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URGENT - Need Answer on Lion to Snow Leopard Downgrade

Desmo1098

Desmo1098

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 28, 2009
126
0
I have searched but cannot find a definitive answer and need immediate help...

I just took delivery of a new 2010 Mac Pro 2.8 Quad-core. It was delivered with Lion. I need to load Snow Leopard on it. I only have this Mac Pro to work with. I have a Snow Leopard Family Pack disc with 1 license left. I have a brand new Intel SSD that has not been used.

Can I make it work?

If so, can I just boot from the Snow Leopard disc and do a fresh install?

If I remember correctly, there was some trick that had to be used to upgrade to Snow Leopard if either Leopard was not installed or you were doing a fresh install.

Your prompt and immediate help is greatly appreciated! :)

All the best,

Desmo
 
Yes, I plan, once installed to update software to all the latest available. But I just need Snow Leopard. I read multiple posts that stated something to the effect that the disc has to be 10.6.4. for the drivers, etc. to work. This is the part I am concerned with.
 
There is not a 10.6.4 disk.
The latest retail disk is 10.6.3.

The 2010 MacPro shipped with 10.6.4, so it is possible you'd have a problem with drivers.

I don't know if there is a way to make a 10.6.4 bootable dvd or if a 10.6.3 install would work well enough to run the latest SL update.



Also, I don't believe the family pack counts how many times its been installed. The number of licenses is more of a personal honesty thing.

It saves Apple from the tech support problems that Microsoft has with product keys.
 
Last edited:
:cool:

Thanks so much for the quick responses... There were some threads that said that it is possibe if the disc is v. 10.6.3. or lower that the video drivers and/or additional drivers for things will not work. This is my biggest concern and and even bigger concern is that I do not have all the devices here to just try. It will all come together tomorrow or late tonight and I just need it to work.
 
I don't think 10.6.3 has the drivers for ATI 5770 and 5870.

If you have an older video card, you could swap cards, install snow leopard from your retail disc, update the OS, then swap cards back.

You can buy replacement install discs from Apple, but if they ask for your serial number you're just going to get Lion again.

There are probably illicit methods for getting the disc, but I wouldn't know (really).

As a last resort, I'd be happy to mail you my 2010 MP install disc if you pay for the shipping and promise to send it back.
 
Do you know anyone with a mac older than 10.6.3 release date? You could build an image on an external through that Mac and bare metal restore back to your Mac Pro after the external version is beyond 10.6.4. I'd install external to 10.6.5 then bare metal restore to Mac Pro then patch to 10.6.8 and everything else.
 
@ActionableMango
Thank you very much for the offer!!! :D:D:D

@Everyone Else
Thank you everyone for their quick help... I was able to contact a friend who took delivery of a 12-core Mac Pro last year. It was delivered with Snow Leopard and the version on the Apple Install CD's is 10.6.4. I know have the CD's in my hand. I am going to give it a go.
 
Desmo1098 said:
@ActionableMango
Thank you very much for the offer!!! :D:D:D

@Everyone Else
Thank you everyone for their quick help... I was able to contact a friend who took delivery of a 12-core Mac Pro last year. It was delivered with Snow Leopard and the version on the Apple Install CD's is 10.6.4. I know have the CD's in my hand. I am going to give it a go.
Click to expand...

if you can't get it to work. go to your friends house boot with a blank hdd in his machine and his hdd. do the install on his machine. do not connect to the net. walk the new install over to your machine. place just the new installed osx hdd in the new machine. boot with your finger on option key of your usb keyboard. the choice to boot with the 10.6.x will come up boot. connect to the net then update. it will work. since you have a legit snow license you are not stealing mac. your machine is allowed to run snow
 
@philipma1957

Can you clarify your post? Am I allowed to use the install discs from his Mac Pro (10.6.4.) or is there a legal/license issue?
 
There is no legit check on anything. Don't worry about the network at all as there is no checking for anything because there is no serial. The only thing that could keep you from installing is the logic board firmware and the grey restore discs. I have the 10.6.4 set as well and have downgraded all versions of current shipping Mac Pro's with it. 4, 6, 12-cores. So you should have no problem. But you should make some copies of those discs while you have them. They are extra special these days.
 
It worked with Apple install discs with v. 10.6.4. I did not try it with the retail upgrade disc as I do not have time. Thanks all for the help!!!

p.s. I love Snow Leopard so much more already... Just the fact for iSync, Address Book (GUI), and iCal (GUI). Plus everything seems much more fluid and stable.
 
@philipma1957

Not to hijack my own thread - but my next step is the 3.33 W3680 upgrade... Can you believe I got this Mac Pro 2.8 Quad for $2200 tax free and free delivery. Now I can get an Intel W3690 for $480. In the end I will have a Mac Pro 3.33 6-core for ~$2700.

I paid $4000 and had to wait 10 days for the 3.33 Mac Pro in my signature.
 
Desmo1098 said:
@philipma1957

Not to hijack my own thread - but my next step is the 3.33 W3680 upgrade... Can you believe I got this Mac Pro 2.8 Quad for $2200 tax free and free delivery. Now I can get an Intel W3690 for $480. In the end I will have a Mac Pro 3.33 6-core for ~$2700.

I paid $4000 and had to wait 10 days for the 3.33 Mac Pro in my signature.
Click to expand...

Wow, $2,700 is a great price. Nice work :)
 
Sorry... I can get the Intel W3680 for $580. The W3670 3.2 6-core for $480.
 
It saves Apple from the tech support problems that Microsoft has with product keys.
Click to expand...

OS X is also far less of a piracy risk than Windows. Microsoft employs product keys and activation because they have to. As a software-driven company, MS can't get away with selling Windows for $29. The only reason Apple can do that with OS X is because they only have to write and support an OS for one hardware platform: theirs.

Besides, I don't think anyone with a $5-6k Mac Pro setup is going to scoff at ponying up $29 to upgrade to Lion from Snow Leopard. ;)
 
Tutor said:
Try: http://support.apple.com/downloads/#10.6.3 or
http://support.apple.com/downloads/#10.6.4 .
Click to expand...

Mac Pro 2010 needs a bootable DVD with 10.6.4 or later (afaik last retail was 10.6.3)

I followed this excellent guide to create a 10.6.8 System Image with an old MacBookPro running 10.6.8:

https://sites.google.com/site/downgradeyourmac/the-procedure

I used Apple Software Restore on the MBP to restore the system image onto a USB key (which took a while), then inserted the USB stick into my Mac Pro and used CarbonCopyCloner to clone the contents onto an empty partition, followed by a reboot with option key/rEFIt and up comes the installer. :)

------
Mac Pro 3.33GHz Xeon Westmere Hexacore, 32GB ECC RAM, 1TB of Samsung 830s SSDs, Pioneer Blu-Ray, Radeon 5870
 
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