Imac 10.6.3 update problem

[elf69]

My 20 inch imac arrived and running 10.6.3.

So opened the update software and it downloaded software.

It asked to restart.
Now i have the desktop background only and nothing else....
Help please been about 1 hour like this.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

So, you bought an old, used iMac. Sounds like whoever you bought it from may have done an erase/reinstall from the Snow Leopard DVD, which would leave you with 10.6.3.

When you turned it on the first time, did it take you through a system setup process? Did you create a new user login account? Were you able to login and use the Mac before you ran Software Update?

Have you tried restarting the Mac (hold the power button until it restarts)?

You may need the OS X install DVD in order to fix things - do you have it?

 

[elf69]

OK so on boot it did go through the setup process.

Yes I have a mac account and signed in.

No DVD supplied.

I did fix it in end.
There was 12 updates so I did one at a time.

There was an update for the update software.
I did this one last and this one caused desktop to show background only but only for a minute or two when doing one at a time.

 

[elf69]

since the update the machine is slower.

using the monitor in applications it is using 1.8GB ram with only firefox and skype running.

need to find more ram.

 

[elf69]

So I upgraded to El Capitan.

only 1.4GB of ram used now and swap file has dropped from 2GB in 10.6.8 to 5mb in el cap.

only time will tell if this helps the overall running.