Help to upgrade macbook pro 1,1 tiger

[macdinosaur]

Hi, I really need help.
I have a macbook pro 1,1 intel core duo 2GHz

I have never done anything to it since i bought it apart from look after it, it looks as new as it did in 2006.

However i am still running on tiger 10.4.11 and everything is slowly not working as i am so out of date. I can't upgrade my internet browsers anymore which are now not supported. I can't send emails from yahoo or even regster or ask the mac site for help!

I cant afford a new or reconditioned mac. Surely there must be a way to upgrade my mac even a little bit so it can still function today.

Please can someone advise what leopard or snow leopard disc i can use.
I have read many forums and just got confused, my mac is a 32bit not 64bit.

This is my model details
Model Name: MacBook Pro 15"
Model Identifier: MacBookPro1,1
Processor Name: Intel Core Duo
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per processor): 2 MB
Memory: 512 MB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP11.0055.B08
SMC Version: 1.2f10
BANK 0/DIMM0:

Size: Empty
Type: Empty
Speed: Empty
Status: Empty

BANK 1/DIMM1:

Size: 512 MB
Type: DDR2 SDRAM
Speed: 667 MHz
Status: OK

Please advise what disc i need , i am confused about different versions, full install, re install etc?
I presume i also need to buy ram.

I am in UK.

Thank you.

 

[53kyle]

Here is the snow leopard DVD that you will want to buy:

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard?

Directions for how to do a fresh install (make sure to back up any important data before doing this):

http://macs.about.com/od/snowleopardmacosx106/qt/cleaninstall_sl.htm

Get 2 of these to max out your RAM:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-Sod...&qid=1401049158&sr=1-2&keywords=2+GB+5300+ram

Instructions to install new RAM:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Core+Duo+Model+A1150+RAM+Replacement/481

If you are running out of space on your computer, you should get this hard drive:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-Mom...sr=1-2&keywords=500+gb+laptop+hard+drive+7200

Instructions to install a new hard drive:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Core+Duo+Model+A1150+Hard+Drive+Replacement/486

Again, before doing any of these things, you should really back up all of your data by buying an external hard drive which has a higher capacity than your internal hard drive, and using something like carbon copy cloner or superduper. After you have installed the OS, you can copy your data back from the external hard drive to the internal hard drive.

PS, If you are uncomfortable with opening up your computer and doing the replacements yourself, I am pretty sure that you can take the computer to an apple retail store and pay for a genius to do it for you, or there are lots of other places that do it as well.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Memory: 512 MB

You do need RAM, Snow Leopard requires 1GB minimum. Get two 1GB sticks like 53Kyle linked, they're inexpensive and 2GB will run much better.

Snow Leopard is the end of the line for that Mac, but it's a worthwhile upgrade to put in the RAM and Snow Leopard. You'll get some definite improvements and some good life out of it.

Not sure I'd go to the trouble & cost of upgrading the hard drive if it were me, but it's certainly an option.

 

[macdinosaur]

Thank you

Wow absolutely fantastic information.
Thank you for putting the links and being so helpful.

When i went to the apple shop the shop assistant looked down her nose at me and said i would have to buy a new mac and that i was lucky i got so many years use out of it already!

I have found the Ram and am ordering 2 x 1gb
I will get snow leopard, is it worth me getting the snow leopard i life pack?

Big question is will all my old stuff - adobe suite CS and office 2004 work?
Will i be able to open and read my files that were made using these programmes?

I saw something about having a 'partition' dont know what that is, do i need to do that or is that just getting too technical for a complete techno novice?

 

[53kyle]

Wow absolutely fantastic information.
Thank you for putting the links and being so helpful.

When i went to the apple shop the shop assistant looked down her nose at me and said i would have to buy a new mac and that i was lucky i got so many years use out of it already!

I have found the Ram and am ordering 2 x 1gb
I will get snow leopard, is it worth me getting the snow leopard i life pack?

Big question is will all my old stuff - adobe suite CS and office 2004 work?
Will i be able to open and read my files that were made using these programmes?

I saw something about having a 'partition' dont know what that is, do i need to do that or is that just getting too technical for a complete techno novice?

First of all, I don't think that you should get the iLife pack as you can get the iLife applications off of the mac app store. I know that office 2004 will work, but what CS do you have? CS2? CS3? etc. Some versions will work in snow leopard, some won't. No matter what, you will need to reinstall the applications from the original CD/DVD as you will be erasing the hard drive when you do the clean install.

You can of course simply upgrade and skip that, although you will surely have issues along the line such as slowdowns and more beach balls than normal.

 

[Altemose]

Wow absolutely fantastic information.
Thank you for putting the links and being so helpful.

When i went to the apple shop the shop assistant looked down her nose at me and said i would have to buy a new mac and that i was lucky i got so many years use out of it already!

I have found the Ram and am ordering 2 x 1gb
I will get snow leopard, is it worth me getting the snow leopard i life pack?

Big question is will all my old stuff - adobe suite CS and office 2004 work?
Will i be able to open and read my files that were made using these programmes?

I saw something about having a 'partition' dont know what that is, do i need to do that or is that just getting too technical for a complete techno novice?

Office 2004 works fine. Just ensure you run Microsoft AutoUpdater to bring it up to date after installation. Adobe CS and CS2 will not run reliably under Snow Leopard out of personal experience. CS3 and above will.

 

[macdinosaur]

Thanks again

I have managed to buy mac box set including snow leopard, ilife iwork for just a bit more than just the snow leopard disc.
the ram is on its way
running adobe photoshop cs thats it it is that old! dont know where the disc is though in fact not sure where any of the discs are now. so i guess i lose all my applications?

 

[53kyle]

I have managed to buy mac box set including snow leopard, ilife iwork for just a bit more than just the snow leopard disc.
the ram is on its way
running adobe photoshop cs thats it it is that old! dont know where the disc is though in fact not sure where any of the discs are now. so i guess i lose all my applications?

I just realized that you can use migration assistant and copy all of your applications and data from the backup that you will need to make (you will need to buy a USB hard drive) after you install snow leopard.

 

[monokakata]

Don't forget the new disk as per 53kyle's recommendation, if you can manage it. I kept a Macbook just like yours running as a useful machine far longer than I thought it would by doing what everybody else is suggesting, including a new disk.

Installing a new disk can be tricky. There are many screws, and the first time you do it you'll be nervous. The iFixit site has excellent guides. You'll need some Torx drivers, but they are inexpensive and easy to find.

Believe me, a new 7200 rpm disk will make a big difference.

 

[53kyle]

I wish it was as easy to replace hard drives in old MBPs as it was in the old MacBook whites.