pableez

Level 1 (4 points)

Desktops

Q: iMac Operating System Upgrade

My humble apologies if this content is already out there on the forum....just starting to research the question.

It is time to upgrade the OS on my iMAC -- Here is my info:

Model Name: iMac (21.5in mid 2011)

MAC OS X: 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard)

Model Identifier: iMac12,1

Processor Name: Intel Core i5

Processor Speed: 2.5 GHz

Number of Processors: 1

Total Number of Cores: 4

L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB

L3 Cache: 6 MB

Memory: 4 GB

Boot ROM Version: IM121.0047.B1F

SMC Version (system): 1.71f22

What OS should I upgrade to and expect minimal complications?

I'm leaning toward not the latest but maybe 'Captain' or 'Mavericks'

Is the process seamless?

Also, any suggestions to protect or save the data/files currently on the iMAC hard drive?

I currently use time machine to back up to an external HD.

Sincerely appreciate the help as I continue to research.

Thanks!

Pablo

iMac (21.5-inch Mid 2011), Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Sep 24, 2016 5:57 AM

I have this question too

Q: iMac Operating System Upgrade

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Helpful answers

by Niel,

Niel Sep 24, 2016 6:17 AM in response to pableez
Level 10 (314,412 points)

Mac OS X

Sep 24, 2016 6:17 AM in response to pableez

1. El Capitan or Sierra. You’ll normally only be able to get Mavericks or Yosemite if you already downloaded them from the Mac App Store or the people at a physical Apple Store say so.
2. Yes.
3. If you’d like another backup, use a product such as the Disk Utility or Carbon Copy Cloner to create a bootable clone on a second external drive.

(144869)
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by pableez,

pableez Sep 24, 2016 6:26 AM in response to Niel
Level 1 (4 points)

Desktops

Sep 24, 2016 6:26 AM in response to Niel

Thx Niel -- appreciate the feedback

I have looked at some other questions that state I would have to upgrade to El Capitan first before moving on to Sierra. In your opinion, since mine is a bit older, should I just stay with El Capitan? I notice some applications for Sierra state iMac (2012 or newer) which mine is older than that. I'm more concerned with compatibility.

The real reason I want to upgrade is to support wireless printing -- the drivers provided by vendor are not recognized by 10.6 OS.
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by Niel,

Niel Sep 24, 2016 6:30 AM in response to pableez
Level 10 (314,412 points)

Mac OS X

Sep 24, 2016 6:30 AM in response to pableez

If it meets your needs, you can stay there until it becomes out of date; eventually, Apple will stop releasing security updates for it, and fewer application updates will remain compatible with it.

(144871)
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by Eric Root,

Eric Root Sep 24, 2016 7:30 AM in response to pableez
Level 9 (73,966 points)

iTunes

Sep 24, 2016 7:30 AM in response to pableez

Link for El Capitan.

El Capitan

Check to make sure your applications are compatible. PowerPC applications are no longer supported after 10.6.

Application Compatibility

Applications Compatibility (2)

El Capitan 10.11 Compatibility information

macOS Sierra 10.12: Compatible Apps

Do a backup before installing, preferable 2 backups on 2 different drives.
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by BobHarris,

BobHarris Sep 24, 2016 7:50 AM in response to pableez
Level 6 (19,662 points)

Mac OS X

Sep 24, 2016 7:50 AM in response to pableez

I would consider adding more RAM (<http://crucial.com> or <http://macsales.com> are well respected Mac RAM vendors), assuming this is not one of the iMacs that are a pain to add RAM to.

Then going to El Capitan for awhile. Use this link <https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886> to get El Capitan.

After a few Sierra point releases (10.12.1, 10.12.2, etc...) then consider upgrading to Sierra.

Follow all the already posted suggestions for checking compatibility etc...
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