I have an imac running 10.6.8. App store says El Capitan is compatible with that, but when I start the updater, it says OS has to be 10.11. Not sure how to proceed.
iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)
Check that your computer is compatible with Mountain Lion/Mavericks/Yosemite/El Capitan.
To check the model number hold down the option/alt key, go to the Apple menu and select System Information.
iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) model number 7,1 or higher
MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) model number 5,1 or higher El Capitan requires early 2015
MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) model number 3,1 or higher
`
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) model number 2,1 or higher
Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) model number 3,1 or higher
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) model number 3,1 or higher
Xserve (Early 2009) model number 3,1 or higher
Your Mac needs:
OS X v10.6.8 or OS X Lion already installed
2 GB or more of memory (More is better - 4 GB minimum seems to be the consensus)
8 GB or more of available space
Check to make sure your applications are compatible. PowerPC applications are no longer supported after 10.6.
Applications Compatibility (2)
El Capitan 10.11 Compatibility information
macOS Sierra 10.12: Compatible Apps
Also check to make sure there is a compatible driver for your printer.
Do a backup before installing, preferable 2 backups on 2 different drives.
You are welcome. You might be able to upgrade to Lion if you want; however, in my opinion, Snow Leopard is MUCH better than Lion. My wife tried Lion for 2 days and went back to Snow Leopard. I messed with Lion for a week and went back to Snow Leopard.
Check that your computer is compatible with Mountain Lion/Mavericks/Yosemite/El Capitan.
To check the model number hold down the option/alt key, go to the Apple menu and select System Information.
iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) model number 7,1 or higher
MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) model number 5,1 or higher El Capitan requires early 2015
MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) model number 3,1 or higher
`
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) model number 2,1 or higher
Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) model number 3,1 or higher
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) model number 3,1 or higher
Xserve (Early 2009) model number 3,1 or higher
Your Mac needs:
OS X v10.6.8 or OS X Lion already installed
2 GB or more of memory (More is better - 4 GB minimum seems to be the consensus)
8 GB or more of available space
Check to make sure your applications are compatible. PowerPC applications are no longer supported after 10.6.
Applications Compatibility (2)
El Capitan 10.11 Compatibility information
macOS Sierra 10.12: Compatible Apps
Also check to make sure there is a compatible driver for your printer.
Do a backup before installing, preferable 2 backups on 2 different drives.
Thank you Eric - i think i am out of luck, correct?...here are the specs i pulled:
Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook3,1
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Other thoughts (outside of going to buy a new laptop) 🙂
Could you please please please help me, too? I have a similar issue with upgrading the 10.6.8 system. The system is so old it doesn't work with my iPhone 6 anymore. :( My macbook pro has an i5 2.3 GHz processor and 4 GB memory. Would you recommend purchasing and upgrading to the OS X Mountain Lion or any other OS operating system?
El Capitan IS 10.11.
Which exact iMac do you have?
24", early 2008. 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. I downloaded current El Capitan (10.11.4), says it's compatible with my OS but won't work. I guess I'll need to do lower level upgrade first...
You need to download the full installer from the App Store. Not one of the Combo Updates.
Do you have a link to that, I haven't been able to find it, don't think. I found the download for 10.11.4 and it says nothing about "combo update" but does say it's compatible with 10.6.8.
Try installing this App Store update for Snow Leopard first.
http://www.iclarified.com/53652/apple-releases-mac-app-store-update-for-os-x-sno w-leopard-1068
That wasn't successful. I'm guessing I need to skip the elusive Mavericks and upgrade to Yosemite, then El Capitan. Not sure why they would say El Cap is 10.6.8 compatible.
First of all, El Capitan is not compatible with OSX 10.6.8, it replaces it.
Did you end up with the Install OSX El Capitan file in your Applications folder and is it approx. 6.2 GB?
I know it replaces it. What I meant was that El Capitan can upgrade from 10.6.8 or later--I have a screen shot verifying that. Yes, it's there and that big.
So what happens when you double click on the file?
You need to download the installer from the App Store app. I agree with others in that you're probably downloading El Capitan updaters from the Apple web site instead of downloading El Capitan from the App Store app.
You need to go here:
Trying to upgrade OS 10.6.8 to el capitan. App store says 10.6.8 is compatible, but when I start updater, it says it needs 10.11. Not sure how to proceed.
