I'm trying to upgrade my OS from my current 10.5.8 to the most recent version of the OS. Do i have to do implemental upgrades, or can I go directly to Mountain Lion with one installation.
Any help would be appreciated.
thanks,
Bill
macbook, Mac OS X (10.5.5)
Not possible until you have at least upgraded to Snow Leopard 10.6.8 because you need it to access the App Store where you will purchase and download Mountain Lion when it is released.
Upgrading to Mountain Lion
You can upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Mountain Lion can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $19.00. To access the App Store you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later installed.
Be sure your computer meets the minimum requirements:
Apple - OS X Mountain Lion - Read the technical specifications.
Macs that are NOT expected to support OS X Mountain Lion
Older Macs and those with weaker GPU’s will likely be left behind:
Your model must have a 64-bit EFI boot ROM. See OS X v10.6- Macs that use the 64-bit kernel
An easy way to tell if you are running a 64-bit kernel is to use the uname command-line program. Open the Terminal in the Utilities folder and enter the command line:
$ uname -a
Press RETURN.
The "x86_64" in the excerpt below means that you are running a 64-bit kernel. If the output showed "i386" instead, that would mean a 32-bit kernel.
$ Darwin... root:xnu-1456.1.25~1/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64
If your computer does not boot into the 64-bit kernel automatically you can force it to by restarting and holding down the "6" and "4" keys after the chime. Re-run the above command in Terminal. If you don't see "x86_64" then your model does not have a 64-bit EFI boot ROM and cannot boot Mountain Lion.
Are my applications compatible?
See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps - App compatibility and feature support for OS X & iOS.
Am I eligible for the free upgrade?
Before the install
Ensure your data (at least all Home folders) is backed up before you install. Hard disks can fail at any time so it is important to regularly backup to an external disk with Time Machine or a third party alternative. Inexperienced users should follow Apple's install advice but experienced users may prefer to do a clean install.
OS numbers and names
OS X 10.4.x - Tiger
OS X 10.5.x - Leopard
OS X 10.6.x - Snow Leopard
OS X 10.7.x - Lion
OS X 10.8.x - Mountain Lion
More about Macs
The Apple History site has specifications for every Mac ever produced: http://www.apple-history.com
Upgrade to Leopard
Those wishing to upgrade to Leopard should be aware that install disks can be expensive. Details: http://lowendmac.com/deals/best-os-x-leopard-prices.html Standard Leopard installers impose several hardware limitations including speed and RAM size but all these restrictions can be overcome. Google for details. Leopard works well at 500 MHz with 1 GB of RAM and many happy users have less than this.
Upgrade beyond Leopard
OSs beyond OS X 10.5.8 require an Intel processor. If in doubt click the apple at the top left of your screen and select 'About this Mac'. This will give you your OS number. Then click 'More Info' to see which processor you have. If it says PowerPC you cannot upgrade to Snow Leopard and above. If you have an Intel Mac it is well worth upgrading to Snow Leopard now and then considering other options after that. You can buy Snow Leopard here: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A
Upgrade beyond Snow Leopard
Information about upgrading Snow Leopard to Lion or Mountain Lion: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD256Z/A
Important
upgrading OS
