MBP Mid 09 Reinstall of OS X 10.6 then update to 10.?

On a MBPro (mid 2009) Apple only supports up to macOS 10.11. You can download macOS 10.11 El Capitan from here:

https://support.apple.com/kb/HT206886

Here are instructions for creating a bootable macOS USB installer:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

SirRic wrote:

Welp - Update: Epic Fail, cannot get to the next step to install any updated OS X yet. Still will not load 10.6.

I tried to get 10.6 to load and was almost there. Got all the way to "Congratulations! You've installed Mac OS X on your computer" > clicked continue > "Mac OS X was installed on your Macintosh HDD disk" > Clicked Restart - never completed start up.

So frustrated but willing to keep trying.

Freezes after Apple logo and goes blue then blank screen.

Tried all the typical CMD+R, Shift, D, Alt ... Etc.

If it matters, it took 3.5 hours and many attempts. On one of the attempts I got to the point where I needed to enter apple ID then it started to "download additional components". I have been told the countdown estimates are only a GUI of sorts where programmers have fun so I don't usually pay attention. But today this one counted down from 19 and with about 30 sec remaining, the next estimate was "628,805,586 hours and 42 minutes"! Yes, that was a real message!

Next Opened the install log and noted consistent "997 fail to set up sound" and unknown error 423. I quit installer, chose startup disk (factory 10.6 cd) and de-selected all but essential.

Question for anyone, does it matter if I select only essential? Also, is it possible the RAM is corrupt/bad? I had forgot I upgraded a few years ago to dual 4mb and the first memory was not compatible and had many issues. That was fixed and was pretty much trouble free until this fiasco (kernel panic).

How are you installing OSX 10.6? From the official retail version of OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard Apple DVD (DVD with black label)? If you are installing macOS using any other source, then maybe that source is corrupt or incomplete.

If you are using third party RAM, then that could be a problem. Macs are very picky about the RAM used so it is best to only use the parts suggested by the tools on the Crucial or OWC web sites. You can try testing the RAM using Memtest86. You can create a bootable Memtest86 USB drive using Etcher (Mac/Windows/Linux). Option Boot the USB drive and select the orange icon labeled "EFI". If you still have the original Apple memory, then remove the third party RAM and try the original Apple RAM.

It is also possible the SSD is bad or maybe you have a defective hard drive SATA cable. Try reseating the cable to the Logic Board. You can also remove the SSD and try connecting it externally using a USB to SATA Adapter, drive dock, or enclosure. Try booting and/or installing OSX 10.6 with the SSD connected externally as this will eliminate any possible issue with the internal hard drive SATA cable.

Another good test would be to try installing Linux Mint to the SSD to see if it will boot Linux. If Linux won't install, then most likely you have a hardware issue of some sort. If Linux installs & boots fine, then maybe your OSX 10.6 installer is bad. You can create a bootable Linux Mint USB drive using Etcher. Option Boot the USB in the same way as the Memtest86 USB drive.

I would not touch your TM drive. If anything goes wrong you risk losing access to your backups. Use a USB stick or get another USB drive to use. A TM Backup drive should only ever be used as a backup drive. You need to protect your backups.