MacBook Pro 17" down grade to original OSX10.5.x?

[RonQ]

Apple Corp. claims "non support" for legacy MacBook Pro 17" (2008); sent me to third party support. Went to Geek Squad; which kept it for 10* days - returned it with no comment of the repairs done.
Problem: progressed from OSX10.5.4 to all newer versions to OSX10.11.0 with no immediate problems. Mac started working spastic/epileptic, the week prior to taking it to Geek Squad. Now when I tried to use Mac - operated 15 something minutes. Me super down and desperate.
So tried to re-install OSX10.5.4 from the two original OSX DVDs. At end of 1st disk when it is supposed to restart and ask for the 2nd disk - Mac got kernel panic screen and no SMC, PRAM/NVRAM reset was successful. Attached a screen shot: MacBookPanic1. Please help....

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

-Which exact model Early or Late 2008?
-The 2008 MacBook Pros are Vintage, meaning you cannot get parts/hardware repairs, but Apple should still be able to troubleshoot and reinstall OS X for you.
-Did this issue arise after the Geek Squad visit?
-The gray discs are the ones that came with the MBP, correct?
-Is the original RAM installed, or is it an upgrade?
-Did you attempt an complete erase & install?

C

 

[RonQ]

since I wasted $100 on Geeksquad ... I'd offer $100 to some one will/able to help me (even if remote access). I figure - please contact me via my direct email ronunerlinequednauatyahooperiodcomm

 

[honestone]

It is important that you answer Cory's pertinent questions, as all of that will enable us to help you.

 

[RonQ]

sorry - don't know: received message in my email of "honestone's" reply. When click on "view this thread" I get asked: "Are you sure you want to visit mandrillapp.com?" I said "no" and went with browser and logged-in to: ????.mac-help.com/threads/macbook-pro-17-down-grade-to-original-osx10-5-x.221580/. to post this reply. My original post pre-answered all the questions from "Cory Cooper". in the meantime sleuthing on my own - learned how to reset NVRAM and SMC and Erase Internal HD and re-install original OSX 10.5.? from original shipped CD/DVD disk. Proceeded to install OSX10.6.3 from virgin CD/DVD(Apple sent Copy of OSX10.6.3 abt 2010?). Further have updated OSX10.6.8 over the net/AppStore - and had made TimeMachine and used/learned to restore All from TimeMachine backup. All went well till TmeMachine restore, which was "successful" as per result panel. Upon reboot crash with frozen/mangled desktop. Recovered with 4 finger salute (NVRAM) and SMC reset. Works for now with after regressing to OSX10.6.3. Got some system screen shots via hand held DSLR.... also learned how to start Apple supplied Diagnostics and diagnostics does not finish/locks up - but do not know that the diag is "valid" as in wrong version - it needs updating? - needless to say that I do not know that it was ever fully working when the MBP was new. How to find the "right" version? MBP runs my musik library (~ 1.x GB) for hours ok when running on OSX10.6.3 ... I think it is "software" - have run MBP in 35 degree workshop with no better performance... My MBP is original in every way- no hardware changes/additions...

 

[honestone]

It's a little difficult following what you are saying, but it looks like you were able to Erase (and I assume Format?) the internal HD, and then successfully install OS 10.5.7. What would have been helpful is if you had used Disk Utility on the DVDs to first Verify and Repair the internal HD.

You then updated twice in a short period of time. That is, first to OS 10.6.3, and then to OS 10.6.8. Using Time Machine with OS 10.6.8 installed is where you have/had issues. You are now back to OS 10.6.3, and things are fine. Is that accurate?

For Time Machine, are you dong taht backup to an external hard drive? If yes, what is the make and model of that hard drive?

Regarding how you upgraded from OS 10.6.3 to OS 10.6.8, another way you can do that, instead of via the AppStore, is to download and install the OS 10.6.8 Combo Updater. You can get that from here:

https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1399?locale=en_US

Not sure if it will make any difference regarding your Time Machine issues.

But, first things first. How did you "regress" from 10.6.8 to 10.6.3? Did you first do another Erase and Format of the HD, and then install 10.6.3 from the DVD? If so, you might want to boot the machine from that DVD, and use Disk Utility there to 1) Verify and Repair the HD at the Volume (ie, top) level, and 2) Verify and Repair the HD at the Partition (ie, second) level. Also, you should run the Repair Permissions feature contained within Disk Utility.

 

[RonQ]

from doing "it" multiple times: Diskutility was at no time able to "Repair Permissions" successfully - it had in multiple incidences reported "bad permissions" and trying to repair never succeeded. So only reliable way is to delete partitions(s), erase/reformat the internal HD. TimeMachine back up is on external HD -for safeties sake-. Regressing is "start from scratch" from my CD/DVD - have one set for OSX10.5 original-in-box, and one CD/DVD for OSX10.6.3 as shipped by Apple when they still supported CD distribution media. Now all is download-only - bumm idea in my mind. I notice my MBP is way too eager to enable WIFI/Air connection. When my MBP gets "in trouble" - my first fix is to do the 4-finger-salute on NVRAM and do the SMC reset . and check HD with DiskUtility...
Some searching the net talks about rogue software being hard to remove because of being/hiding in multiple places .... thank you link; I can try the KnowledgeBase link at Apple... Make of external HD is a SATA 1.0TB WD10EFRX I have interface for MBP ExpressCard34 and USB adapter cable for it.... restore function from ExpressCard34 was "claimed" successful; but after 1st reboot, instantly screen lockup/garbled with "obvious" resolution issue -about 600x400 or even less, when OSX was still restoring the desktop.... has "somebody" got me by the short hairs?

 

[honestone]

Thanks for all of that.

First, after you Erased/Formatted the drive, and then proceeded to install OS 10.5.7, then 10.6.3, and then 10.6.8, did you try Repair Permissions then? Also, since you have regressed to OS 10.6.3 (via another Erase/Format/Clean installation, but "up to" 10.6.3), did you try running Repair Permissions?

Also, Western Digital Drives (that is what the WD means in "SATA 1.0TB WD10EFRX") are notorious for not playing too well with Macs. You can run Disk Utility to check out that drive, that is, Verify and Repair the drive, both at the Volume and Partition levels (assuming the drive is partitioned). That might show something. It's too bad you don't have a more advanced Disk Maintenance/Repair program like TechTool Pro or Disk Warrior (I have both of them), as either of those are superior to Disk Utility.

Regarding that WD drive, besides the "problematic" Time Machine backup, do you have anything else on it? If not (or if anything else you have on that drive is "disposable", you could use Disk Utility to also Erase, Format, and Partition the drive (assuming the Verify and Repair tasks check out OK).

I do not use Time Machine, preferring to using the excellent backup/cloning program SuperDuper! (Carbon Copy Cloner is another excellent choice), so I can't offer any further Time Machine "assistance". Maybe someone else can.

But, you should use Disk Utility to check out the WD drive. By the way, how old is the drive?

 

[RonQ]

your 1.st paragraph : yes - nothing found....
2. paragraph: I already "know" diskutility is no-good , but have not dared to search the net for something else - without a recommendation - thanks for mention of Tech Tool Pro - had tried CCC but not so good. Was hoping on MacKeeper, but it was let down - especially their one month offer- ... but not so good....

the WD is 9? months
.... could use info how to create booting media for a mac ....

my brand new IMac 27" even has had needing to do a SMC reset too .... and it comes with bluetooth mouse and keyboard .. and if you do a Cmd-R then mouse does not work but bluetooth keyboard does....and iMac has SD card slot, but OSX10.11.3 DiskUtility does not how to treat it right, but you put the SD on a USB adapter then is ok .. go figure

did another attempt to restore OSX10.6.8. Requires to boot from OSX10.6.3 CD/DVD and use Restore System from TimeMachine Backup; pointed to WD drive as source hooked up via USB to MBP. After 2 hr restore claimed "success" and "restart required". did; but crash. Restart 2nd time and 1st thing used DiskUtility to "verify Permissions" and failed on many files ... doing a "Repair permissions" - but will take much time hrs ... hooked WD to iMac witg OSX10.11.3 and DiskUtility has no access to Permissions. "First Aid" only checks directory entries, but NOT permissions - OSX10.11.3 DiskUtility claims "no problems found" ....

MBP DiskUtility found many files with permission errors on internal HD. Did Repair Permissions - claimed success. Did Verify Permissions after that , but still many permission errors found.... Only thing I know now is to re-install from the OSX 10.6.3 CD.

 

[honestone]

First of all, MacKeeper is BAD, BAD, BAD! I hope you permanently got rid of everything associated with it.

Secondly, sounds like there are definite issues with the WD drive. I am unsure as to whether Repair Permissions applies in the case of an external drive. As you probably know, the version of Disk Utility in El Capitan no longer includes the Repair Permissions functionality. I actually have been using an excellent (and free!) third party program called Onyx for such a long time, that I depend upon it (along with TechTool Pro and SuperDuper!). It has a Repair Permissions feature, and no matter which OS I have had, I have always used its' Repair Permissions feature. But, it will not do that for any of my external drives, even with the bootable backups/clones I have on each of them for the backups of both of my Macs (via SuperDuper!).

Now, from your post above, it is difficult for me to tell what OS you are now using. Please clear that up. If you did first Erase, Format, and if necessary, Partition your internal drive, and then a fresh, clean installation of OS 10.6.3, I would suspect you would not have any issues regarding permissions, etc. on your internal drive. And, if that is what you are now using, you can launch Disk Utility from there, and then have it "look" at the WD drive. And, that "look at" could involve Verify and Repair it at various "levels", and then Erase, Format, and if necessary, partition it. Again, that last step depends on whether you can afford to lose everything on the WD drive.

I would also think that with a clean OS 10.6.3, and a clean WD drive, CCC would work well. Like SuperDuper!, CCC will create a bootable backup/clone. Do you have the correct version of CCC for OS 10.6.3?

 

[RonQ]

thanks for sticking with me..... the WD is external and now disconnected from my MBP. However now MBP is very much in-pain. It refuses to boot from internal drive, not from CD drive with either OSX 10.5.4 or OSX10.6.3...... ?The MB start up keys C, R are ignored/lead to lockup, but D (diagnostic), and Option key (startup manager) keystroke are obeyed - the Startup Manager finds only one boot volume (the OSX10.6.3 / OSX10.5.4) using either one for boot fails to lead to OSX install menu(s).....

Can I use my iMac with OSX10.11.3 in some way to make my spare 500 GB USB drive bootable for use on the MBP with suitable diagnostics or OSX (whatever) ? Hate to drive 2 hrs out-of-Erie PA to Cleveland, OH for nearest Apple Authorized Service Center.
If you were to interested I am on Facebook and there is a chat service with it to use

 

[honestone]

This is getting more and more troublesome, especially where now you cannot boot from your internal drive. That says there are issues (serious ones) with the internal drive, and you need to try and repair the drive. Again, you need to boot your machine from the OS 10.6.3 CD, and use Disk Utility on there to diagnose your internal drive. Also, it's perplexing that previously, you were able to Erase and Format your internal drive, then install OS 10.6.3, and subsequently successfully boot your machine from that fresh installation.

There could be a way to use your iMac and boot the 17" MacBook Pro in Target Disk Mode, so that you can use tools on your iMac to perform diagnostics/repairs, etc. of the internal drive inside the MacBook Pro. You need to let us know the exact iMac model you have. If it has a Firewire 800 port, you'll need to purchase a Firewire 800 cable, and then we can go from there. Let's just hope the internal drive inside the MacBook Pro is not becoming useless.

 

[RonQ]

thank you for sticking with me. Last nite, after many failed tries to perform a clean install from OSX10.6.3 distributioin Disk, I was able to, obviously per some unlnown reason, to complete a new, clean install. But this AM rebooting failed. From tries, I discovered my bad MBP responds quickest by getting it into Target Mode. I can see two options to connect iMac and MBP. MBP has only Firewire and Ethernet; the iMac has only Ethernet and Thunderbolt connections. If Ethernet can not support Target Mode, then I need to get Thunderbolt to Firewire Adapter. Since I have no experience with Target Mode - I would need help with that. Poking around with Ethernet on both machines, I tried, but got into-the-weeds quickly. Appears that Target Mode requires a Server App in the iMac.
IMac is Retina 5K, 27-inch, late 2015,
Processor:3.2 GHz Intel Core i5,
Memory: 8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3,
Graphics: AMD Radeon R9 M380 2048 MB
Ports: Ethernet, Thunderbolt, 4xUSB, SD-Card slot

MBP: MOdel: MBP 4,1
CPU Type: Intel Core 2 Duo
CPU Speed: 2.5 GHz
ports: Ethernet, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, 3xUSB, HDMI, Express Card 34
Boot ROM: MBP41 88Z0C1 B03 080271651
SMC: 128F3

MBP on boot can get into 'V' = verrbose = "show boot dialog" = can get into that reliably and it shows some 60 lines of boot progress messages ... incl. Ethernet address: 00:23:32:97:dd:f2

can get into 'T' = Targeet MOde = OK ( with Target Mode symbol moving about on screen)
can get into 'D' diagnostic OK
can get into Start Manager (Option key) OK (choose either HD or CD and Panic Mode crash _)
every thing else goes to Panic Mode: "Restart Computer ...."

 

[honestone]

Your connectivity situation is similar to mine.My mid 2013 13" MacBook Air has only a Thunderbolt, 2 USB 3.0, and an Ethernet port. Meanwhile, my late 2012 MacMini has way more ports, including one Firewire 800 port.

What you need is a Thunderbolt to Firewire 800 Adapter:

http://www.apple.com/shop/product/M...rid_52243316890_&cid=aos-us-kwg-pla-btb-slid-

I have one, and together with a Firewire 800 cable, use my MacBook Air to connect to external drives that have Firewire 800 ports. It helps make my backups (and any other transfers) go much faster than USB 3.0/2.0.