Upgrade from 10.5 - any chances?

Zanuda · Mar 18, 2015

Hi,

I've become a happy owner of an old iMac recently (for free) and I am thinking what I could do with it

. In other words, I need some advice.
This is a white plastic Intel iMac running osx 10.6.8, but running it pretty bad... It has become very unresponsive, some programs do not start or/and hang up the system. So it looks like the clean reinstall of the system is the solution.
However, I have only osx 10.5 installation disks with it.
As far as I have learned, I need at least 10.6 installed to upgrade to the latest Yosemite. On the other hand, I have not found any tips on if it is possible to upgrade from 10.5 to anything newer. "Newer" I mean still supported, not necessarily Yosemite.
Though the box is quite old, it is compact and in a very good condition, so I'd really like to make use of it.
So, if anyone has any advice or tips, I'd really appreciate your input.

Thank you!

MagicBoy · Mar 18, 2015

FYI If it's a white plastic iMac you probably can't go higher than OS X 10.7 Lion.

Can you get the model ID from system profiler?

GGJstudios · Mar 18, 2015

Zanuda said:
Hi,

I've become a happy owner of an old iMac recently (for free) and I am thinking what I could do with it . In other words, I need some advice.
This is a white plastic Intel iMac running osx 10.6.8, but running it pretty bad... It has become very unresponsive, some programs do not start or/and hang up the system. So it looks like the clean reinstall of the system is the solution.
However, I have only osx 10.5 installation disks with it.
As far as I have learned, I need at least 10.6 installed to upgrade to the latest Yosemite. On the other hand, I have not found any tips on if it is possible to upgrade from 10.5 to anything newer. "Newer" I mean still supported, not necessarily Yosemite.

The most recent OS X version you can run on your iMac is 10.7.5. You would have to buy Snow Leopard (10.6) and update to 10.6.6 to gain access to the App Store. You may be able to contact Apple directly for a download link for Lion (10.7).

Zanuda · Mar 18, 2015

MagicBoy said:
Can you get the model ID from system profiler?

Sure. What will it tell me?

GGJstudios · Mar 18, 2015

Zanuda said:
Sure. What will it tell me?

It will help us pinpoint the exact specs for your model, including latest OS supported, maximum RAM, etc. When looking for support in the forum, it's always helpful to post the exact model and configuration you're running, OS X version, etc.

How to maximise your MacRumors troubleshooting experience

Zanuda · Mar 18, 2015

GGJstudios said:
The most recent OS X version you can run on your iMac is 10.7.5. You would have to buy Snow Leopard (10.6) and update to 10.6.6 to gain access to the App Store. You may be able to contact Apple directly for a download link for Lion (10.7).

According to Apple:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201475
it should be mid 2007 or newer. So you mean this box does not qualify?
And I guess, direct upgrade from Apple to the 10.7 won't be for free, right?

Thanks!

GGJstudios · Mar 18, 2015

Zanuda said:
According to Apple:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201475
it should be mid 2007 or newer. So you mean this box does not qualify?
And I guess, direct upgrade from Apple to the 10.7 won't be for free, right?

No, you can't run Yosemite on your iMac. No, the upgrade from 10.5 to 10.7 won't be free.

Zanuda · Mar 18, 2015

GGJstudios said:
It will help us pinpoint the exact specs for your model, including latest OS supported, maximum RAM, etc. When looking for support in the forum, it's always helpful to post the exact model and configuration you're running, OS X version, etc.

Got it, sorry for being so slow.

MagicBoy · Mar 18, 2015

I'd buy a copy of 10.6 and fresh install that. It's still available from Apple for about £15.

It's one of the best versions of OS X they released. Performance is better on 10.6 than 10.7 on that hardware in my experience.

GGJstudios · Mar 18, 2015

MagicBoy said:
I'd buy a copy of 10.6 and fresh install that. It's still available from Apple for about £15.

It's one of the best versions of OS X they released. Performance is better on 10.6 than 10.7 on that hardware in my experience.

I agree. I skipped Lion and Mountain Lion completely, and stayed on Snow Leopard until I bought a new Mac with Mavericks preinstalled.

MagicBoy · Mar 18, 2015

I only used Lion for a short while when it shipped with a new Mac. I wasn't a fan and was delighted when the much improved 10.8 appeared a few months later. Unfortunately 10.8 dropped compatibility with the older 32-bit EFI machines like the white plastic iMac.

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Upgrade from 10.5 - any chances?

Zanuda

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MagicBoy

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GGJstudios

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Zanuda

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GGJstudios

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Zanuda

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GGJstudios

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Zanuda

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MagicBoy

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GGJstudios

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MagicBoy

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