# cant install mac os x from usb or hard drive PLEASE HELP!!



## obelisk282 (Mar 1, 2009)

i am trying to install mac osx on to my mac, but the problem is the dvd dive broke a long time ago. so i dint bother to go to apple store to get a official osx disk, i downloaded the "osx-leopard105.iso" 7.5gb and restore it on to a 8gb flash drive, i restart my computer holding alt to boot of the usb. it got in to the installing thing and the first page ask me to pick my language, i picked and press next this error msg pops up  "mac os x cannot be installed on this computer" i try partition 20 gb out of my hardrive and try restoring the iso off of that and booting it but same thing happen. can anyone please help me?


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## Giaguara (Mar 1, 2009)

That is bad karma. You downloaded a(n illegal) version incompatible with your Mac, something bundled with some other model of the computer.
You need to either use the retail disc of Mac OS X or the one that came with the computer. Go to the Apple store, or to an authorized service provider and have your drive fixed.


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## macfan55 (Mar 6, 2009)

Use an external DVDdrive with a firewireconnection. Do you still have the original OSX DVD installer for your Mac (Not the downloaded one).
I collect these discs, so maybe I can help you with the right diskset.
Greetings from Germany


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## comac (Mar 7, 2009)

Giaguara said:


> That is bad karma. You downloaded a(n illegal) version incompatible with your Mac, something bundled with some other model of the computer.
> You need to either use the retail disc of Mac OS X or the one that came with the computer. Go to the Apple store, or to an authorized service provider and have your drive fixed.



As a programmer, I wholly believe that no one should be stealing intellectual property by downloading illegal software...period.  However, I have found that Apple, when it comes to repairing one's computer, likes to hold all the cards (and money).  The Apple geniuses all have devices that boot and install from usb drives.  They are much faster and more convenient than optical drives, yet when you ask about them, they say that they are "special tools for geniuses only."  Nonsense.  This type of proprietary attitude is what kept Apple in the toilet until they went to an open platform (i.e. Intel).

My argument is that obelisk was up front and purchased both the MAC (which is nearly 2x the cost of individual *retail* parts) and the OS.  How much more must he pay for the, as you say, _legal_ use of his own purchased product?

It's out of hand particularly in the technology arena because lawmakers don't understand technology, so the most per$ua$ive win.  If I have a Chevy that breaks down and I put a Ford engine in it, I don't get men in black showing up at my door.  I certainly wouldn't get chastised for it on a forum posting genuinely asking how to solve my problem.  It bugs me that people not only allow it, but advocate it.  Trust me, Jobs has enough money, though I'm sure he appreciates your support.


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## Doctor X (Mar 7, 2009)

I really believe I should be able to park my car wherever.

The law says otherwise.

In that there is much wisdom.

That one follows the law does not mean one has to agree with it.

--J.D.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Mar 7, 2009)

comac said:


> The Apple geniuses all have devices that boot and install from usb drives.  They are much faster and more convenient than optical drives, yet when you ask about them, they say that they are "special tools for geniuses only."  Nonsense.  This type of proprietary attitude is what kept Apple in the toilet until they went to an open platform (i.e. Intel).


Then how would Apple make money on service/repairs if they gave these tools away for free?

Also, Apple made those tools themself(ves).  They have no obligation to give or sell them to you.  If you make a desk out of wood in your shed, can your neighbor come along and demand it?  Or demand that you build him one, too?

It's not against the law and it breaks no EULA or DMCA laws to clone your Mac OS X Install/Restore CD/DVD to a thumb drive (or other media) and boot from it.  It's basically a backup copy (or, rather, is the new "master" and the original CD/DVD becomes the "backup").  There ya go: a bootable thumb drive that has disk repair and other utilities ready to diagnose and repair computers.

I'm not sure what you mean by "open platform" and your reference to Intel.  Motorola and IBM (the primary suppliers of the RISC-based PowerPC CPUs in older Macs) were just as "open" as Intel is with their CISC-based CPUs today.



> My argument is that obelisk was up front and purchased both the MAC (which is nearly 2x the cost of individual *retail* parts) and the OS.  How much more must he pay for the, as you say, _legal_ use of his own purchased product?


Just because you pay for Mac OS X 10.3 doesn't mean you're entitled to 10.4 for free.  The same goes for 10.4 to 10.5.  obelisk even said himself:


> *so i dint bother to go to apple store to get a official osx disk*, i downloaded the "osx-leopard105.iso" 7.5gb and restore it on to a 8gb flash drive


He/She knew the proper route was to purchase the DVD at the store, quite apparently.  Then he chose not to pay for it, even though he knew that was the "preferred" route.  If he/she had the original disks and the problem was that the DVD drive was broken, he/she could have cloned the disks they already had instead of wasting time downloading a new disk.

My point is that it's quite clear that the poster was in violation of one or more US laws, the DMCA, and the EULA of Mac OS X in downloading the Leopard install CD/DVD.  For someone who just lost their original 10.5 Install/Restore CD/DVD, this may be seen in a different light (perhaps lean more toward the "maybe acceptable" side of the scale) -- but it is quite clear that is not the case here.

As much as it would be totally awesome if the consumer had the right and the ability to say, "Hey, I feel I've already paid enough so I'm not going to pay anymore," we all know that's not how it is.  Not to mention it's _you_ that feels he's/she's paid enough already -- obelisk said nothing of being dissatisfied with how much he/she has paid.



> It's out of hand particularly in the technology arena because lawmakers don't understand technology, so the most per$ua$ive win.  If I have a Chevy that breaks down and I put a Ford engine in it, I don't get men in black showing up at my door.  I certainly wouldn't get chastised for it on a forum posting genuinely asking how to solve my problem.  It bugs me that people not only allow it, but advocate it.  Trust me, Jobs has enough money, though I'm sure he appreciates your support.


Putting a Ford engine in a Chevy is a metaphor for _installing_ OS X -- not obtaining it.  obelisk isn't in violation of anything concerning the installing of OS X on anything -- it's the manner in which it was obtained (or the manner in which it will be used).

Just because you put a Ford engine in your Chevy doesn't mean that you can do anything with that engine you want.  Can you hop on the highway and exceed the speed limit by 20 mph?  Can you stick a hose in the tailpipe and blow fumes into your neighbor's air conditioning?  Can you take off the muffler and run it at 7,000 rpm at 2 am in your driveway?

Job's money is Job's money.  I'm sure he doesn't want me telling him when he's got enough money as much as I don't want him telling me when I've got enough money.  He's not running a charity so that the world becomes a better place through the use of OS X and Macintosh computers.  He's being a capitalist.

I'll be the first to admit that software piracy has been argued to death already, the world over.  The fact of the matter is that it's still illegal here in the states, and it has nothing to do with how technologically advanced and educated the lawyers are.  It's intellectual property -- it's Apple's idea, and they made it into OS X.  You're not entitled to that for free, no matter what angle is argued.  If I think of something super-cool and awesome, I have no legal nor moral obligation to tell anyone else how to do it... but I certainly can build it for them for a price, and I am entitled to do so and also to protect that knowledge.  I can't stop people from tinkering away, and I can't stop someone from replicating my stuff -- but I do have a legal right to stop them from making money off of it for a period of time.


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## Doctor X (Mar 7, 2009)

. . . and, furthermore, it is the rules of the forum.

*_Ascends Soapbox_*

I am very big into "free expression," "free thought," and all of that, but this is a specialized board.  Provided they apply the rules EQUALLY to EVERYONE, their rules are fair.  I have [Kissed many *Moderator* boots.--Ed.] not seen a case of unequal application.

One may not _like_ the rules, certainly, but so long as they apply to ALL they are fair.  One is more than free to go to the many fora that will explain how to steal software.  

--J.D.


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## comac (Mar 7, 2009)

Doctor X said:


> I really believe I should be able to park my car wherever.
> 
> The law says otherwise.
> 
> ...



Sounds like people are more concerned about me obeying Steve Jobs than they are about the law.  Like I said before, if he's downloading software he didn't buy, he's guilty.  But if he simply wants to ignore the broken drive and find a work around using items he's already purchased, there's no issue. 

That's how ingenuity is engendered in America and it isn't wrong or illegal, no matter how many like-minded people agree.  You can put non-original parts into a automobile, even if the dealer wants you to pay for the real thing to be installed by their mechanics.  In fact, manufacturing and sale of such parts is protected by anti-trust laws.

You're misrepresenting the law by leading others to believe that because Judge Jobs has ruled that I have to go to Apple and pay for their services to change the drive (which Chairman Mao says I can't order and change myself), then I am forbidden from coming up with my own alternative solution without the company's help.

It's sad that so many Mac owners (yes, I have several) buy into this mis-guided "company-line" philosophy that these 20-some year-old Mac store employees know more about computers than hundreds of thousands of computer professionals world wide.  I like their products, but I'm not throwing away $300+ on AppleCare for every machine I buy to have to drive an hour and have pizza-face repair my hard drive.  Great customer support would be allowing the customer to order original parts (even at their 2x markup) and service their own equipment.


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## Doctor X (Mar 7, 2009)

comac said:


> Sounds like people are more concerned about me obeying Steve Jobs than they are about the law.



Then you have read the post you responded to with a singular irresponsibility.



> You can put non-original parts into a automobile, . . .



Not if you obtain the parts illegally.



> You're misrepresenting the law. . . .



No.



> It's sad that so many Mac owners (yes, I have several)



Slavery is also illegal; nevertheless, this is an _argumentum ad captantum vulgus_ fallacy: it matters not how many straw men you set up, it does not change the law nor the rules of the forum.

--J.D.


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## DeltaMac (Mar 7, 2009)

Nothing 'forbids' you from coming up with an alternate repair, unless you are still concerned about staying in warranty.
Apple is fairly limited about what it calls customer installable. However, Apple has sometimes provided a lot of latitude with that. Unfortunately, I have also seen botched repairs, even though that instructions were quite simple. Not everyone has an awareness about something simple like "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey", and even screws that shouldn't get lost, because they don't (normally) come out completely, do...
Or the customer brings in a zip-lock bag with lots of screws, and a hope that I won't charge too much to put their 'puzzle' back together. Yes, we're not all techies.... So, Apple, with those 'pizza faces' has some control over the outcome. Oh, some of those are like me - grey-haired old farts who are still good at what they do.


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## comac (Mar 7, 2009)

Doctor X said:


> Slavery is also illegal; nevertheless, this is an _argumentum ad captantum vulgus_ fallacy: it matters not how many straw men you set up, it does not change the law nor the rules of the forum.
> 
> --J.D.



Look, I was simply saying that there is a legal alternative to greasing Apple's palms.  The first response on a technical forum shouldn't be "go talk to someone technical."


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## Doctor X (Mar 7, 2009)

Then perhaps that should have been your point?

--J.D.


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## fryke (Mar 7, 2009)

It comes down to this: We won't have the discussion here on how you could or couldn't use some kind of .iso file downloaded from anywhere on the 'net to install an OS one didn't buy on anyone's computer. It's the rules here.

If we allowed such discussion in a manner of "yes but theoretically I could've bought the disk long ago and now have a broken CD drive and need to..." it would help others who have _not_ bought the disc, and we won't do that. It's not about sending someone to some tech-person at an Apple Store. It's that this forum doesn't allow for discussion of alternate forms of installation that circumvent Apple's requirements for customers.

And macfan55, again: Don't throw around the idea that you can provide people with illegal copies of Mac OS X. You're talking about copying original disc sets that came with a computer. You're only allowed to use those discs on the computer they came with. You're _certainly_ not allowed to copy those around and send them to anyone. Consider this a last warning.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Mar 8, 2009)

comac said:


> Like I said before, if he's downloading software he didn't buy, he's guilty.


I don't think there's any question that software was downloaded that the original poster didn't own.



> But if he simply wants to ignore the broken drive and find a work around using items he's already purchased, there's no issue.


Nope, and nothing was said of replacing hardware parts in this thread -- it's all about the downloading of Mac OS X.



> You can put non-original parts into a automobile, even if the dealer wants you to pay for the real thing to be installed by their mechanics.  In fact, manufacturing and sale of such parts is protected by anti-trust laws.


And so is upgrading your computer.  Laws exist that protect consumers -- you are legally allowed to upgrade and/or replace the RAM, hard drive and video cards in a computer (as long as those parts are not soldered to the motherboard) without voiding the warranty on the _other_ parts of the computer, no matter what the manufacturer says.

But again, this is not what this issue is about.



> You're misrepresenting the law by leading others to believe that because Judge Jobs has ruled that I have to go to Apple and pay for their services to change the drive (which Chairman Mao says I can't order and change myself), then I am forbidden from coming up with my own alternative solution without the company's help.


A third time -- nothing was said about hardware replacement.  The original poster is free to change out whatever hardware parts they want -- hell, we'd even be super-helpful and point them to online tutorials and videos that show how to do that for a wide range of computers.

It's the fact that the original poster admitted to an illegal download of software they didn't own.  Had the original poster kept their mouth shut about where they acquired the OS X Install CD/DVD, we'd all be happily blazing along, helpfully getting that install disk onto a USB drive so that the original poster could boot from it.

1) This isn't about hardware.
2) No matter what gripes we have with the cost of software, they're irrelevant.  Software companies can charge whatever they want -- and if a consumer feels those prices are too high, they can go elsewhere... but they can't decide for themselves what the cost should be.  They have two options: buy or buy not.  Steal is not an option.



> It's sad that so many Mac owners (yes, I have several) buy into this mis-guided "company-line" philosophy that these 20-some year-old Mac store employees know more about computers than hundreds of thousands of computer professionals world wide.  I like their products, but I'm not throwing away $300+ on AppleCare for every machine I buy to have to drive an hour and have pizza-face repair my hard drive.  Great customer support would be allowing the customer to order original parts (even at their 2x markup) and service their own equipment.


...which they can do, from a number of 3rd-party retailers.  I don't think that the Apple Geniuses know more than me -- hell, I even applied and secured that position when the Apple Store opened here in San Antonio, but turned it down.  Line 'em up, and I'd be willing to bet that I know more than all of them put together, times 17.  But then again, I service my own computers and have voided warranties on none of them.  AppleCare is optional -- you're free to purchase the computer and service it for the duration of the computer's life, as well as have Apple fix it for free for the first year.

I'm still not understanding where the hostility toward Apple comes in, nor where the insults to the employees is coming from.  Did you have a bad experience with Apple or something, somewhere along the line?


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## comac (Mar 8, 2009)

ElDiabloConCaca said:


> A third time -- nothing was said about hardware replacement.  The original poster is free to change out whatever hardware parts they want -- hell, we'd even be super-helpful and point them to online tutorials and videos that show how to do that for a wide range of computers.
> 
> It's the fact that the original poster admitted to an illegal download of software they didn't own.  Had the original poster kept their mouth shut about where they acquired the OS X Install CD/DVD, we'd all be happily blazing along, helpfully getting that install disk onto a USB drive so that the original poster could boot from it.



This is my first and last posting on this site.  You're reading into things that I've never said just to be argumentative.  As I have said from my initial post:  I DO NOT MYSELF DOWNLOAD, NOR DO I ADVOCATE THAT OTHERS DOWNLOAD ILLEGAL WAREZ.

My exception is that on a technical forum, where a user has a justifiable problem (ignore how *HE* tried to solve it-- if he knew the right way to solve it, he wouldn't post to the forum), the mod's first response was "Go to the Mac store and have them fix the drive and then buy more software".

What I would have preferred is the mod saying, "Don't use the illegally downloaded software, we'll demonstrate how to do this legally."   Follow this with either an explanation or a link to how, as an honest individual, I can create an alternate install method from the same OS X install disk and mac I already purchased, without re-oiling the well-lubricated machine.

It's that simple.  I believe that given the choice, most people will choose to follow the law rather than break it.  Sometimes they do stupid things out of desperation.


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## macfan55 (Mar 9, 2009)

fryke said:


> And macfan55, again: Don't throw around the idea that you can provide people with illegal copies of Mac OS X. You're talking about copying original disc sets that came with a computer. You're only allowed to use those discs on the computer they came with. You're _certainly_ not allowed to copy those around and send them to anyone. Consider this a last warning.



I am certainly not doing that at all; what makes you even think that?
I have original installer discs collected in case someone has lost or damaged theirs; anyone can buy them on ebay. The only problem with that is that it is hard to figure out on what Mac these grey discs will allow you to install the software. So lots of people buy these discs and cannot use them on their Mac.
That's all. If mentioning this is not allowed, then I am sorry. I didn't know that the rules of helping others were that strict.
Greetings from Germany.


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## ra3ndy (Mar 9, 2009)

from comac:





> The Apple geniuses all have devices that boot and install from usb drives.



Most Geniuses have USB & Firewire Hard Drives, not flash drives.  Flash drives aren't reliable enough for repeated booting, and tend to read/write slower than a good External HDD anyway.  And I say MOST because no 2 Genius departments are the same in my experience.

I've known a lot of geniuses from more than a few Apple stores, and the one thing I notice is that they operate the same way us mortals do.  No special hardware or software that we can't get ourselves (many use Diskwarrior for volume repair, for instance).  

Just wanted to set that point straight.


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