Q: My imac running OS 10.6.8, and want to install software that needs  OS10.7. The latest upgrade Maverick requires a MAC dated 2007 or later. Where is the date... It is NOT in "About this Mac". Older upgrade better? How to proceed?

In the About this Mac window, click on the version twice, 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 tell you what the maximum OS version for your computer is; if desired, you can buy a download code for Lion from the online Apple Store instead of getting Mavericks.

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Upgrading from Snow Leopard to Lion or Mountain Lion

You can upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Mountain Lion can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $19.99.

If you sign into the App Store and try to purchase Mountain Lion but the App Store says your computer is not compatible then you may still be able to upgrade to Lion per the following information.

A. Upgrading to Mountain Lion or Mavericks

To upgrade to Mountain Lion or Mavericks you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Purchase and download Mountain Lion or Mavericks (Free) from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Mountain Lion is $19.99 plus tax. 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 Mountain Lion — System Requirements

     OS X Mavericks- 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.

B. 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.