Is it Legal to upgrade old mac mini with my new Os 10.5?

T

tubaobu

Registered
Hi there,
I recently bought a macbook that came with OS 10.5.
Can I use the cd to upgrade my 4 years old mac mini with it?
Is it a licence issue?
will I have to register the mini as well with same licence?
Is it illegal?
Thanks for your help!!
 
It is a: illegal and b: wouldn't work anyway as the disks that ship with new macs will install the OS only on that kind of mac.

If you want 10.5 for your mini you will have to buy a retail copy of it (black disk with silver X on it not grey disk that came with the macbook).
 
Following on from Ora, you might want to wait for the next operating system to come out later this year, i.e Snow Leopard.
 
Thanks a lot for your answers!
I see a lot of second hand OS to buy.
How does it work if it has already been installed on somebody else's computer?
Will i get trouble registering with it?
I may sound a bit cheap but hey, these days, a penny is a penny :-D
I don't want to do anything illegal but also don't want to get something that would then create problems everytime i connect to internet or something!
ciao
 
I really need to put a page up about this somewhere :D

If you buy second hand it has to be a retail disk, as I said black with a silvery X, not a grey disk.

So, this appears to be a retail copy and would work while these woudl not work as they will only install on the machine they shipped with.
 
tubaobu said:
Thanks a lot for your answers!
I see a lot of second hand OS to buy.
How does it work if it has already been installed on somebody else's computer?
Will i get trouble registering with it?
I may sound a bit cheap but hey, these days, a penny is a penny :-D
I don't want to do anything illegal but also don't want to get something that would then create problems everytime i connect to internet or something!
ciao
Click to expand...
MacOS X is not Windows. It is not serialized and it has no activation. That said, it is a violation of the rules of this forum to discuss software piracy. There are many people on this forum who are willing to help you, but you make this task difficult when you state so clearly that you would like to violate the your EULA and, by extension, the rules of this forum.

Think.
 
MisterMe said:
MacOS X is not Windows. It is not serialized and it has no activation. That said, it is a violation of the rules of this forum to discuss software piracy. There are many people on this forum who are willing to help you, but you make this task difficult when you state so clearly that you would like to violate the your EULA and, by extension, the rules of this forum.

Think.
Click to expand...


Dear mister me,
As stated before, i bought the macbook and was just asking if possible AND Legal to install new OS on the mini I bought few years back.
Then asked if LEGAL to buy a second hand (but original) retail sofware.
Far from me the idea of discussing piracy on the forum as well as far from me the idea of using pirate software. If you say it's illegal to buy second hand retail Os (original, not a copy), I believe you. Having said that, would it not be the responsability of person selling the original to uninstall this OS from their computer?
Sorry if i offended you asking these questions and sorry to sound like such a pirate!
To be honest, if i really was so, i would have stuck to PC, wouldn't I?
A bonne entendeur,
Salut.
Tubaob'u
 
Just to clear up the question and the answer - Your Mac shipped originally with a particular version of the Mac operating system. You may install any newer version you like, if it is supported by the Mac hardware. Any full version upgrade ( 10.3 to 10.4 / 10.3 to 10.5) is a purchased upgrade, so you can purchase that software and install it legally.
You DO need to be careful what you purchase, so you don't waste your money and time. The software that came in the box with a new MacBook can't install on the old Mac mini.
Yes, 'twould violate the user license, but it will refuse to install on your old system, even if you tried.
If you want to upgrade your G4 mini to Leopard, you would purchase that software. You can buy it from Apple. You can also find it on eBay, etc, but you need to be careful that you don't purchase a grey disk set, which would leave you in the same situation. A grey set is for only the system that it shipped with originally. If you purchase through eBay, make sure it's a black disk, which will indicate the commercial install, and you should be OK.

Just to re-clarify - OS X does not have license issues similar to Windows activation, and is not serialized in any way. Someone may mention OS X Server, but that's a whole different question, with a different set of answers.
 
I don't really think it was unclear before that post. And that you reclarify your reclarification in your last paragraph reminds me that most often, clarifications aren't really necessary. :P Again: Just get the retail version and all's fine, legal and will work if your Mac meets the requirements.
 
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