Should I downgrade from Yosemite to Snow Leopard?

Question

Should I downgrade from Yosemite to Snow Leopard?

Hi all,

my IMac hard drive went faulty last year (due to some problems with Windows in Bootcamp) and I took it to KNOWHOW in PCWorld (as the Geniuses were being really vague about how much it would cost to get the hard drive replaced and I required a rough estimate so I could save up accordingly).

KNOWHOW successfully replaced the hard drive but when I booted up my Imac I found, to my horror, that they had also installed the latest OS, "Yosemite". I never requested this and didn't even know that Apple had a new OS out before this so I was quite shocked.

I'm aware many would have been greatful for an upgrade but as someone who had to recently get a Samsung s6 because the ISO updates ruined my old iphone I know that Apple has a horrible history when it comes to getting new OS versions to run on older machines. In fact, I needed to quickly scan and send a document to my dad so I tried to install my Cannon Lide drivers. I got a prompt saying that it's not supported by the current OS which was the first legitmate red flag.

So after screaming at KNOWHOW down the phone I decided I was going to downgrade to Snow Leopard immediately, and not even install my backup from my external hard drive until I did so. The problem is, I have been seeing online rumours that Snow Leopard is no longer supported by Apple? The last security update on my Macbook (which runs SL) was from 2013 so I'm concerned that if I go back to SL I'd eventually have to upgrade anyway. Is downgrading to Snow Leopard the right thing to do? My Macbook runs fine despite some severe memory issues but I assume that's because the storage is almost full seeing as SL on my IMac (before the hard drive failed in Nov 2014) was also fine and fast running.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jul 4, 2015 4:15 PM

Reply

Answer 1

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,856 points

Jul 4, 2015 5:32 PM in response to UltimateRainbow

SL is no longer supported, meaning no updates are occurring including security updates. What you decide to do is up to you, however if the machine runs okay with Yosemite then you should let it continue to do-so.

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Answer 2

Jul 6, 2015 5:42 AM in response to rkaufmann87

It doesn't run ok with Yosemite because certain softwares aren't compatible with it (such as my Cannon Lide). What I want to know is am I taking a huge risk to downgrade to Snow Leopard? Seeing as it's 4 years old anyway will new viruses even be targetted towards SL?

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Answer 3

KiltedTim

Level 10

195,933 points

Jul 6, 2015 5:47 AM in response to UltimateRainbow

If you need to run software that isn't compatible with Yosemite, then your choices seem pretty obvious. Take the risk and downgrade so you can get your work done, or upgrade the incompatible software to versions that will run on Yosemite if they exist.

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Answer 4

dwb

Level 7

32,920 points

Jul 6, 2015 6:10 AM in response to UltimateRainbow

Lacking access to security updates is always a risk - the questions only you can answer are (1) what are you risking and (2) is the risk manageable. If all you are doing with your computer is playing Minecraft and emailing friends you aren’t risking much and it is probably manageable. If you do online banking then the risk is much more serious and probably not manageable.

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Answer 5

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,856 points

Jul 6, 2015 6:11 AM in response to UltimateRainbow

UltimateRainbow wrote:

It doesn't run ok with Yosemite because certain softwares aren't compatible with it (such as my Cannon Lide). What I want to know is am I taking a huge risk to downgrade to Snow Leopard? Seeing as it's 4 years old anyway will new viruses even be targetted towards SL?

You may want to consider upgrading or replacing the outdates apps you have, eventually you will have to anyway.

Considering there are no viruses for OS X that isn't an issue, there is a small amount of malware however that is easily avoided by using a little common sense such as:

Never download anything from a torrent site.
If you get an ad, pop-up, e-mail or phone call advising your computer has been compromised, this is a SCAM.
Keep OS X up-to-date.

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Answer 6

Jul 6, 2015 7:06 AM in response to dwb

I do online banking and have been doing so on my Macbook Pro ever since my Imac hard rive crashed in Nov 2014. My Macbook runs Snow Leopard.

That said, I have Clamx installed on it. Would Clamx not be enough to protect my SL if I were to downgrade my Imac?

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Answer 7

dwb

Level 7

32,920 points

Jul 6, 2015 7:22 AM in response to UltimateRainbow

would you lock your car doors but leave the windows rolled down?

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Answer 8

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,856 points

Jul 6, 2015 7:45 AM in response to UltimateRainbow

UltimateRainbow wrote:

I do online banking and have been doing so on my Macbook Pro ever since my Imac hard rive crashed in Nov 2014. My Macbook runs Snow Leopard.

That said, I have Clamx installed on it. Would Clamx not be enough to protect my SL if I were to downgrade my Imac?

ClamX is generally harmless however it is useless too.

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Answer 9

Rudegar

Level 10

170,886 points

Jul 6, 2015 7:50 AM in response to UltimateRainbow

if you downgrade then I would stay clear of the flash plugin and java plugin and acrobat reader they likely don't support the older version

any more so if you can get an older version of the plugin installed it could be a security risk and those 3 are the typical security risk as it is

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Answer 10

Jul 6, 2015 8:02 AM in response to dwb

I see your point XD. That said, I'm currently testing more of my software and it appears I have no choice: in order to continue using the likes of my ProTools etc I am going to require a downgrade.

Like I said, my Macbook has been coping fine so far and I've done all sorts of crazy suff on that. My Imac can take it.

Thanks for all your help.

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