Chubby_Ninja_Fu
Level 1 (8 points)
Desktops

Q: Upgrade OS X on Mid 2011 iMac

Hi all, I have a 27" Mid 2011 iMac with 12GB Memory, 2.7Ghz i5, AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512MB.

 

It is currently running OS X 10.7.5 (11G63) and I would like to upgrade it to El Capitan... will this system be able to handle El Capitan? Has anyone done this?

 

Usage is light with the main areas being emails, word/excel documents, eBay, playing music and stuff like that. I have time machine running backups and also wondered if I could restore my data back from time machine after I've upgraded to El Capitan. I also have standard backups of all files, such as photo library and itunes.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Jul 27, 2016 11:26 PM

by MichelPM,Solvedanswer
MichelPM MichelPM
Level 6 (14,260 points)
iPad
A:

Appears as if you are ready to upgrade to OS X 10.11.6 El Cap.

Your year and model iMac can handle El Cap fine.

OS X El Cap is compatible with iMacs all the way back to 2007.

Your iMac is quite a bit newer.

OS X upgrades/updates do not erase data, but it is always good AND prudent to have a backup in case things go awry.

 

 

Good Luck!

Posted on Jul 28, 2016 10:49 PM

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Chubby_Ninja_Fu

Q: Upgrade OS X on Mid 2011 iMac

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  • Helpful answers

  • by MichelPM,Solvedanswer

    MichelPM MichelPM Jul 28, 2016 10:49 PM in response to Chubby_Ninja_Fu
    Level 6 (14,260 points)
    iPad
    Jul 28, 2016 10:49 PM in response to Chubby_Ninja_Fu

    Appears as if you are ready to upgrade to OS X 10.11.6 El Cap.

    Your year and model iMac can handle El Cap fine.

    OS X El Cap is compatible with iMacs all the way back to 2007.

    Your iMac is quite a bit newer.

    OS X upgrades/updates do not erase data, but it is always good AND prudent to have a backup in case things go awry.

     

     

    Good Luck!

  • by Chubby_Ninja_Fu,

    Chubby_Ninja_Fu Chubby_Ninja_Fu Jul 28, 2016 12:24 PM in response to MichelPM
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 28, 2016 12:24 PM in response to MichelPM

    Thanks for the reply Michel, yes I like El Capitan. I'll upgrade and see what happens.

     

    Is there an app that can check app compatibility with El capitan or is it a case of upgrade and remove or update what doesn't work?

  • by MichelPM,Helpful

    MichelPM MichelPM Jul 28, 2016 10:49 PM in response to Chubby_Ninja_Fu
    Level 6 (14,260 points)
    iPad
    Jul 28, 2016 10:49 PM in response to Chubby_Ninja_Fu

    http://roaringapps.com/

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Jul 28, 2016 4:12 PM in response to Chubby_Ninja_Fu
    Level 10 (141,679 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jul 28, 2016 4:12 PM in response to Chubby_Ninja_Fu

    I have the same machine with only 8 GB of memory and it runs very well under El Capitan. 

    OTsig.png

  • by HippieBoy,

    HippieBoy HippieBoy Jul 29, 2016 6:27 AM in response to Chubby_Ninja_Fu
    Level 1 (18 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 29, 2016 6:27 AM in response to Chubby_Ninja_Fu

    I have a 27" Mid-2011 as well and El Capitan works peachy keen for me.

     

    You mention restoring data from your time machine after upgrading. I've never needed to restore any data following an upgrade. Unless you do a "clean install" and purposefully erase your entire hard drive, the upgrade should keep all your data and preferences nicely intact. (That's not a guarantee, of course! Always make sure you have a backup whenever you're tinkering with the OS just in case something odd happens.) That said, should you need to restore your data following the upgrade El Capitan will indeed recognize your time machine. I've only needed to restore from a time machine once (following a hard drive crash) and while there were a few unexpected headaches overall it worked very smoothly.

  • by macjack,

    macjack macjack Jul 29, 2016 6:46 AM in response to Chubby_Ninja_Fu
    Level 9 (55,709 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 29, 2016 6:46 AM in response to Chubby_Ninja_Fu

    Generally speaking you should always upgrade to the latest possible system that you meet the specs for, as long as you have no “must have” apps that do not meet the specs. Upgrades and updates contain important security improvements plus additional features.

    OS X El Capitan - Technical Specifications

     

    Before upgrading…

    1. Backup. Anything can happen at any time,, so you should always keep a good backup. Make a bootable clone SuperDuper! or CarbonCopy Cloner or use TimeMachine.

    2. If you have issues on your present system don't compound them by installing over them. Solve them first then upgrade.

    3 Check HDD for free space. At least 8.8GB of available storage. Preferably much more.

    4. Check your applications for compatibility here…http://roaringapps.com/apps.

    5. Disconnect all peripherals, including USB hubs.

    6. After downloading the installer, it will be in /Applications folder. Duplicate it and then drag the copy it to another locations like Downloads, if you want to save the installer.

    7. Be patient, the download takes a long time and the install may look like it has died at times. Ignore it.

  • by Chubby_Ninja_Fu,

    Chubby_Ninja_Fu Chubby_Ninja_Fu Jul 29, 2016 1:14 PM in response to Chubby_Ninja_Fu
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 29, 2016 1:14 PM in response to Chubby_Ninja_Fu

    Thank you for all your replies, I upgraded the iMac tonight and it all went well, everything still works so I now have OS X El Capitan 10.11.6. All documents etc all still there, hard part was passing the time while it did the update lol!