Want to get an old iMac to run Snow Leopard but confused

[Princess Cake]

Basically Snow Leopard is my favorite version of OS X Apple has ever done and I want to go back to it. My current iMac doesn't support it so I'm looking at a 2011 20'' iMac that supports 10.6.6

What confuses me though is the Snow Leopard install disc you can purchase on Amazon is version 10.6.3.... so how would I go about installing SL on this machine?

 

[casperes1996]

Try downloading a copy from the interwebs. Or look around other places like eBay.

If you're wary about anything downloaded from the web (as you probably should be), you can try and run it in Virtual Box first

 

[CoastalOR]

Basically Snow Leopard is my favorite version of OS X Apple has ever done and I want to go back to it. My current iMac doesn't support it so I'm looking at a 2011 20'' iMac that supports 10.6.6

What confuses me though is the Snow Leopard install disc you can purchase on Amazon is version 10.6.3.... so how would I go about installing SL on this machine?

You need the grey install disc that shipped with the iMac to install 10.6.6. If you are buying the iMac then make sure the seller includes the OEM grey install discs. You are right, the retail 10.6.3 discs will not work. I'm afraid I do not know of a workaround that does not violate Apple's license agreement.

BTW: I think you mean the 2011 21.5" iMac. the 20" iMacs stopped in 2009.

 

[DeltaMac]

As CoastalOR said, you need the original DVDs that shipped with that iMac, if you want to install Snow Leopard directly to the internal drive.
Apple never updated the full (commercial DVD) installer beyond 10.6.3
But, if that's all you have, you would need to use an OLDER Mac to install Snow Leopard on your hard drive, then update to 10.6.8. Then you will be able to boot to that system. Not difficult to do, just a challenge as Macs that can boot with Snow Leopard slowly fade into history.

 

[Princess Cake]

Tsk, I can't seem to find a seller with the original install disc at all >.> I might have to take a performance hit and go for the mid-2010 21.5'' (you're right Coastal ) model.... at least it should be cheaper ^.^

I didn't really plan to do anything serious on Snow Leopard, just use iTunes, watch movies, do some Photoshop CS4 or 5 work and maybe light web browsing... I know every major browser is no longer updated on SL so that's gonna be a quest trying to find something that can handle facebook and youtube.

 

[casperes1996]

10.6.8. Then you will be able to boot to that system. Not difficult to do, just a challenge as Macs that can boot with Snow Leopard slowly fade into history

Couldn't it just be done via VirtualBox though?

 

[wicknix]

As for a good browser check out Palemoon. It's a Mozilla based fork. It's the only current regularly updated browser that still supports snow leopard. Download here: http://mac.palemoon.org/dist/palemoon-27.7.0.mac64.dmg
Also Roccat when set to a mobile user agent plays youtube wonderfully.
http://runecats.com/roccat-browser-for-mac/

Cheers.

 

[Guy Clark]

You need the grey install disc that shipped with the iMac to install 10.6.6. If you are buying the iMac then make sure the seller includes the OEM grey install discs. You are right, the retail 10.6.3 discs will not work. I'm afraid I do not know of a workaround that does not violate Apple's license agreement.

BTW: I think you mean the 2011 21.5" iMac. the 20" iMacs stopped in 2009.

Yes the first 21.5" iMac was released in late 2009 however there was an early 2009 20" model
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...o-2.66-20-inch-aluminum-early-2009-specs.html

 

[CoastalOR]

Yes the first 21.5" iMac was released in late 2009 however there was an early 2009 20" model
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...o-2.66-20-inch-aluminum-early-2009-specs.html

Thank you for the information, but I'm aware of the 20" & 21.5" iMac in 2009. I was replying to the OP #1 (I quoted the OP in my post) which referenced getting a "2011 20'' iMac".