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how do I upgrade from OSX version 10.4 to 10.7 or higher?

Hi there,


I want to upgrade my imac OSX v. 10.4.11 to at least 10.7 or higher so as to avail of other creative application updates? I know I will have to back up everything and install some new hardware first of all to bring my mac up to date, but I also know that the versions I have of creative applications currently will no longer function properly on a higher system so want to upgrade these also. If anyone has already gone through this process, I would really appreciate a step by step guide and costs!!!


Thanks

MT

iMac (20-inch Late 2006), Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on May 25, 2015 11:44 AM

Reply
6 replies

May 25, 2015 12:22 PM in response to MTPLACE

Your iMac year and model can only go as high as OS X 10.7.5 Lion.

You will need to increase the amount of RAM in your iMac model to 4 GBs of whIch your iMac model will only recognize 3.2-3.4 GB of the total RAM.

OS X runs better with matched pairs of RAM installed.


Correct, compatible and reliable Mac RAM can ONLY be purchased from online RAM sources Crucial memory or OWC (http://www.macsales.com).

Before embarking on a major OS upgrade, it would be wise, advisable and very prudent if you have a good,working backup of your current system to an external connected and Mac formatted Flash drive OR externally connected USB, Thunderbolt or FireWire 800, Mac formatted hard drive. Then, use either OS X Time Machine app to backup your entire system to the external drive OR purchase, install and use a data cloning app, like CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper, to make an exact and bootable copy (clone) of your entire Mac's internal hard drive. This step is really needed in case something goes wrong with the install of the new OS or you simply do not like the new OS, you have a very easy way/procedure to return your Mac to its former working state.

Then, determine if your Mac meets ALL minimum system install requirements.

Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard system requirements

Purchased Installer disc here.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard

To install Snow Leopard for the first time, you must have a Mac with:

An Intel processor

An internal or external DVD drive, or DVD or CD Sharing

At least 1 GB of RAM (additional RAM is recommended)

A built-in display or a display connected to an Apple-supplied video card supported by your computer

At least 5 GB of disk space available, or 7 GB of disk space if you install the developer tools.

Then use the OS X Software Update feature of OS X 19.6.3, located in the System Preferences Panel to update your iMac to OS X 10.6.8 and to updated all other installed Apple software and security updates.

OS X 10.7 Lion system requirements

Purchased emailed download code here.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion

To use OS X 10.7 Lion, make sure your computer has the following:

An Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor

Mac OS X v10.6.6 or later to install via the Mac App Store (v10.6.8 recommended)

7 GB of available disk space

2 GB of RAM

May 25, 2015 12:20 PM in response to MTPLACE

Hello,


I sorta hate to be the one to answer, but if this is your iMac...


http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-2-duo-2.33-20-inch-sp ecs.html


It won't be worth it to upgrade to the max at all, by the time you get 3-4 GB of RAM, you'll have a terribly slow machine that can go no further than 10.7.5, which is getting hard to find SW for just now.


I had the 17" inch one of those, upgraded for several hundred at the time, but it was a waste & quite unusable. 😟


For the difference in price I'd consider something like this but with at least the 8 GB upgrade...


http://www.macofalltrades.com/iMac-21-5-inch-2-5GHz-QCi5-Mid-2011-p/im-215-25-m1 1a.htm?utm_source=eblast&utm_medium=email&utm_content=product5&utm_campaign=blas t_20150522

May 25, 2015 12:30 PM in response to MTPLACE

BDAqua maybe correct about OS X 10.7 Lion running not so well on your year and model iMac.

However, with additional RAM added, you could just leave this iMac running OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard and this iMac would run Snow Leopard much better as it is not as RAM heavy as later versions of OS X ( 10.7 and above) are.

I disagree that software is getting harder to find, though.

There are still creative applications that still use OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard as its minimum OS X requirement that are either still available or still can be found.

May 25, 2015 2:25 PM in response to MTPLACE

The only thing you can upgrade is RAM.

OS X 10.7.5 Lion is the highest OS X version your year and model iMac can attain.

I am agreeing with BDAqua that going to 10.7 Lion is not going to run well, at all, on a 2006 iMac and will render your iMac almost useless.

You can and should upgrade to OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard and that Snow Leopard is going to be the best running OS X version for your year and model iMac.

I advise NOT upgrading the OS any farther than OS X 10.6.8.


If you can afford a new, refurbished or used Mac,with better specs, look to Apple's discounted refurbished store or BDAqua's link for Apple authorised resellers of used Macs or here is a Apple Aurhorised reseller that I use and is my favorite Mac reseller,


PowerMax.


https://www.powermax.com/productcategory/used-macs-imac

how do I upgrade from OSX version 10.4 to 10.7 or higher?

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