Advice please

[gjoneill]

Apple MD102B/A MacBook Pro A1278 13.3" with mountain lion.
Can this be updated to a newer version, if so whats recomended?
I need to install microsoft office for grandaughters schoolwork can this be done?
She has a keen interest in music, does garage band come with this version can anyone recomend any music software?

Thank you.

 

[BrianBaughn]

Based on the MD102 number that seems to be a mid-2012 MacBook Pro. You can verify this by going to the Apple menu and selecting "About This Mac".

Spec-wise it is capable of running macOS 10.15.x (Catalina). However, if the internal hard drive has not been changed to an SSD Catalina (and Mojave 10.14.x) would not be advisable. It should have 8GB of RAM installed but you should check that it does.

Does it have an SSD installed?

 

[gjoneill]

Based on the MD102 number that seems to be a mid-2012 MacBook Pro. You can verify this by going to the Apple menu and selecting "About This Mac".

Spec-wise it is capable of running macOS 10.15.x (Catalina). However, if the internal hard drive has not been changed to an SSD Catalina (and Mojave 10.14.x) would not be advisable. It should have 8GB of RAM installed but you should check that it does.

Does it have an SSD installed?

Hi, yes it has 8GB Ram, I have just ordered a 16GB kit upgrade and a SSD for it. Where Can I download macOS 10.15.x (Catalina)?
Thank you so much for the reply.

 

[svanstrom]

Where Can I download macOS 10.15.x (Catalina)?

How to download and install macOS – Apple Support (UK)

Download and install current or previous versions of the Mac operating system on compatible Mac computers.

support.apple.com

 

[KeesMacPro]

I have just ordered a 16GB kit upgrade and a SSD for it. Where Can I download macOS 10.15.x (Catalina)?

Some OS upgrades come with a firmware upgrade .
The firmware upgrade can be picky about the hardware installed i.e. OEM Apple drive /RAM.
To avoid a lot of headaches I'd recommend to upgrade first the OS to e.g. Mojave (one of the most stable OSes) or Catalina before replacing the OEM drive etc. in order to get the latest BootROM first.

I need to install microsoft office for grandaughters schoolwork can this be done?
She has a keen interest in music, does garage band come with this version can anyone recomend any music software?

Yes, Office can be installed running Mojave /Catalina.
Garage band is not bad for non-professional users and is easy to use.
IIRC you can additionally download it to the corresponding OS installed.

A big step up would be Logic Pro X , but i'm afraid that the latest version runs with Big Sur and up...
There are lots of opinions about music software e.g. Cubase and ProTools are known quality music software too.

 

[BrianBaughn]

You can download the latest versions of several macOS using the MDS app (free)…which connects to Apple servers to retrieve it.