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Desperate advice needed about installing OS on Mac Mini

R

ryan101

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 26, 2012
139
31
Hello Everyone,

I am really stuck with my Mac Mini and in desperate need of advice. I have a Mid 2007 Mac Mini. Model number A1176 (EMC 2108). I have been trying to install Lion or Mountain Lion, or any OS version that would allow me to use it properly. I have increased the RAM to 4GB from 1GB. I have installed a new Hard Drive. However, everything I do to install a new OS version fails. I have tried CMD + R route. I have tried the "Alt" route. I have tried to install via CD/DVD. I have even loaded OS through another computer, and then moved the hard disk into the Mac Mini, even then it won't accept it!

Just to give you some background information, my Mac Mini was very slow, and it wouldn't allow me to install any of the current browser versions like Chrome or FireFox, and I could not longer play YouTube, BBC iPlayer, Netflix etc properly because it would give me the message to say my browser is not supported.

Where am I going wrong? Am I missing something very obvious? I have spent a lot of time on this now, and I am getting really frustrated. I would really appreciate some help from anyone who has done this before.

The only thing I can think of is that this model is not designed or is not allowed to upgrade to a newer OS version, which would seem strange to me because I have seen same age MacBooks run the Mountain Lion and Lion.

I have spent all this money on memory and Hard Disk and I don't want into be wasted.
 
ryan101 said:
Hello Everyone,

I am really stuck with my Mac Mini and in desperate need of advice. I have a Mid 2007 Mac Mini. Model number A1176 (EMC 2108). I have been trying to install Lion or Mountain Lion, or any OS version that would allow me to use it properly. I have increased the RAM to 4GB from 1GB. I have installed a new Hard Drive. However, everything I do to install a new OS version fails. I have tried CMD + R route. I have tried the "Alt" route. I have tried to install via CD/DVD. I have even loaded OS through another computer, and then moved the hard disk into the Mac Mini, even then it won't accept it!

Just to give you some background information, my Mac Mini was very slow, and it wouldn't allow me to install any of the current browser versions like Chrome or FireFox, and I could not longer play YouTube, BBC iPlayer, Netflix etc properly because it would give me the message to say my browser is not supported.

Where am I going wrong? Am I missing something very obvious? I have spent a lot of time on this now, and I am getting really frustrated. I would really appreciate some help from anyone who has done this before.

The only thing I can think of is that this model is not designed or is not allowed to upgrade to a newer OS version, which would seem strange to me because I have seen same age MacBooks run the Mountain Lion and Lion.

I have spent all this money on memory and Hard Disk and I don't want into be wasted.
Click to expand...

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but if the 2007 mini has the 32-bit Core Solo processor, it won't run Lion. You would need to upgrade to a 64-bit Core Duo processor to upgrade the OS. Don't know that it's worth it.
 
ryan101 said:
I am really stuck with my Mac Mini and in desperate need of advice. I have a Mid 2007 Mac Mini. Model number A1176 (EMC 2108). I have been trying to install Lion or Mountain Lion, or any OS version that would allow me to use it properly. I have increased the RAM to 4GB from 1GB. I have installed a new Hard Drive. However, everything I do to install a new OS version fails. I have tried CMD + R route. I have tried the "Alt" route. I have tried to install via CD/DVD. I have even loaded OS through another computer, and then moved the hard disk into the Mac Mini, even then it won't accept it!
Where am I going wrong? Am I missing something very obvious? I have spent a lot of time on this now, and I am getting really frustrated. I would really appreciate some help from anyone who has done this before.
Click to expand...
ryan101 said:
@multicore firstly thank you for your response. Secondly, this is a Core 2 Duo. This is the Serial Number: YM8464E0YL2, here it is: http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/?search_keywords=YM8464E0YL2
Click to expand...
Your everymac link shows, as does my Mactracker app, that your maximum OS is Lion (10.7.5). You will not be able to install Mountain Lion (10.8). Your original OS was 10.4 or 10.5, depending on when it was shipped.

Do you still have the original install disks? Does your internal optical drive work? How/what are you trying to install via CD/DVD? How are you trying to install Lion?
 
Last edited:
Get a "universal install" copy of 10.6.x "Snow Leopard".

Can be a DVD copy, or a ".dmg" file.

Try to install that.

10.6 can be "found", if you know where to look....
 
@CoastalOR @Fishrrman I have tried installing just Lion using a DVD. Yes the DVD works. However, the Lion DVD was originally for an iMac. I tried everything, and I hate giving up, but I have had to on this one. Very frustrating.

Anyway, thanks for your input, appreciate it.
 
ryan101 said:
@CoastalOR @Fishrrman I have tried installing just Lion using a DVD. Yes the DVD works. However, the Lion DVD was originally for an iMac. I tried everything, and I hate giving up, but I have had to on this one. Very frustrating. Anyway, thanks for your input, appreciate it.
Click to expand...
If the Lion DVD was the one that shipped with you iMac then it was created to support just your iMac, it is not universal. A universal version of Lion can be purchased from Apple for $19.99 (it is not a DVD, it is a download:
http://www.apple.com/shop/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion
 
You can purchase 10.6 DVD from Apple.com.

If your DVD drive isn't working you could use another Mac for installation or alternatively borrow a external DVD drive for installation.

If you use software that requires 10.7 by all means install it, otherwise I don't recommend installing it because 1. Its widely regarded as one of the worst OS X versions Apple has ever released, 2. Compared to 10.6 it has very little improvements, 3. If you have older software it likely won't work in 10.7 and 4. Neither 10.6 or 10.7 are getting security updates anymore.
 
Your machine is a core solo or core duo.

If it's Mac Mini 2,1 with a core2duo CPU you can install 10.7 Lion. You can not install anything newer than that.

If CPU is core solo or duo then 10.6 Snow Leopard. You can then upgrade CPU and flash firmware, then if you have another Mac that supports lion install that is there then bring over to the mini and mod a preference file.

In regards to the gray restore media they are very much exact model specific.
 
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