upgrading mac mini question

[dazed]

Hi,

My 2008 mini has slowed down to a crawl so im thinking of installing a 120gb ssd into it and installing snow leopard (ive already maxed out the ram).


My mini came with tiger with an update to leopard. If I want to install snow leopard do i need to install tiger, then upgrade to leopard and then snow leopard, or can i just install snow leopard immediately.

I will be purchasing the 120gb ssd from OWC as well as snow leopard this week, so appreciate any help.


Thanks

 

[mangrove]

Hi,

My 2008 mini has slowed down to a crawl so im thinking of installing a 120gb ssd into it and installing snow leopard (ive already maxed out the ram).


My mini came with tiger with an update to leopard. If I want to install snow leopard do i need to install tiger, then upgrade to leopard and then snow leopard, or can i just install snow leopard immediately.

I will be purchasing the 120gb ssd from OWC as well as snow leopard this week, so appreciate any help.


Thanks

When I got my SSD's from OWC I decided to do a clean install of SL, but used the customize tab to reduce somewhat the size it took. See Lloyd Chambers Mac Performance Guide for good suggestions.

If you have an external enclosure it works great because then, instead of a clone, you can make your new setup slightly more efficient. Turn on your external drive with your blank SSD in it (assuming you have already formatted it), and then insert your SL install DVD in the SD. Immediately, hit restart and hold down the "option" key until the big X appears. Then click install Mac OSX. Click continue and agree.

Then click show all disks-here you will highlight your new SSD you are going to install OSX onto. Next, here is where I click the "customize" button in the lower left corner. By doing this you can install just your printer(s) instead of 100 others and pick less languages rather than 50. I still do not know what X11 is but I do not select it, but I do check Rosetta and QT7. When finished click OK and then install 2 times , then your password, etc.

After seeing US and continue for languages and keyboard, it will finally ask if you want to transfer information from elsewhere. I click from "another volume on this mac" and then continue. Here you can decide what to accept (like home and all applications, etc-remember to click down arrows under users to get to details important to you) or if you want iTunes and iPhoto, for example, on another drive-uncheck them. Then click transfer. On registration info do not enter it all again, click continue and no info and then go and eject OSX DVD.

Remember to update your software now since this could take some time if there have been many updates since your DVD was cut.

If both drives are still connected remember to hold down the option key on reboot to select your new drive.

Check your new boot drive to make sure all applications function as before and then install your new SDD. I keep multiples of all drives-just in case. Yes, I buy in multiples.

Sorry this got so long, but I have no idea how many times you have done this before. I only skipped points where continue was entered many times in a row. Ask if you need more.

 

[dazed]

thanks for a thorough reply, ive never done this on a mac before so appreciate all the advice i can get.

I do have an external enclosure and this seems a great way to get a more streamlined install. i dont use half the apps that come preinstalled so be nice to get rid of them.

Just one thing im not sure on. Do you boot from the external enclosure to test it ? how do you do this ?


Thanks

 

[flopticalcube]

thanks for a thorough reply, ive never done this on a mac before so appreciate all the advice i can get.

I do have an external enclosure and this seems a great way to get a more streamlined install. i dont use half the apps that come preinstalled so be nice to get rid of them.

Just one thing im not sure on. Do you boot from the external enclosure to test it ? how do you do this ?


Thanks

Plug the enclosure in, turn it on and when you boot hold down the option key. The partition with OSX on it should show up as one of the options.

BTW, when you say you maxed the RAM, I take it you have 3GB in there and not the Apple official but incorrect 2GB limit.

 

[dazed]

Hi,

I have 2 x 2gb in it with only 3 being useable.

Is the snow leopard disk an update or a full version ? Can i just install snow leopard or do i have to try find my tiger disk ?

 

[Giuly]

Snow Leopard doesn't install printer drivers anymore, they are downloaded as needed automatically.
That's why Snow Leopard only takes up 5GB on the hard drive whereas Leopard took 12GB.

And you can install from scratch with the $29 Snow Leopard-DVD, you don't have to install anything before.

 

[Undo Redo]

I'd be curious why your mini has "slowed to a crawl." You might be wasting your money on a SSD when a system cleanup or reinstall would solve your problem. Application launching and boot time will seem super fast with an SSD but if the system is somehow corrupt, it won't make any difference. In my opinion SSDs are overrated.

 

[dazed]

The ssd will eventually make its way into a new mac pro, but id like to get it now and use it in the mini as my wife needs the computer for work purposes for the next few months.

 

[MacForScience]

Hi,

My 2008 mini has slowed down to a crawl so im thinking of installing a 120gb ssd into it and installing snow leopard (ive already maxed out the ram).


My mini came with tiger with an update to leopard. If I want to install snow leopard do i need to install tiger, then upgrade to leopard and then snow leopard, or can i just install snow leopard immediately.

I will be purchasing the 120gb ssd from OWC as well as snow leopard this week, so appreciate any help.


Thanks

Before you buy the SSD the speed issues are most likely a result of your software and OS being cluttered rather then a real hardware issue.

1.) SSD will speed your computer but may not be necessary

2.) Software issues can be fixed if you use time machine to back up your HD then perform a clean install of Snow Leopard and migrate your data. (I would erase the HD before the clean install to ensure you have no issues)

3.) I don't know how comfortable you are with working on computers but a mini is not a good first computer to open they are a PITA. The case is easy to damage they are hard to get open etc. Something to be aware of before you go down this road.

thanks for a thorough reply, ive never done this on a mac before so appreciate all the advice i can get.

I do have an external enclosure and this seems a great way to get a more streamlined install. i dont use half the apps that come preinstalled so be nice to get rid of them.

Just one thing im not sure on. Do you boot from the external enclosure to test it ? how do you do this ?

This is not as easy as some people think your drive has to have a GUID Partition Map if not it won't show up as a bootable volume. To check this go to disk utility and look at the bottom of the screen where it tells you the disk size it will show you the partition map.

Its been a while since I have had to make a bootable drive so I don't recall if 10.5 on intel defaults to the right partition map or not.

Hi,

I have 2 x 2gb in it with only 3 being useable.

Is the snow leopard disk an update or a full version ? Can i just install snow leopard or do i have to try find my tiger disk ?

No you don't need the original tiger discs just the Snow Leopard disc. Yes, you will have all 4GB of ram available because you are moving from a 32bit OS to 64bit OS and just to be sure you do have an Intel Core 2 Duo not Core Duo correct? (2008 it could be either)

 

[flopticalcube]

Yes, you will have all 4GB of ram available because you are moving from a 32bit OS to 64bit OS and just to be sure you do have an Intel Core 2 Duo not Core Duo correct? (2008 it could be either)

This is simply not the case. The 3GB ceiling is a hardware limitation and exists regardless of the OS on running. If the OP had not had a C2D model, it would not boot with 4GB installed.

 

[MacForScience]

This is simply not the case. The 3GB ceiling is a hardware limitation and exists regardless of the OS on running. If the OP had not had a C2D model, it would not boot with 4GB installed.

You are correct, insert foot in mouth. The OS would not be the limitation in the Core Duo case.

Cheers

 

[mangrove]

thanks for a thorough reply, ive never done this on a mac before so appreciate all the advice i can get.

I do have an external enclosure and this seems a great way to get a more streamlined install. i dont use half the apps that come preinstalled so be nice to get rid of them.

Just one thing im not sure on. Do you boot from the external enclosure to test it ? how do you do this ?


Thanks

Yes, turn on external enclosure, then restart holding down the option key and use arrow keys and then enter key to select your boot drive-in this case the external drive.

It is important to do this also to check and make sure the new boot works well and as expected before installing internally.

Wanted to ask, did you get the OWC SSD yet? You ordered the 120GB if I recall. You should have plenty of room on that for most everything. So how's that SSD working our for you?

You know I've got 120GB of music and I've been involved in so much over the last 10 years I still have not rated all of it and now as I go through all the tracks I realize I could just off load much of it on externals and save even more space. I bet when I'm done I could everything I need onto a 120Gb SS, boot stuff, apps and all.

 

[dazed]

ordered the 120 from owc and will hopefully arrive soon. Still need to get snow leopard so will try get to shops monday for that.

My only concern is whether the mini will handle snow leopard properly or if i should stick with an older OS.

 

[iDave]

My only concern is whether the mini will handle snow leopard properly or if i should stick with an older OS.

Assuming it's a mid-2007 Core 2 Duo model it'll handle it fine.