This version of OS X 10.11 cannot be installed on this computer.

Btw i'm way past the front line script readers at Apple Care. They are almost always useless. I always go to a "sr advisor" for what thats worth

I'm not surprised they do not know Apple's policy on older OS's. Since they started releasing the OS for Free, you have not been able to get the previous OS once the new OS was released.

Btw why go all the way back to snow leopard (which I believe I have the disks for).

The El Capitan installer available on the App Store is solely for use by people currently running Snow Leopard or for those who have Macs incapable of running Sierra. Since your Mac can run Sierra, you would need to have Snow Leopard installed to use that installer.

I also may have the Mtn Lion and Mavericks install disks.

Neither came on Disk. If they are in your Purchased folder, you may be able to create a bootable installer from them (or is that the disks you talk about). You still will not be able to install El Capitan from those, but if they are suitable alternatives to El Capitan, that may be a solution.

Here is the official response from Apple:

Create a bootable installer for macOS

With macOS Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, or Mavericks, you can use a USB flash drive or other removable media as a startup disk from which to install the Mac operating system.

These advanced steps are intended primarly for system administrators and others who are familiar with the command line.

Use the 'createinstallmedia' command in Terminal

1. Download the macOS installer from the Mac App Store. Quit the installer if it opens automatically after downloading. The installer will be in your Applications folder.
2. Mount your USB flash drive or other volume. You could also use a secondary internal partition.
3. Open the Terminal app, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
4. Use the

   createinstallmedia

   command in Terminal to create the bootable installer. For detailed usage instructions, make sure that the appropriate macOS installer is in your Applications folder, then enter one of the following paths in Terminal:

Path for Sierra:

/Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia

Path for El Capitan:

/Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia

Path for Yosemite:

/Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia

Path for Mavericks:

/Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia

Examples

This is the basic syntax of the command. Replace

volumepath

installerpath

createinstallmedia --volume volumepath --applicationpath installerpath

The following examples assume that the OS X installer is in your Applications folder and the name of your USB flash drive or other volume is MyVolume:

Example for Sierra:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app

Example for El Capitan:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app

Example for Yosemite:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app

Example for Mavericks:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app

Step 1: Ok well i'm b

Back to square one - how do I get the El Cap installer.. HELLO I can't download it. I replied backing asking where to get this. The official Apple response to that was:

You would probably need to find someone with an Apple ID that's downloaded the El Capitan before. If you have any friends or family members who can help you you can download the installer on one of their computers to get it that way. I don't know if this is something you could get from a store or service provider in your area.

You would probably need to find someone with an Apple ID that's downloaded the El Capitan before. If you have any friends or family members who can help you you can download

the installer on one of their computers to get it that way. I don't know if this is something you could get from a store or service provider in your area.

So basically what you said. But again how am I supposed to find someone out there with a Mac that at some point downloaded El Cap?????? That I can meet up with and bring a thumb drive to download??

Unless someone in this community has it and can put it on say a dropbox folder??

No idea what the directions for creating a bootable installer have to do with your problem.

You seem to have come to grips with the fact that Apple will not provide a way for you to download El Capitan as that is their intent. They only intend for you to install the new OS.

If you want access to the previous OS's, you would have needed to download them (whether or not you intend to install) prior to the release of the new OS.

But again how am I supposed to find someone out there with a Mac that at some point downloaded El Cap??????

You'd have to ask your friends and acquaintances that you trust.

Unless someone in this community has it and can put it on say a dropbox folder??

I'm not sure who would violate Apple's licensing agreement to provide you an installer that is linked to their AppleID.

Then there is the whole trust thing. You would have to trust that they didn't provide you with a hacked installer.

Barney,

Thanks so much. I genuinely appreciate all your responses.

I guess what I'm just struggling with the most is that I want to go forward: Yosemite to El Capitan. Why won't apple let me do that. I don't want to go backwards, but forwards. You mentioned accessing old OS's, which is not what I want to do -- or am I missing something super basic.

I need to El Cap installer so I can go from Yosemite to El Cap.

I undestand why the app store only has Sierra as it is the current. But Apple gave me a link to get El Cap in the app store. That link works. But when I click on the link I get the above mentioned message that it can't be installed on this computer.

Again I want to go forward. Hate to sound stupid about this but i'm just not understanding why I can't upgrade (key word upgrade not downgrade).

Much appreciated

You mentioned accessing old OS's, which is not what I want to do -- or am I missing something super basic.

Yes. El Capitan is "old."

But Apple gave me a link to get El Cap in the app store. That link works. But when I click on the link I get the above mentioned message that it can't be installed on this computer.

Yes, they inadvertently pointed you towards a download that is not compatible with your Mac. If you install 10.6.8 on your Mac, you can then use that link to install El Capitan because you cannot directly upgrade to Sierra from El Capitan. That is one of the two reasons the link to El Capitan exists. The other reason is for Macs that cannot run Sierra. In order to install El Capitan, now, you must make your Mac fit one of those two reasons.

Hate to sound stupid about this but i'm just not understanding why I can't upgrade (key word upgrade not downgrade).

You can upgrade, to Sierra. Since your Mac is eligible to upgrade to Sierra, you cannot upgrade to an older OS (unless you had previously "purchased" it).

Thanks again, really appreciate your time

I absolutely cannot goto Sierra. A 3rd party app which is a show stopper for me doesn't have drivers for sierra yet,

For me El Cap is not old its newer than Yosemite. 🙂

Guess I should have downloaded and kept it on a thumb drive - Oh well.

The other part i'm still struggling with and please forgive me if i'm not at your technical level: I can't go from Yosemite up ONE level to El Cap. But I can go back 3-4 levels to Snow Leopard then go up to Yosemite. That just doesn't seem right to me.

*IF* I have my Snow leopard disks, that is an erase and re-install OR can I go right back to Snow - i.e. mount the disk and just backdate? (assuming I can't do that).

Thanks again and sorry to be a pain in the ____

The other part i'm still struggling with and please forgive me if i'm not at your technical level: I can't go from Yosemite up ONE level to El Cap. But I can go back 3-4 levels to Snow Leopard then go up to Yosemite. That just doesn't seem right to me.

I assume you meant "go up to El Capitan." And, you can go up one level to El Cap. You just needed to have downloaded the installer previously. Since you did not do that, it is no longer available to you.

It doesn't matter if it is right or wrong. It is Apple's policy. Discussion of the merits of such is not permitted on this forum.

*IF* I have my Snow leopard disks, that is an erase and re-install OR can I go right back to Snow - i.e. mount the disk and just backdate? (assuming I can't do that).

No, you can't. You must completely erase the hard drive, including Recovery partition. Note that I have never tried this for any Mac that has been upgraded past about Mountain Lion. So, I don't know if something in the Firmware that got updated by a later OS would prevent installation of Snow Leopard.

Ok that fills in the pieces... the light bulb went off

While on Yosemite if i had at least downloaded the El Cap installer that would be ok

I might be able to erase my old mac and goto Snow Leopard then up to El Cap - let me see if I can do that.

Other option is wait a month or so until my 3rd party comes up with a Sierra driver.

Thanks Barney

Thank you this explains it.