Here is the background:

A while back, I used a Family Pack Leopard disc to install on 4 of our machines. Now, one of the family members is away at university and has an issue (failed update to 10.5.5, resulting in a blue screen on boot). He would like to do an archive and install. I have the disc here in NL and he is in another province.

The Question:
Can he use any Leopard disc to do his Archive and Install or does it have to be our original Fam Pack disc? He has access to a single user disc right now and would like to get back up and running ASAP (ie: without waiting for me to mail him the disc).

Thanks.

There are no differences between the single user and family retail packages, other than the packaging and license agreements. He won't have any issues.

Sounds good then!

Now he has an experiment to perform once class ends today.

Big key is that the other disk needs to be a retail disk. If it is from say an iMac and he is installing to a MacBook then there could be issues.

I am not a huge fan of archive and install but of course your mileage may vary and others have used it quite successfully.

Its either A&I or he loses his data at this point.

Okay the plot thickens.

Apparently the disc he has access to is a disc made for a MacBook, not a retail disc. His machine is a MacBook, but about 2 years old, and not the same config as the one with which the install disc came.

Still good, or no go?

Okay the plot thickens.

Apparently the disc he has access to is a disc made for a MacBook, not a retail disc. His machine is a MacBook, but about 2 years old, and not the same config as the one with which the install disc came.

Still good, or no go?

No-go. The disc must be of the same generation of MacBook.

crappy.

Looks like this is going to be an Xpresspost job