My computer only has 1 GB of memory left, but I want to update it to Mountain Lion, which requires 2 GB. Is this possible?

Does your computer meet the other requirements for Mountain Lion? If so, you should be ale to upgrade the RAM.

OS X Mountain Lion system requirements

To install Mountain Lion, you need one of these Macs:

iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)

MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)

MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)

MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)

Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)

Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)

Xserve (Early 2009)

Your Mac needs:

OS X v10.6.8 or OS X Lion already installed

2 GB or more of memory

8 GB or more of available space

1. It depends on which model of Mac it is.

2. Buy and install more RAM. This isn't the same as drive space; the needed module depends on which Mac model you have.

Append the last three characters of its serial number to http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/?search_keywords= and load the page. This will give you the model's specifications and complete answers to both questions.

(86187)

The requirement is for 2 GBs of RAM or more up to the limit of your specific model.

Upgrading to Lion

If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mountain Lion, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.

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.

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

To upgrade to Mountain Lion you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Purchase and download Mountain Lion from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Mountain Lion is $19.99 plus tax. The file is quite large, over 4 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.

OS X Mountain Lion - System Requirements

Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion

1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 7,1 or later

2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 5,1 or later

3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later

4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 2,1 or later

5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later

6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later

7. Xserve (Early 2009) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later

To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.

Are my applications compatible?

See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.

For a complete How-To introduction from Apple see Upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion.

Mountain Lion requires 2GB of RAM( memory) and 8GB of hard drive space. Go to the Apple Menu ( left side of screen) and select about this Mac. Under memory it will tell you how much you have installed.

If you only have 1GB then you will need to buy and install another GB.

To figure out the HD space locate the Drive on your Desktop. Right click or control + click and get select get info. Under the General section it will tell you how much is available.