Installing Snow Leopard operating system
If you’ve recently purchased a new Mac, Snow Leopard operating system is probably already installed, however, if it’s not one of the latest Macs off ered by Apple, then it is probably running an older version of Mac OS X, such as Leopard or Tiger. This article will guide you through installing Snow Leopard on your computer and show you the options that are available during installation.
System requirements
Before you purchase Snow Leopard operating system, it’s important to know the system requirements of the software. System requirements refer to the minimum computer hardware that is required for Snow Leopard operating system to be installed on a particular computer. After all, you don’t want to spend your hard-earned money on software that won’t run on your computer.
Snow Leopard operating system represents a significant jump in hardware requirements compared to previous versions of Mac OS X, as Snow Leopard operating system only runs on an Intel processor. So if you are running a computer that does not have an Intel processor, you cannot install Snow Leopard operating system on your computer. Additional system requirements include:
- Mac computer with an Intel processor
- 1GB of memory (RAM)
- 5GB of free disk space
- DVD drive for installation
Although these system requirements limit you to computers that are less than a few years old, it’s for good reason. Snow Leopard operating system contains numerous advanced features and requires a very fast processor in order for these features to perform at a reasonable speed.
Getting Snow Leopard operating system
Apple off ers several upgrade paths for existing users of Mac OS X. If you’ve purchased a new computer on or after June 8, 2009, then you can upgrade to Snow Leopard operating system for $9.95. Visit the Snow Leopard operating system Up-to-Date web site at www.apple.com/macosx/ for more information. If you purchased a new computer before June 8, 2009. or if you have Leopard installed on your machine, you qualify for the upgrade price of $29. Visit www.apple.com/macosx for more information. It seems that with Snow Leopard operating system, Apple is rewarding users who have kept current with their existing copy of Mac OS X.
If you don’t qualify for either of the above upgrade options, you have to pay the full price for the product. As you can see from reading the previous articles, the new features provided in Snow Leopard operating system are well worth the price.
Installation
Once you’ve received the Snow Leopard operating system installation disc, you’re ready to get started. You want to make sure that your computer meets the necessary system requirements as described in the previous section. If you are using a laptop computer, be sure that you are plugged into an electrical outlet and not running on battery. Having your computer lose power during installation is never a good thing.
Upgrading
Chances are that if you have purchased Snow Leopard operating system, you’re already running a previous version of Mac OS X on your computer. This version could be Leopard (OS X 10.5), Tiger (OS X 10.4), Panther (OS X 10.3), Jaguar (OS X 10.2), or any other previous version of Mac OS X. When the Snow Leopard operating system installer detects a previous version of Mac OS X, it upgrades your operating system. Upgrading your operating system updates all of the necessary files on your computer, such as system files and printer drivers, with the new files required to run Snow Leopard operating system. All our existing files in each user’s Home folder and in the Applications folder, remain intact.
Although the upgrade process doesn’t overwrite any of the files in a user’s Home folder or any Application files, you need to confirm that any existing applications that are installed on your computer are compatible with Snow Leopard operating system. Applications often require an update to ensure compatibility with newer operating systems such as Snow Leopard operating system.
If you perform a Snow Leopard operating system installation on a disk that already has Snow Leopard operating system installed, the installer automatically performs an Archive and Install. This essentially puts a new copy of Snow Leopard operating system on your computer but retains all user accounts and network settings. In addition, if you’ve installed any Snow Leopard operating system updates, for instance 10.6.1, the update is retained so you don’t have to re-run the update after installation. The installation process is the same, regardless of whether you have a previous Mac OS X version installed or Snow Leopard operating system installed.
1. Insert the Snow Leopard operating system DVD into the DVD drive on your computer. The Mac OS X Install DVD window automatically displays on your screen. Prior to installing Snow Leopard, you may want to read the information in the Instructions folder on the disc in case there are any last-minute changes in the installation process.
2. Double-click the Install Mac OS X icon in the Mac OS X Install DVD window. The Install Mac OS X window appears.
3. Press Continue to proceed with the installation.
4. A new window appears, displaying the Apple Software License Agreement (SLA). The SLA simply describes the terms and conditions under which you may use Snow Leopard operating system. Once you’ve read the SLA, press Agree to continue.
5. A screen appears, asking you to choose the disk where Snow Leopard operating system is to be installed. It is likely that you’ll only have one disk to choose from, however, if you have multiple hard disks connected to your computer, you’re given a choice. Select the disk where you’d like to install Snow Leopard operating system. If a disk is listed with a warning sign, then Snow Leopard operating system can’t be installed on that disk. A green arrow indicates that Snow Leopard operating system can and will be installed on that disk. Click Install.
A green arrow indicates that Snow Leopard operating system can and will be installed on the disk.
6. A confirmation dialog appears, asking if you are sure you want to install Snow Leopard operating system. Click the Install button.
7. Enter an Administrator’s name and password in the resulting dialog. Click OK. The installation process begins. Roughly 15. minutes into the installation process, your computer automatically restarts. During that initial 15. minutes, the installer copies temporary installation files to your hard drive. After your computer restarts, the installer uses the majority of the files that were copied to your hard drive for the remainder of the installation.
Snow Leopard operating system uses this installation method to reduce the amount of time required for installation. When installation is complete, the temporary installation files are automatically deleted. If the computer restarts and you do not see an ‘Installation Successful’ message, make certain the DVD is inserted and restart your Mac while holding down the C key. This forces your Mac to start-up using the CD/DVD drive. The installation should then continue.
8. When the installation process is complete, a new window appears, asking you to restart. Press Restart. If you don’t click the Restart button within 30 seconds, restart occurs automatically.
9. When your computer restarts for the second time, Snow Leopard operating system becomes your new operating system! The Mac OS X Setup Assistant launches and plays an introductory movie. Click the Continue button. Congratulations! You’ve upgraded your computer to Snow Leopard operating system!
The Mac OS X Setup Assistant plays an introductory movie after the second restart of the installation process.
Erase and Install
Occasionally, due to a variety of circumstances, you may need to completely reinstall Snow Leopard. This could be due to files becoming corrupted, a damaged hard drive, or other issues. Erase and Install provides a method of starting from a “clean slate” and often resolves problems that you may have been experiencing. Erase and Install is a process where you reformat the hard drive, removing all current data and then installing a clean copy of Snow Leopard operating system.