Upgrading OS on very old mac

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Veldt Author

Level 1

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Upgrading OS on very old mac

Hi all,

So I have an old mac - here's the spec:

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: iMac

Model Identifier: iMac5,1

Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo

Processor Speed: 2.16 GHz

Number Of Processors: 1

Total Number Of Cores: 2

L2 Cache: 4 MB

Memory: 1 GB

Bus Speed: 667 MHz

Boot ROM Version: IM51.0090.B09

SMC Version (system): 1.9f4

Serial Number (system): W*********VUV

Hardware UUID: 00000000-0000-1000-8000-0017F2C2A0A6

And wondered if there was anyway of updating/changing the OS - currently 10.5.8

Thanks in advance!

iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Sep 18, 2013 7:43 AM

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Answer 1

Klaus1

Level 9

52,749 points

Sep 18, 2013 8:34 AM in response to Veldt

Start by checking if you can run Snow Leopard:

Requirements for OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard'

http://support.apple.com/kb/SP575

The OS 10.6 Snow Leopard install DVD is available for $19.99 from the Apple Store:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard

and in the UK:

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MC573/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard

but nobody knows for how long it will be available.

When you have installed it, run Software Update to download and install the latest updates for Snow Leopard to bring it up to 10.6.8, or download the combo update from here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1399

Check via Software Update whether further updates are required.

You should now see the App Store icon in iTunes, and you now need to set up your account:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4479

To use iCloud you have to upgrade at least to Lion, but some functions are only available in Mountain Lion:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4759

You can also purchase the code to use to download Lion (Lion requires an Intel-based Mac with a Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, i7 or Xeon processor and 2GB of RAM, running the latest version of Snow Leopard), or you can purchase Mountain Lion from the App Store - if you can run that:

http://www.apple.com/osx/specs/

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