[bhoup]

Hello. I'm fairly new to mac and I need to downgrade from 10.5 to 10.4. I put in the black disc labeled "Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.6 Install DVD" but it tells me "Mac OS X 10.4 cannot be installed on this machine." Anyone know other ways to try?

Thanks!
Brent

[Cold Warrior]

You probably have a newer Mac. What model Mac do you have?

[polendo]

Is there any particular reason you need to downgrade? Its a first for me hearing this!

[B Gallagher]

I agree with Cold Warrior - it may be that you have a PowerPC DVD of Tiger, and you're trying to install it on an Intel machine, or vice-versa.

[mduell]

Isn't that the standard message that the model-specific disks that come with new machines throw up when you try to use them on a different machine?

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by bhoup 

Hello. I'm fairly new to mac and I need to downgrade from 10.5 to 10.4. I put in the black disc labeled "Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.6 Install DVD" but it tells me "Mac OS X 10.4 cannot be installed on this machine."

The BLACK Tiger disks are the retail upgrades: Those are PowerPC ONLY and WILL NOT install on an Intel machine.

There never was an Intel 10.4 retail disk, since every Intel Mac ever made already included Tiger or above.

Your only chance is to find somebody with an Intel machine and a Tiger Install Disk, and to hook your Mac up to that via Firewire in Target Disk Mode (start it up holding down the "T" key), and install that Mac's system onto your 'Book from there.

If your 'book is a revision that came out after the release of Leopard, though, you'll have to expect either the system not to run properly (if at all), or certain built-in components of your machine not to be supported.


If you're trying to install onto a new unibody MacBook, the only thing you can do, since that doesn't support Firewire Target Disk mode, is to remove the internal drive, put it into an external case, hook it up to an Intel machine that came with a Tiger install disk, and proceed as above.

I very much doubt that the unibody machines will boot from 10.4 at all.

[ibook_steve]

The OP asked the exact same question a few months ago.

http://forums.macnn.com/90/mac-os-x/...n/#post3744183

As mentioned there, maybe Applecare can help out, but it would probably be simpler to know why this person wants or needs to downgrade.

Steve

[iREZ]

what's it to us if he needs to downgrade his machine? I remember downgrading my first gen MBP down to Tiger from Leopard due to my machine overheating, and guess what...it worked.

OP: From what I've understood over the years typically you can't install an operating system older than the date your machine was built/bought. So if you buy a MBP after leopard comes out and decide you don't want it for whatever reason and decide you're going to install tiger, Mac OS X won't allow it no matter what discs you use.

Are ways around this? Sure, the company I work for has me on a Quad Core Powermac running Tiger but I could assure you that it won't be a clean install and you'll notice a few bugs here and there (for me it was my graphics card acting up and stuttering on almost anything that used it from screen saver to itunes cover flow being disabled).

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by iREZ 

what's it to us if he needs to downgrade his machine? I remember downgrading my first gen MBP down to Tiger from Leopard due to my machine overheating, and guess what...it worked.

I have no problem with his question.

I'm somewhat annoyed by the fact that WE ALREADY ANSWERED HIS QUESTION THREE MONTHS AGO IN THIS VERY FORUM, and here it is again.

[iREZ]

oops...just saw that, have at it hoss.