I acquired a Macbook Pro mid 2009 that I want to set up as mine. I have the original install disks. Do I have to use them or can I just erase and reset with my Apple ID while connected to the internet?
What is the latest OS that this model will work best? It now is running Snow Leopard.
Here is what the previous owner should have done when giving up the laptop:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201065
If you have the Snow Leopard install DVD, then boot it and launch Disk Utility. Select the physical drive in the left pane. I find it easiest to the select the "Partition" tab in the right pane and select "1 Partition" from the drop down list. Make sure "MacOS Extended (Journaled)" is selected. You can also give it a name. Disk Utility's default is usually "Untitled". The macOS default for a boot volume is "Macintosh HD". Double-check the partitioning scheme is listed as "GUID" in Disk Utility. Once the disk is properly erased, then you can select the "Reinstall OSX" option. Make sure to completely update Snow Leopard with all the software updates before upgrading to macOS 10.11.
Edit: Once you have Snow Leopard installed, then you can upgrade macOS to 10.11 El Capitan. If you have access to another Mac, then you can download and create a bootable macOS 10.11 USB installer to go directly to macOS 10.11 instead of dealing with 10.6. If you have problems with 10.11 let me know. If you bypass the clean install of 10.6, then make sure to properly erase the drive as I described before installing 10.11.
Here is what the previous owner should have done when giving up the laptop:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201065
If you have the Snow Leopard install DVD, then boot it and launch Disk Utility. Select the physical drive in the left pane. I find it easiest to the select the "Partition" tab in the right pane and select "1 Partition" from the drop down list. Make sure "MacOS Extended (Journaled)" is selected. You can also give it a name. Disk Utility's default is usually "Untitled". The macOS default for a boot volume is "Macintosh HD". Double-check the partitioning scheme is listed as "GUID" in Disk Utility. Once the disk is properly erased, then you can select the "Reinstall OSX" option. Make sure to completely update Snow Leopard with all the software updates before upgrading to macOS 10.11.
Edit: Once you have Snow Leopard installed, then you can upgrade macOS to 10.11 El Capitan. If you have access to another Mac, then you can download and create a bootable macOS 10.11 USB installer to go directly to macOS 10.11 instead of dealing with 10.6. If you have problems with 10.11 let me know. If you bypass the clean install of 10.6, then make sure to properly erase the drive as I described before installing 10.11.
2GB of RAM is not enough anymore. Also a computer that old could have a failing hard drive.
Only buy the SSD and RAM directly from either Crucial or OWC. Make sure to use the tools on their respective websites to identify the exact memory part numbers to buy. If you go for a Crucial SSD, then choose the MX500 series since the BX500 series can be as slow as a hard drive.
Only you can decide whether the price of these upgrades are worth it. Keep in mind that macOS 10.11 El Capitan is no longer supported by Apple and is not receiving any security updates. While many apps may still run on El Capitan I'm sure it won't be much longer before developer's stop supporting El Capitan. There is no way to know how long you will have a usable system while using macOS. You will most likely need to use a third party browser (FireFox, Chrome, Vivaldi) since Safari is likely too old to access many websites today.
Thanks. I did everything you said and it all worked well. But I still have a problem that I had when it was running Snow Leopard. Everything is very slow. If I click on something there is always a delay and then quite often a spinning beach ball. It has only 2 GB of RAM. It can take up to 8 GB. Would adding that make a difference? Or is this model too old to invest i more RAM and maybe a SSD?
A much recommended RAM vendor has the right RAM - pick your model here:
https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade
They also have excellent install videos - again, pick your exact model ID (you can do RAM, hard drive, and more):
https://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/
Having said that, a 2009 electronic device is ancient, so it depends on how much money you want to invest in something that may fail sooner rather than later (logic board, video card, screen, etc)
RAM for a machine that age might not be easy to find, but it probably won't be expensive. I would give it the max it can take. Back when it was easier to do things like that oneself (in 2009, let's say), I like RAM from Crucial.com.
How to make a Macbook Pro mid 2009 mine
