A friend recently gave me his old mac and I've never had one before. {I swear this was his attempt to convert me to the mac side of things!} It has OS X 10.5.8 operating system. I really want to use Chrome and Pages is it possible to update the operating system to 10.7.4 or later? If yes, how?
Mac OS X (10.5.8)
BbySlth wrote:
... is it possible to update the operating system to 10.7.4 or later? If yes, how?
The answer depends on which one of the several dozens of Mac models you have.
To upgrade from OS X 10.5.8, you must first buy Snow Leopard by calling the phone number in the Apple Online Store: 800-MY-APPLE (in the US). Snow Leopard costs $20, or $30 for a five user license. Do not obtain Snow Leopard from any source other than Apple.
Make sure your system meets Snow Leopard's requirements:
Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" System Requirements
To install Snow Leopard for the first time, you must have a Mac with:
After you install Snow Leopard you can decide if you want to upgrade OS X to the latest version, Mountain Lion. Mountain Lion is available in the Mac App Store, which is available to you after upgrading to Snow Leopard.
Make sure your system meets the requirements for Mountain Lion:
Mac OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" System Requirements
To install Mountain Lion, you need one of these Macs:
Your Mac needs:
If your system does not support Mountain Lion's requirements, you may be able to upgrade to Lion. To do that you must call Apple again to order a download code. Redeem the download code in the App Store to download Lion.
Make sure your system meets the requirements for Lion:
Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion" System Requirements
Mac with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon CPU
Core Duo CPUs are not sufficient for Lion
To determine which Mac you have, what kind of CPU it uses, and how much memory is installed:  > About this Mac
The specified 2 GB minimum is barely adequate for either Lion or ML. They will run in 2 GB but you may not like its performance. 4 GB is a more realistic minimum.
Upgrading to Snow Leopard, Lion, or Mountain Lion
Upgrading to Snow Leopard
You can purchase Snow Leopard by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers. The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will receive physical media - DVD - by mail.
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store.
Before upgrading check that you computer meets the minimum requirements:
Snow Leopard General requirements
1. Mac computer with an Intel processor
2. 1GB of memory
3. 5GB of available disk space
4. DVD drive for installation
5. Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may
apply.
6. Some features require Apple’s MobileMe service; fees and terms apply.
Upgrading to Lion
First, you need to upgrade to Snow Leopard 10.6.8 as stated above.
You can purchase Lion by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
Before upgrading check that you computer meets the minimum requirements:
Lion System Requirements
1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or
Xeon processor
2. 2GB of memory
3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
4. 7GB of available space
5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
Upgrading to Mountain Lion
Be sure your computer meets the minimum requirements:
Apple - OS X Mountain Lion - Read the technical specifications.
Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion
1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
7. Xserve (Early 2009)
Are my applications compatible?
See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps - App compatibility and feature support for OS X & iOS.
For a complete How-To introduction from Apple see Apple - Upgrade your Mac to OS X Mountain Lion.
Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
http://support.apple.com/kb/sp575 If your computer is supported, call Apple to buy Snow Leopard > http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57 Then, make a backup, insert the DVD and upgrade. Finally, open  > Software Update and update to the latest version.
Open App Store and purchase OS X Mountain Lion. See if your applications are supported > http://www.roaringapps.com
Choose About this Mac from the Apple menu.
If the CPU type is listed as PowerPC, it can't be upgraded further and can't run Chrome. It can run Pages when installed from an iWork DVD.
If the CPU type is listed as Core Solo or Core Duo, phone the online Apple Store and order a Mac OS X 10.6 DVD. It can run Chrome and Pages, but Pages must be installed from an iWork DVD; the Mac App Store version isn't compatible with that OS.
If the CPU type is listed as Core 2 Duo or better, phone the online Apple Store and order a Mac OS X 10.6 DVD. If the computer can't run 10.8, order a download code for 10.7 at the same time.
(71827)
Thanks everyone! Honestly I don't even know what Ram and all of that is. I clicked on the apple to get to about this Mac and this is what it says:
Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Startup Disk Macintosh HD
Can anyone tell me if that means I can do the upgrades?
You can upgrade, but I recommend you to increase your RAM to 4 GB or more. Go to Apple menu > About this Mac > More Info and copy Model Identifier
Yes, you can upgrade, but to determine the limits you should open Apple System Profiler in the Utilities folder. Note the display on the right of the Model Identifier. Use it to check against the information in my previous post to be sure your computer can be upgraded to Mountain Lion.
How do you increase Ram? Sorry I'm asking so many questions, but I know nothing about computers.
Here's what my Model Identifier says:
MacBook4,1
You can't install Mountain Lion, but you can upgrade to Lion. You can install 4 GB of RAM and buy it on OWC > http://www.macsales.com Call Apple to buy Lion > http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57
Thank you so much!! 🙂
Click here for information on upgrading RAM; the computer's limit is 6GB. It can't run Mountain Lion.
(71828)
You're welcome
OS X 10.5.8 upgrading?
