Install Two Versions of OS X on One Mac Using Parallels

Install Two Versions of OS X on One Mac Using Parallels

on Mar 5th 2013 with 9 comments
Tutorial Details
  • Topics: Parallels, Virtualization
  • Difficulty: Intermediate
  • Estimated Completion Time: 90 Minutes

Virtual desktop software, such as Parallels or VMware Fusion, makes it incredibly easy to run Windows applications on a Mac. But what if you wanted to run another version of OS X? In this screencast, I show you how to install both OS X Lion and Mountain Lion using Parallels, allowing you to have multiple versions on the same Mac at the same time with no dual booting!

Screencast


Install Two Versions of OS X on One Mac Using Parallels

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Jordan Merrick is jordanmerrick on Themeforest
 
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I'm a technology writer and web designer living in the UK. I write for a number of Apple-related sites, including Sparsebundle. I also create web templates available at ThemeForest and offer bespoke web design services at my own site, jordanmerrick.com. You can find me on both App.net and Twitter .  

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  • Ed Araquel

    It would be handy to be able to install Snow Leopard in a virtual partition since that’s the last OS X that ran Classic apps through Rosetta.

    • http://twitter.com/johnny_winter Johnny Winter

      Ed, I’d love to do exactly that. From what I recall, it was possible to install OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard as a Virtual Machine in one particular revision of VMware Fusion. It transpires that installing Snow Leopard in this way violates the licence terms and VMware issued an update to Fusion citing a “bug” that allowed the installation of Snow Leopard.

      Funnily enough, the particular revision of the Fusion software that permitted this has now been removed from the VMware website.

    • Guest

      It is possible to install Snow Leopard as a VM in a manner which adheres to the pertinent licensing requirements of Apple, VMWare and Parallels.

      The catch–and it’s a painful catch–is that the Snow Leopard VM must be recognizable to the VM creator as the server version of the OS, The barb in the hook is the cost. Despite a $300 drop in price the intervening years have knocked off of its initial charge, the 10.6 server still sells for around $200 from retailers such as Amazon and NewEgg. Given that anyone who wants to can purchase the current 10.8 server from the App Store for $49–no serial number required and no limit on seats, unlike the 10.6 version–I expect very few are in a situation sufficiently exigent to warrant installing Snow Leopard as a VM. ‘Handy’ isn’t be one of the words I’d use to describe the option.

      Disclaimer: This post contains facts which, while technically valid, are of marginal (if any) value to its readers.

  • Skittou

    If you want to install Snow Leopard client in a virtual machine, follow this awesome tutorial, it works: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1365439

    - I currently use 10.6.8 in Parallels Desktop 8 with no problems at all (my host machine is an early 2011 MBP, running 10.8.2);
    - You’ll need an original “standard” Snow Leopard DVD installation though (I mean a retail copy, not the “machine specific” one that came with a new Mac for instance);
    - The SL server version is NOT needed for this tutorial;
    - Follow cautiously all the steps, since it is easy to miss even a small detail, so if it doesn’t work the first time, it is because you did something wrong, so start again from scratch, because it really works!

  • Krissy

    If your Mac ships with Mountain Lion, is it possible to install and run Lion in Parallels on it?

    • Skittou

      yes of course!

      • Krissy

        Even though I wouldn’t be able to install Lion via Bootcamp on this 2012 MacBook Pro? How about Snow Leopard as a virtual machine? And does installing one of these other OS violate Apple’s user agreement?

        • Skittou

          yes it will normally work with Lion. For Snow Leopard check my post just here below: it works perfectly, although it needs a little hack.
          Concerning Apple user agreements: installing Lion does not violate it, that’s why it’s easy to do it, but installing Snow Leopard does…

          • Krissy

            Ah. Thanks for that clarification.