Q: can i put osx mavericks on my early 2008 13'' white macbook with a 500gb hard drive and 4gb of ram or do i need too do more upgrades also iam currently running snow leopard 10.6.8

That computer's too old to run Mavericks but can run Lion.

(97612)

See below:

Upgrading from Snow Leopard to Lion or Mavericks

To upgrade to Mavericks you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8, Lion, or Mountain Lion installed. Purchase and download Mavericks (Free) from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. The file is quite large, over 5 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 Mavericks- System Requirements

       Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Mavericks

         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.

Upgrading to Lion

If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mavericks, 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.

Background

I have two Macbooks:

- Early 2008 13" White Macbook, 2.4 Ghz, Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, currently running Leopard

- Early 2011 13" Macbook Pro, 2.7 Ghz, Intel i7, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, currently running Mavericks.

Issue

I'm planning on upgrading the Early 2011 Macbook Pro to a 1TB SSD, and install the 500GB HDD from it on the 2008 Macbook.

I know I have to back up all data before upgrade. I understand 2008 Macbook will not work with Mavericks.

Questions

1. How do I install Mavericks on my 2011 Macbook Pro when I have the new blank SSD installed on it?

2. If I install the 500 GB HDD with Mavericks on my 2008 Macbook, how do I (clean) install Snow Leopard?

1. First, install Snow Leopard and update it to 10.6.8. Then download Mavericks from the App Store. If you don't have a Snow Leopard retail DVD:

You can purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.

 

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. Access to the App Store enables you to download Mavericks if your computer meets the 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 iCloud services; fees and

           terms apply.

2.  To clean install Snow Leopard:

Clean Install of Snow Leopard

 

     1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc or the Disc 1 that came

         with your computer.  Insert the disc into the optical drive and restart the computer.

         After the chime press and hold down the  "C" key.  Release the key when you see

         a small spinning gear appear below the dark gray Apple logo.

 

     2. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue

         button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.

         After DU loads select the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive

         size.)  Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.  Set the number of

         partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, click on Options button

         and select GUID, click on OK, then set the format type to MacOS Extended

         (Journaled, if supported), then click on the Apply button.

 

     3. When the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer.  Proceed

         with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.

 

     4. When the installation has completed your computer will Restart into the Setup

         Assistant. Be sure you configure your initial admin account with the exact same

         username and password that you used on your old drive. After you finish Setup

         Assistant will complete the installation after which you will be running a fresh

         install of OS X.  You can now begin the update process by opening Software

         Update and installing all recommended updates to bring your installation current.

 

Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.

I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

Will this install disc (OS 10.6.6) work for clean installation on my 2011 Macbook Pro and/or 2008 Macbook?

Or do I necessarily have to get the OS 10.6?

Please ignore it.

I don't believe that disc comes from your original computer's software. It is for a later piece of hardware, and it is not a retail disc. Since it is machine specific, it will not work with your computer.

Kappy, thanks a lot for the time you've taken to answer my questions.