Install Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard on Ivy Bridge Based PCs

[tonymacx86]

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For those of you looking to run Snow Leopard on Ivy Bridge CPUs, know that official kernel support and CPU support is not in the OS at all. As a matter of fact, the 2nd gen Sandy Bridge CPUs were only supported starting with 10.6.8. Users have had mixed results using the (now ancient) iBoot Legacy for a fresh install, as shown in the Simplest Mac OS X Installation Guide. So we made a new boot CD just for Ivy Bridge CPUs called iBoot Ivy Bridge.

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Use the default iBoot + MultiBeast guide, but simply substitute iBoot Ivy Bridge for the default iBoot. With this boot CD, I was able to achieve the following without access to a computer running OS X.

1. Install 10.6 Snow Leopard
2. Update to 10.6.8 Snow Leopard
3. Download Mountain Lion 10.8 from App Store
4. Create UniBeast USB to install Mountain Lion 10.8

All without doing any post-installation- just booting directly from iBoot Ivy Bridge. The ultimate goal being Mountain Lion.

iBoot for Ivy Bridge 1.0.0 is now available in tonymacx86 Downloads.

Leave your results here- we'll be working on this some more.

Credits:

• Legacy kernel - posted by stinga11 on osx86.net- created using the Legacy kernel source originally created by naw com, qoopz and kaitek.
• iBoot 3.3.0
• Special thanks to MacMan for his work on Chimera 1.11.1

 

[ripperzane]

This helps tremendously.
I sold my MBP and was twisting in the wind till JUST NOW

TonyMac & MacMan, thank you for this!

 

[Rankel]

Excuse me my ignorance, but why would anyone be running SL at this point, unless its SL server?

 

[tonymacx86]

Excuse me my ignorance, but why would anyone be running SL at this point, unless its SL server?

Good question- I wouldn't recommend running Snow Leopard on Ivy Bridge PCs. This guide is meant to be a means to and end. A clean way to get to Mountain Lion without access to a computer running OS X on a Ivy Bridge based CustoMac.

See this guide:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/43-simplest-mac-os-x-installation-guide.html

 

[WonkeyDonkey]

Excuse me my ignorance, but why would anyone be running SL at this point, unless its SL server?

Some of us WANT to continue running Snow Leopard. I for one do not like the changes in both Lion and Mountain Lion. I get far more productivity from Snow Leopard.

 

[tonymacx86]

Some of us WANT to continue running Snow Leopard. I for one do not like the changes in both Lion and Mountain Lion. I get far more productivity from Snow Leopard.

If you're interested in permanently running Snow Leopard, don't get an Ivy Bridge system. Get Sandy Bridge or earlier.

 

[littlelen]

I've got a recommendation for the installation process of ML... My system was running like crap, a lot of different errors which did not end up with functionality...
Instead of installing the 10.8 and Multi beast as told, with the latest 10.8.2, I did the "old" trick used to install 10.6.8... AND IT WORKS LIKE A CHARM!

When you successfully booted system with 10.8 using multi beast, put everything on the desktop (DTST + Multibeast + 10.8.2 combo). Start the Multibeast and leave it open, do not do anything, just leave it open! Install the 10.8.2 combo update, DO NOT REBOOT! Switch back to multi beast again, finish the installation and reboot when asked....

 

[pwalth21]

If you're interested in permanently running Snow Leopard, don't get an Ivy Bridge system. Get Sandy Bridge or earlier.

Why is that?

 

[tonymacx86]

Why is that?

Because as stated in the original post:

For those of you looking to run Snow Leopard on Ivy Bridge CPUs, know that official kernel support and CPU support is not in the OS at all. As a matter of fact, the 2nd gen Sandy Bridge CPUs were only supported starting with 10.6.8.

Power management, chipset, things like sleep- won't ever work.

 

[Pakalolo]

This is great for CustoMac clean installs. Thanks guys.