, from my main admin account, I cannot even peruse these folders. Since I didn't import user data, I can't sign in to the "old" account to change permissions. I already tried to change the permissions from system preferences, but that didn't change anything. And now, for whatever reason, of all the apps that were imported then, MS Office is the only set of apps that does not work. When I click on it, it just says there was a problem and asks if I'd like to send a report to apple. I tried reinstalling it to no avail. I'm an English student, so i really need access to Word. Can anyone help? The Apple store is a major detour for me and would like to fix this issue myself.

Most likely you have Office 2004 which are PPC-only applications and will not work in Lion. Upgrade to Office 2011. Other alternatives are:
Apple's iWork suite (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.)
Open Office (Office 2007-like suite compatible with OS X.)
NeoOffice (similar to Open Office.)
LibreOffice (a new direction for the Open Office suite.)

I have paid and downloaded LION and want to update my IMAC, can i just run install and it keep photos settings etc from Snow Leopard or is a full reinstall with wiped hard drive, anyone have any experience of this and do i need to run a backup beforehand?

I have paid and downloaded LION and want to update my IMAC, can i just run install and it keep photos settings etc from Snow Leopard or is a full reinstall with wiped hard drive, anyone have any experience of this and do i need to run a backup beforehand?

Always backup your important data before upgrading to a new Mac OS X.
Lion doesn't erase the drive but better to be safe than sorry.
And run Disk Utility (Applications/Utilities). Verify and if necessary repair the startup disk before upgrading.
Using Disk Utility to verify or repair disks
Before upgrading read here > Lion upgrade questions and answers: Apple Support Communities
And here > What applications are not compatible with Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion"? What upgrade or substitute options are available for common incompatible applications? @ EveryMac.com

I have a canon multifunction printer that used to work with snow leopard but since I updated to mountain lion my printer stop working, How do I make it work again?

I have a canon multifunction printer that used to work with snow leopard but since I updated to mountain lion it stoped working. How do I make it work again?

This problem is not unheard of when upgrading from Snow Leopard. It is usually solved by completely deleting the existing printer in System Preferences > Print & Scan, and adding it again.

I used my snow leopard disk to erase my hard drive. Now I want to eject the snow leopard disk to clean install from the lion boot disk I made. How do I eject the snow leopard disk?

I used my snow leopard disk to erase my hard drive. Now I want to eject the snow leopard disk to clean install from the lion boot disk I made. How do I eject the snow leopard disk? It is the start up disk and I can't figure out how to get it out of the computer so I can put my lion boot disk in. Thanks

turn the mac all the way off. turn the mac on by pressing the power button. as soon as the apple logo appears, pres and hold your mouse button(trackpad mouse clicker etc...) until the CD comes out.

I just bought a mac and I used the migration assistant so I could have all my files, but I got my account from Snow Leopard and now I don't have Lion anymore?

If anyone knows what my next step is, please help! Thanks

Are you absolutely sure that your new Mac had Lion installed? If so, are you now absolutely sure you are running Snow Leopard? What does About This Mac under the Apple icon in the menu say about what system you are running.
Snow Leopard will not install on top of Lion. You have to erase the HD to downgrade from Lion to Snow Leopard. Migration Assistant doesn't have the capability of doing this.

Can I use Face Time on Snow Leopard 10.6.8

Can I use Face Time on Snow Leopard 10.6.8

Beth,
Yes, absolutely. I have a 10.6.8 iMac here, and FaceTime works very well with it. The minimum requirement for FaceTime for Mac is 10.6.6
Wuz

I have a question? I update my macbook pro but every time I do and I go back to where it says software update it says that if I want to update my pro I just did, and Im using Mac Os X snow leopard is it that I have to upgrade to lion?

I have a question? I update my macbook pro but every time I do and I go back to where it says software update it says that if I want to update my pro I just did, and Im using Mac Os X snow leopard is it that I have to upgrade to lion?

It also says view updates, so select that option and see what it wants to update.

Using timemachine backup of snow leopard system to restore on system with Lion

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