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Help Installing Snow Leopard on Old MacBook

Ya_Mi
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My cousin gave me his old macbook with snow leopard os pre-installed.

I updated the OS by clean install, but i encountered driver issues on that version (i forgot the name, i am a windows user since birth)

I tried installing snow leopard with transmac using dmg file, but i can't seems to get it to boot. It gave me 3 error beep which indicate that the system can't boot from the USB.

I tried other snow leopard image file but it gave me the same error.

I don't know what to do anymore and i am not familiar with Apple, i am planning to use this computer for browsing and media on the go since the battery still good and the design still..well good enough.

 

This is what the image (dmg) look like inside Transmac and my macbook model is A1278

I really need help on this, thank you in advance

Spoiler

1.png.234392fd9b0d613e0c490e17ef83b198.png`

Behold the power of Chuck Norris the forbidden one.

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7 minutes ago, johnno23 said:

Snow leopard info on source of actual file and use Disk utility to create the USB thumb drive to create a bootable installation source.

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/400472/how-to-create-a-bootable-os-x-snow-leopard-usb-drive

 

I already installed the balenaetcher but since it gave me partition missing warning i didn't continue, i am currently downloading other snow leopard image file and will be flashing it using Transmac, if this fail then i will download and try everything mentioned on that site. Hopefully it will work. I will let you know.

Behold the power of Chuck Norris the forbidden one.

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Just make sure you load the correct file for the A1278

if I remember correct only the legit DVDs from Apple were universal installation disks otherwise the disks that came with the Macbook or the Mac pro etc were specific to the machines purchased.

If the file you find is listed as Universal installation type then your fine.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Posted

the a1278 (which is a 13" macbook pro from 2012) does not support snow leopard. snow leopard came out 3 years before this computer. the oldest os it supports is 10.7.4, which is lion. the newest os it officially supports is 10.15.7 catalina. the newest os it unofficially supports is 13 ventura

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On 5/28/2023 at 1:36 PM, nanopone said:

the a1278 (which is a 13" macbook pro from 2012) does not support snow leopard. snow leopard came out 3 years before this computer. the oldest os it supports is 10.7.4, which is lion. the newest os it officially supports is 10.15.7 catalina. the newest os it unofficially supports is 13 ventura

Not quite. The A1278 model just denotes the 13 inch Unibody MacBook Pro line between 2008-2012, and software support vary between these models so OP would need to find out the year or Model ID if it’s compatible with Snow Leopard.

 

Honestly the easiest way I found servicing old MacBooks is to just burn an install disc on a dual layer DVD and reinstall using the optical drive.

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On 5/27/2023 at 9:36 PM, nanopone said:

the a1278 (which is a 13" macbook pro from 2012) does not support snow leopard. snow leopard came out 3 years before this computer. the oldest os it supports is 10.7.4, which is lion. the newest os it officially supports is 10.15.7 catalina. the newest os it unofficially supports is 13 ventura

A1278 does not refer to a specific year. As mentioned by @MrCutiePatootie the A1278 model number refers to several different MBP models from 2008-2012. If OP does have a 2012 then yes, it's too new to officially support Snow Leopard, but we don't know that for sure. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

With this much headache, Apple must not even want you to install Mac OS at all on the device, this is just idiotic, they really are anti right-to-repair/refurbish/reuse, to an excessive degree.

 

Maybe you can download a legitimate copy of a compatible system, then use

 

https://github.com/dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher

 

to fix the issue that you experienced, with newer mac os software gutting previous hardware support, in order to try forcing the requirement of new hardware to use a new version of the operating system.

 

It seems like you need to be on Mac OS Catalina before you use the legacy patcher program, but that is just what users here on this forum report.

 

For such basic tasks, have you considered using Linux instead?

: JRE #1914 Siddarth Kara

How bad is e-waste?  Listen to that Joe Rogan episode.

 

"Now you get what you want, but do you want more?
- Bob Marley, Rastaman Vibration album 1976

 

Windows 11 will just force business to "recycle" "obscolete" hardware.  Microsoft definitely isn't bothered by this at all, and seems to want hardware produced just a few years ago to be considered obsolete.  They have also not shown any interest nor has any other company in a similar financial position, to help increase tech recycling whatsoever.  Windows 12 might be cloud-based and be a monthly or yearly fee.

 

Software suggestions


Just get f.lux [Link removed due to forum rules] so your screen isn't bright white at night, a golden orange in place of stark 6500K bluish white.

released in 2008 and still being improved.

 

Dark Reader addon for webpages.  Pick any color you want for both background and text (background and foreground page elements).  Enable the preview mode on desktop for Firefox and Chrome addon, by clicking the dark reader addon settings, Choose dev tools amd click preview mode.

 

NoScript or EFF's privacy badger addons can block many scripts and websites that would load and track you, possibly halving page load time!

 

F-droid is a place to install open-source software for android, Antennapod, RethinkDNS, Fennec which is Firefox with about:config, lots of performance and other changes available, mozilla KB has a huge database of what most of the settings do.  Most software in the repository only requires Android 5 and 6!

 

I recommend firewall apps (blocks apps) and dns filters (redirect all dns requests on android, to your choice of dns, even if overridden).  RethinkDNS is my pick and I set it to use pi-hole, installed inside Ubuntu/Debian, which is inside Virtualbox, until I go to a website, nothing at all connects to any other server.  I also use NextDNS.io to do the same when away from home wi-fi or even cellular!  I can even tether from cellular to any device sharing via wi-fi, and block anything with dns set to NextDNS, regardless if the device allows changing dns.  This style of network filtration is being overridden by software updates on some devices, forcing a backup dns provuder, such as google dns, when built in dns requests are not connecting.  Without a complete firewall setup, dns redirection itself is no longer always effective.

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