Early 2007 Macbook...I need a lot of help and am computer illiterate
I have an early 2007 white MacBook 13". I have used it since I started college in 2007. I know I have accumulated a lot of photos and music on it, all of which I am sure contribute to it running incredibly slow. I am horrible at navigating these boards as I do not know how to word my questions in a way that even makes sense....so here are my questions (the simpler the answers the better!) (and I apologize in advance because they have all probably been answered):
1. What can I do to make my computer run faster? I have read about RAM but I don't even understand what RAM is...is that what I need? Would an external hard drive help at all? I have tried deleting files and saving pictures onto USB drives and then deleting them. I also have repaired the disk utilities multiple times. None of that helped. I know there are tons of posts on here about that stuff...but they are so jumbled and I get so lost as to what I've done. Obviously I have read some posts because I did the disk utility thing.
2. What is the highest OS X update my computer can handle? I read I can't have Mountain Lion due to my computer basically being out of date... but can I install Lion? And also, can I skip an update (for example go from Leopard to Lion)?
Again sorry for the repetition. I am hoping people on here are nice enough to just answer the questions without making me feel stupid for being repetitious. Any help would be appreciated.
MacBook (13-inch Mid 2007), Mac OS X (10.5), iPhone 4s with iOS 6 update