BleepingComputer.com: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

Just upgraded from Leopard 10.5.8 to 10.6 Snow Leopard.

1. No option for clean install - upgrade only obviously, and it doesn't tell you that it is upgrading or anything just "Install Mac OS X".


Installation - Part One - 11 Minutes
Restart - 5 Minutes
Installation - Part Two - 24 Minutes
Restart - 3 Minutes

I read somewhere 15 minutes - total bullocks!!! Maybe with a Mac Pro. Took me 43 minutes.

Ready to go!

All my files are all there where they were before, I notice minor difference with speed, "somewhat snappier" but nothing like they are "advertising" around.

I have one problem - my scanner won't work on my all-in-one HP printer, tells me can't be found, but it prints just as always.

Overall - not overly exciting for most users anyway. I'm only a sucker as I like having the latest.

I don't know what you're experience level is with Mac's but it's not uncommon to have the upgrade only option, especially if you purchased the $29 option. If you want a full, clean installation you'll have to purchase the box set or a retail version of SL. You can always choose to do a clean install of 10.5 and then apply the upgrade.... a bit of a pita, but it's possible.

Also, the upgrade time is dependent on your hardware and the condition of your current OS. If it's a bit wonky, it will take some time to do the upgrade.

I always do a clean install on any OS (Mac or Win) and then apply the upgrade. It usually needs to be done by the time the new ver. comes out anyways.. so it's just part of my maintenance routine.

Ive been seeing posts on Giz and LifeHacker that the $29 upgrade is the full install disc. The reason Apple is saying Tiger users need to buy the $170 box set is that since SL is more of an upgrade to Leopard than a whole new OS, and Tiger users never bought Leopard, theyre getting charged for both. But it should work as a clean install.

Also, I remember seeing that with Snow Leopard Apple simplified the install process. If Leopard is already installed, itll default to an upgrade. Im shure theres a way to select a clean install or archive install if this is the case.

if you go into "Custom Install" there's nothing there to select "clean install" so I presume for leopard users it auto "upgrades"...unless someone outhere wants to try on a clean/wiped hard drive. I don't even get the extra space. It doesn't state on the "retail" box or disc that its an upgrade.

Izzy, on Aug 27 2009, 10:38 PM, said:

Youtube video
Guide: How To Do A Clean Fresh Full Install Of Apple Snow Leopard OS X 10.6

I know how to install "clean" copy, just a matter of loadng Snow leopard install disk then using utility to format the hard drive then you can clean install. Install on blank disk was some what quicker. I don't think SL is any faster to Leopard. I reckon its slower shutting down and boot up is about the same.

Boot up/shutdown are about the same to me. Install was about 30 minutes. Its kinda buggy when I run a bunch of apps at once, especially when its a mix of 32 and 64 bit apps. Im shure that will change once devs start rewriting to utilize 64 bit.

I read that the default startup loads the 36 bit kernel rather than the 64 bit kernel even on 64 bit processors. Anyone have any experience with problems related to this?

Im pretty shure the reasoning behind that, at least on older machines, is that even though the processor is 64 bit, the EFI can officially only recognize 32 bit. You can use this program to see what kind of processor and EFI you have and possibly switch to boot into 64 bit.

Even though the OS is running in 32 bit, almost all of the built in apps utilize 64 bit. I have no way of telling if third party apps are using 64 bit yet, but if you go to load a 32 bit pref pane, System Preferences needs to restart into 32 bit mode, which proves that at least System Preferences is running in 64 bit.

EDIT: So apparently 2 minutes after I posted that link it went down. Dunno when itll come back up again, but here is another link to the same software

I installed my Jam Packs yesterday and after each one installed successfully i get this notice

Alert Notice: Something Happened

I don't know what the something is I suppose the install complete maybe.

There was something similar after the install of Final Cut 2 a couple years ago.

http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?...4669222#4669222

NOthing came up for iLife. But the alert is rather funny.

Izzy, on Aug 27 2009, 06:50 PM, said:

I installed 10.6 to an external drive that had 10.5.8 on it using the upgrade disk, it took about an hour I think. I didn't time it as I was playing with my kid during the install. I also haven't used it much, just wanted to test 10.6 with Coloreyes Display Pro software, so far so good.
Apple has updated downloads for hp printer drivers, along with brother and canon printers.
http://apple.com/support/downloads/