Could I download OS X Yosemite on an older MacBook (4,1 - Early 2008 [White]) if I've upgraded the RAM on it?

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Could I download OS X Yosemite on an older MacBook (4,1 - Early 2008 [White]) if I've upgraded the RAM on it?

I've been trying to download an upgrade to the OS on my MacBook for a while, and now I've upgraded my RAM to 4GB (Which was the only specification my Mac did not meet to upgrade to OS X Yosemite), and I would like to know if the App Store will allow me to download the upgrade, before removing everything from my computer, and upgrading to fresh install of Yosemite (Since I will probably create a bootable drive, and wipe my hard drive). I'm running OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard currently, with 4GB of RAM.

MacBook Early 2008 (4,1) (White)-OTHER, Mac OS X (10.6.8), 4GB of RAM

Posted on Mar 25, 2015 5:36 PM

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Answer 1

Niel

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Mar 25, 2015 5:37 PM in response to Pikachu1161

No.

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Answer 2

Pikachu1161 Author

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Mar 25, 2015 5:42 PM in response to Niel

How come? My MacBook is up to the specifications on the Apple Website. There is no reason the App Store would not let me. Do you know for sure?

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Answer 3

Niel

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Mar 25, 2015 5:44 PM in response to Pikachu1161

Because the computer doesn't have a 64-bit EFI.

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Answer 4

Pikachu1161 Author

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Mar 25, 2015 5:44 PM in response to Pikachu1161

Sorry for sounding annoyed. I was just really hoping that I could upgrade. 😟

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Answer 5

Pikachu1161 Author

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Mar 25, 2015 5:56 PM in response to Pikachu1161

What about using MLPostFactor?

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Answer 6

Cerebro

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Mar 26, 2015 8:19 AM in response to Pikachu1161

Pikachu1161 wrote:

How come? My MacBook is up to the specifications on the Apple Website.

Actually, it's not. Models that can run Yosemite are:

Before you install Yosemite, make sure you have 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)

Yours isn't one of those. The newest OS your Mac can support is Lion (10.7.x)

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook/specs/macbook-core-2-duo-2.4-white -13-early-2008-penryn-specs.html

Pikachu1161 wrote:

What about using MLPostFactor?

Not familiar with this (looks like it was, originally, designed as a work-around to allow unsupported Macs to run Mountain Lion). If it does work with Yosemite, I can't imagine it would work well enough to make it worth the effort. Simply put, your hardware is too old and isn't designed to, optimally, handle the current OS.

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Answer 7

Pikachu1161 Author

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Mar 31, 2015 4:07 PM in response to Niel

I just found this wonderful third party application (Yes I know, the information from a third party application could be false), that told me that I do have a 64-Bit EFI. Apple just disabled 64-bit OS Kernel and Boot Mode on any MacBook. I am not sure why they would do that. Attached Image Below...

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Answer 8

Cerebro

Level 3

571 points

Apr 1, 2015 6:48 AM in response to Pikachu1161

Your findings are consistent with the "Everymac" link I posted. Your Mac does, in fact, have a 64-Bit EFI:

However, that doesn't change the fact that your Mac isn't designed to support anything newer than Lion:

It would seem there are other hardware limitations that would, undoubtedly, inhibit you from enjoying many of the features Yosemite offers.

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Answer 9

Eric Root

Level 10

685,483 points

Apr 1, 2015 11:54 AM in response to Pikachu1161

Check that your computer is compatible with Mountain Lion/Mavericks/Yosemite.

To check the model number hold down the option/alt key, go to the Apple menu and select System Information.

MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) model number 5,1 or higher
MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) model number 3,1 or higher

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