pecatoribus
Level 1 (8 points)
Mac OS X

Q: OS upgrade on Mac Pro 2009 from OS 10.5.8 to newer version without Apple Store

Hello Mac Fans,

 

I need to upgrade OS on a Mac Pro from 2009 with current OS 10.5.8 to the latest possible version for this model. I do not have Apple Store app in this version of OS.

specs:

Model name: Mac OS X 10.5.8 (9L31a)

Processor: Dual-Core Intel Xeon

Model name: Mac Pro

Model identifier: MacPro1,1

Processor: Dual-Core Intel Xeon

Speed of processor: 2.66 GHz

Processors: 2

Total number of cores: 4

L2 Cache  : 4  MB

Memory: 4  GB

Bus speed: 1.33 GHz

I would appreciate help with the following two questions:

 

  • Do I need to purchase the Snow Leopard for the $19.99 from their website to then upgrade to the newest/ newer OS version? Is there a way to avoid spending money on a platform that will only bridge to the newer OS for this iMac?
  • Would installing El Capitan on this model of iMac result in slower operation of the OS? Is my computer too old for the El Capitan? If so which version should I upgrade to and where can I get if from?

 

Also, this is Mac was previously owned by a friend of mine. Do I need the previous apple ID associated with this Mac to make any purchases in apple store?

 

It seems ridiculous that one has to pay for using a vintage OS on a vintage iMac not knowing if it will even work. I also own a MacBook Pro3, 1 (intel Core 2 Duo, 2.4 GHz, 4GB) and I upgraded from the same version of OS: 10.5.8 directly into El Capitan and I didnt have to pay. I had Apple Store however which seems to make the software easier to access but the OS should be accessible for free download directly from Apple. I got the ElCapitan installer on an external drive and transferred over to the Mac Pro but the pop up message informed it was impossible to install that version. The difficulty in upgrading the OS on older iMacs is not fair to Apple users.

 

If you can, let me know what I can do to make use of this machine.

 

Peace

 

pecatoribus

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.8), Mac OS X 10.5.8; Dual-Core Intel

Posted on Sep 5, 2016 9:45 PM

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pecatoribus

Q: OS upgrade on Mac Pro 2009 from OS 10.5.8 to newer version without Apple Store

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Niel,

    Niel Niel Sep 5, 2016 9:48 PM in response to pecatoribus
    Level 10 (311,446 points)
    Sep 5, 2016 9:48 PM in response to pecatoribus

    1. Unless you have another Mac, you do. This step can be skipped by using Target Disk mode, an installation thumbdrive, or NetInstall (Mac OS X Server only), but doing so will likely require erasing or repartitioning the internal drive.

    2. The newest OS for it is 10.7.5.

     

    (144443)

  • by Drew Reece,

    Drew Reece Drew Reece Sep 5, 2016 10:04 PM in response to pecatoribus
    Level 5 (7,446 points)
    Notebooks
    Sep 5, 2016 10:04 PM in response to pecatoribus

    The Mac Pro 1,1 does not support 10.11. It can only be upgraded to 10.7.5.

    You need to purchase & install 10.6.8 for the App store and then use a redemption code to purchase 10.7.5…

    http://www.apple.com/shop/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion

     

    10.7 was always sold for a fee - so that is why you cannot just get it for free from the store.

    10.7 could be quicker than 10.5.8 but it may benefit from a bit more RAM if you can afford to install more.

    You can probably redeem 10.7 on your Macbook Pro if you want to try getting it without installing 10.6 first. Just make the installer into a bootable USB disk via http://diskmakerx.com/

     

    I suggest you erase the internal disk on the Mac Pro to remove all traces of the previous owner, otherwise you may be unable to upgrade or install software if there are apps belonging to the old Apple ID.

     

    P.S. you can technically install later OS's on this Mac, but that is a 'hack' & is unsupported by Apple, may not work and is complex. Look at SFOTT for more info https://oemden.com/sixty-four-on-thirty-two-sfott/

  • by MichelPM,

    MichelPM MichelPM Sep 5, 2016 11:11 PM in response to pecatoribus
    Level 6 (13,584 points)
    iPad
    Sep 5, 2016 11:11 PM in response to pecatoribus

    How many times are you going to post this question?

    You need to spend the $20 U.S.D. and purchase the OS X 10.6.3 Snow Leopard disc!

    Consider yourself lucky.

    Snow Leopard used to be $30 U.S.D. and back before this, OS upgrades used to be $130 U.S.D.

    $20 U.S.D for a complete OS X version is pretty cheap, even by today's standards.

    Purchase the disc!

     

    And Drew Reese is correct, the farthest that 2009 Mac Pro can go is OS X 10.7.5 Lion, which will be, another $20 to upgrade to.

    OS X 10.7.5 Lion download purchase code found here.

     

    http://www.apple.com/shop/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion

     

    Again, add more RAM if you can afford to do this. Newer versions of OS X, AFTER OS X Snow Leopard, need all the RAM the OS can get thrown at it!

     

    Good Luck!

  • by Kenichi Watanabe,

    Kenichi Watanabe Kenichi Watanabe Sep 5, 2016 11:41 PM in response to MichelPM
    Level 8 (38,066 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 5, 2016 11:41 PM in response to MichelPM

    FYI - It's actually a 2006 Mac Pro (the first one), if the Model ID is really MacPro1,1.  A 2009 Mac Pro (three model revisions later) would be supported even with El Capitan.