Optimal OSX for MACBOOK pro mid 2009 + security

[marfstar]

I have Macbook pro 2009 mid 2.8 core duo, 4gb ram and a newly installed SSD 256gb.

I did a fresh install of snow leopard using the dvd 10.6.3 on new SSD. So far happy with 10.6.3...

I downloaded arctic fox 27.11.0 as I read it worked well on snow leopard.

the main uses for the macbook are youtube, itunes, and surfing web.

If I should upgrade, to which OS would optimize performance based on my uses? would 10.6.8 be better? Or a higher OS?

Prior to upgrading to SDD, on my HDD I was using el capitan10.11 (believe its the maximum for my macbook pro) and it was pretty laggy. Would the new SDD make a difference here?


Does anyone know if I go to 10.6.8 , do I get Iphotos? (i don't have initial application dvd)

Lastly, for security using arctic fox, what does everyone recommend? ublocker? ccleaner?
Thanks,
Eric

 

[retta283]

iLife apps (iPhoto, iMovie) don't come with the OS. You can find them online if you search a bit. Would recommend iLife 08 or 09 for Snow Leopard, 11 is a dumpster fire. Personally I have had no luck using an adblocker under Snow Leopard in the last 4 years.

You might consider taking it up to Mountain Lion. You can get a port of Firefox 71 for it which is only a year old (December 2019) and should support most add ons. Much better than any offerings I have found for Snow Leopard. ML will run pretty good on that mid 2009 especially with your SSD upgrade.

Mavericks may be considered too but some people have mixed experiences with it. El cap should run acceptable with an SSD installed too. 4GB RAM is on the lower-end for the huge Web but it should be okay for light use. If you find it slow try taking it to 8GB RAM.

 

[mdgm]

I recently started booting an early 2009 Mac Mini (with CTO 4GB RAM) off a FW800 SSD. This is slower than having an internal SSD, but it still makes a huge difference (didn't want to break something and a HDD replacement is more complicated with a mini than with a MBP). Running El Capitan and it is working great.

The main reason to run Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac at this point is if you need to run PowerPC apps using Rosetta.

 

[BrianBaughn]

FWIW, I used the dosdude1 patcher to get Mojave on my 2008 Macbook…the main reason being the ability to stream Xfinity TV in a browser, as Xfinity is constantly upgrading the minimum browser requirement for streaming…and the updated browsers require updated macOS versions.

 

[MysticCow]

From https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...num-13-late-2008-unibody-specs.html#macspecs1

*This system can run the last version of OS X 10.10 "Yosemite" and OS X 10.11 "El Capitan," although advanced feature support is minimal (Mac-to-Mac AirDrop is supported). When running Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" it is not supported booting in 64-bit mode. It is not capable of running macOS Sierra (10.12) or subsequent versions of the macOS at all. Please note that OS X "Lion" 10.7 and subsequent versions of OS X are not capable of running Mac OS X apps originally written for the PowerPC processor as these operating systems do not support the "Rosetta" environment. To run PowerPC applications on this Mac, it will be necessary to use Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" or earlier. Also see: Which Macs are compatible with OS X El Capitan (10.11)? What are the system requirements? Which Macs support which features?

So on the Mac side of things, it looks like 10.11 is the best choice for security's sake. For usability, El Cap may very well be a bad choice due not being 100% supported there.

Over on the Windows side of the 2008 MacBook:

*Apple's Boot Camp 4 formally supports the 32-bit versions of Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. However, the system does meet Microsoft's minimum requirements for Windows 8 and readers have reported successfully running the 32-bit version of this operating system with appropriate drivers.

So I likely wouldn't progress there past Win 7, as 8 was bad and you can't run 10.

 

[BrianBaughn]

So on the Mac side of things, it looks like 10.11 is the best choice for security's sake. For usability, El Cap may very well be a bad choice due not being 100% supported there.

Only compared to prior macOS versions as El Capitan hasn't had a security update in years now.

 

[Snowlover]

I have Macbook pro 2009 mid 2.8 core duo, 4gb ram and a newly installed SSD 256gb.

I did a fresh install of snow leopard using the dvd 10.6.3 on new SSD. So far happy with 10.6.3...

I downloaded arctic fox 27.11.0 as I read it worked well on snow leopard.

the main uses for the macbook are youtube, itunes, and surfing web.

If I should upgrade, to which OS would optimize performance based on my uses? would 10.6.8 be better? Or a higher OS?

Prior to upgrading to SDD, on my HDD I was using el capitan10.11 (believe its the maximum for my macbook pro) and it was pretty laggy. Would the new SDD make a difference here?


Does anyone know if I go to 10.6.8 , do I get Iphotos? (i don't have initial application dvd)

Lastly, for security using arctic fox, what does everyone recommend? ublocker? ccleaner?
Thanks,
Eric

If you stay with Snow Leopard I would go up to 10.6.8.
Interweb browser supports plugins for ublock origin and noscript.

InterWeb Browser for OS X 10.6 & 10.7

A blog about Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard and PowerPC Linux.

randommacstuff.blogspot.com

The SSD will definitely make a difference if you decide to go up to El Capitan. I have used dosdude1s mojave patch on a 2009 mac mini with 4 gb ram and SSD and it ran well. I just happen to really like Snow Leopard!

 

[KeesMacPro]

I've used the exact same MBP for lots of years and can confirm that Snow Leopard and Mountain Lion ran very smooth and stable .
El Capitan and a patched Mojave worked fine too, but as expected a more recent OS usually consumes more resources i.e. CPU and RAM.
IMO the choice of OS might come down to the compatibility of the preferred browser and/or other software.
If SL is your preferred OS I'd update it to the latest version 10.6.8 (as recommended by others).

Note that installing an SSD is a noticeable improvement but in combination with more RAM your MBP will run even smoother. 4GB of RAM is very little or even insufficient for today's standards.
You can see the RAM usage in Activity Monitor to get an idea.

 

[cosmichobo]

I have a very similar machine... MBP 2009 2.26GHz, 5GB RAM... Its HDD has done about 50,000 hours, so it's probably due to fail - SMART check currently good, but thinking if I keep it, I'll look at going to SSD.

It's currently running Mavericks... Looking above - I am thinking I might try going up to 10.10 or 10.11 and see how it handles it. I'm going to wipe and start fresh; just hope the HDD holds out a bit longer til I decide if there's actually a need for it. My wife's thought was to farm it out to the kids with some games on it...

Before that, I'm going to have to re-open it, and look at the trackpad again. A number of years ago the original battery swelled, and the trackpad stopped clicking. After I replaced the battery, it started working again, though you have to press harder than you should to get a click...

 

[KeesMacPro]

I have a very similar machine... MBP 2009 2.26GHz, 5GB RAM... Its HDD has done about 50,000 hours, so it's probably due to fail - SMART check currently good, but thinking if I keep it, I'll look at going to SSD.

It's currently running Mavericks... Looking above - I am thinking I might try going up to 10.10 or 10.11 and see how it handles it. I'm going to wipe and start fresh; just hope the HDD holds out a bit longer til I decide if there's actually a need for it. My wife's thought was to farm it out to the kids with some games on it...

Before that, I'm going to have to re-open it, and look at the trackpad again. A number of years ago the original battery swelled, and the trackpad stopped clicking. After I replaced the battery, it started working again, though you have to press harder than you should to get a click...

Prices for SSDs are quite low and an SSD can always be used in another device/ as backup disk , so as opposed to e.g. RAM it's worth the investment IMO.
For example a Samsung 860 EVO (avoid QVO) of 250/500GB will cost between ~ 60,- and 90,-
The MBP will run a lot smoother with an SSD and e.g. El Capitan is a known solid OS version...

 

[cosmichobo]

Prices for SSDs are quite low and an SSD can always be used in another device/ as backup disk , so as opposed to e.g. RAM it's worth the investment IMO.
For example a Samsung 860 EVO (avoid QVO) of 250/500GB will cost between ~ 60,- and 90,-
The MBP will run a lot smoother with an SSD and e.g. El Capitan is a known solid OS version...

Yes, I was just having a look at SSD prices on eBay - since I purchased the 512GB EVO in my MacPro just a couple years ago, the prices sure have come down.

So long as I can sort out the trackpad issue, I think this part of the family can stick around. I've got some heavy work to do -- my 14yo son is talking of saving up to buy a PC... gotta save the 8 and 6 year olds before they too turn to the dark side.

 

[KeesMacPro]

So long as I can sort out the trackpad issue, I think this part of the family can stick around. I've got some heavy work to do -- my 14yo son is talking of saving up to buy a PC... gotta save the 8 and 6 year olds before they too turn to the dark side.

If the trackpad is EOL , perhaps you're lucky at eBay for a used one at a decent price..

Concerning kids and ethics: I may proudly present my 9 year old daughter ,who more or less confiscated my MBP 2012 ( "we share it" ) and sometimes tells me she has to use a chromebook at school and she hates it because "the OS is stupid "

No dark side here, but the dark mode is highly appreciated ; )

 

[cosmichobo]

If the trackpad is EOL , perhaps you're lucky at eBay for a used one at a decent price..

Concerning kids and ethics: I may proudly present my 9 year old daughter ,who more or less confiscated my MBP 2012 ( "we share it" ) and sometimes tells me she has to use a chromebook at school and she hates it because "the OS is stupid "

No dark side here, but the dark mode is highly appreciated ; )

Not sure if I posted here (MacRumors) or not about my Trackpad resurrection?!

I looked at a few vids on YouTube, and saw that the common problem with the Trackpad button not working is that the metal disc that closes the contacts ends up wearing a hole through the contact. But, if you peel the disc off, and then re-stick it slightly off-centre, it will work again. So I took a deep breath (hate glue), followed the instructions, and - voila! Resurrected button!

My 2 younger kids (6 and 8) were very excited watching me repair the trackpad, knowing they are going to have their very own computer - after I instal an SSD. So - I now have a 240GB WD Green SSD ($44 off eBay) that I'm about to instal El Captain on using my USB HDD dock, and will then pop it into the MBP for them.

This got me thinking that maybe the 14yo was feeling left out (although he has a Lenovo ThinkPad that he uses for high school)... so I asked him if he would be interested in me resurrecting the 2009 24" iMac that's been sitting on my fridge for 3 years since I purchased my MacPro. He seemed very nonchalant at first, but has asked about it regularly ever since.

Next weekend we're going to my parents house so I can set up dad's new M1 iMac that's been sitting in my office for 2 months (COVID!). His 2008 iMac is almost dead... but I'm going to pull out the 512GB SSD that was installed about 5 years ago, and will bring it home to put into the 2009 iMac. Hopefully it will breathe new life into it. I'll also check out the RAM... I forget how much it has... hopefully will be cheap to upgrade if needed.

--
What an annoying issue!? I just downloaded the 10.11 installer from Apple, onto my MacPro running 10.12. Attached the SSD via hdd dock, to instal 10.11. And - Sierra wont let me open the El Captain installer cos it's too old.

That's absurd. Apparently it's a "known issue" that Apple's doing nothing to resolve. Surely the Installer app wont instal an OS without checking validity first, so there's no need for it to refuse to open.

I've now had to instead Wifi over the 5GB installer to the MacBookPro, and swap the HDD dock over to the MBP, so I can instal the OS.

Frustrating extra steps I didn't need.

Not to mention... When I downloaded the installer image - it then needs to instal an installer into your Apps folder. On my MacPro, that took all of a few seconds. On the MBP... it's taken about 10 minutes! Strange...!

 

[KeesMacPro]

Not sure if I posted here (MacRumors) or not about my Trackpad resurrection?!

I looked at a few vids on YouTube, and saw that the common problem with the Trackpad button not working is that the metal disc that closes the contacts ends up wearing a hole through the contact. But, if you peel the disc off, and then re-stick it slightly off-centre, it will work again. So I took a deep breath (hate glue), followed the instructions, and - voila! Resurrected button!

My 2 younger kids (6 and 8) were very excited watching me repair the trackpad, knowing they are going to have their very own computer - after I instal an SSD. So - I now have a 240GB WD Green SSD ($44 off eBay) that I'm about to instal El Captain on using my USB HDD dock, and will then pop it into the MBP for them.

This got me thinking that maybe the 14yo was feeling left out (although he has a Lenovo ThinkPad that he uses for high school)... so I asked him if he would be interested in me resurrecting the 2009 24" iMac that's been sitting on my fridge for 3 years since I purchased my MacPro. He seemed very nonchalant at first, but has asked about it regularly ever since.

Next weekend we're going to my parents house so I can set up dad's new M1 iMac that's been sitting in my office for 2 months (COVID!). His 2008 iMac is almost dead... but I'm going to pull out the 512GB SSD that was installed about 5 years ago, and will bring it home to put into the 2009 iMac. Hopefully it will breathe new life into it. I'll also check out the RAM... I forget how much it has... hopefully will be cheap to upgrade if needed.

--
What an annoying issue!? I just downloaded the 10.11 installer from Apple, onto my MacPro running 10.12. Attached the SSD via hdd dock, to instal 10.11. And - Sierra wont let me open the El Captain installer cos it's too old.

That's absurd. Apparently it's a "known issue" that Apple's doing nothing to resolve. Surely the Installer app wont instal an OS without checking validity first, so there's no need for it to refuse to open.

I've now had to instead Wifi over the 5GB installer to the MacBookPro, and swap the HDD dock over to the MBP, so I can instal the OS.

Frustrating extra steps I didn't need.

Not to mention... When I downloaded the installer image - it then needs to instal an installer into your Apps folder. On my MacPro, that took all of a few seconds. On the MBP... it's taken about 10 minutes! Strange...!

Wow, sounds like deep surgery for the trackpad, good to know how to solve it !
No, you didnt post here about it until now: )

A 2009 iMac will get a nice performance boost with an SSD and sufficient RAM.
I've done a SSD replacement on a few iMacs , with some patience and focus this is an exciting job ; )
The fusion drive in older iMacs is just slow especially when installing OSs with APFS (Mojave and up)...

About the El Capitan installer: there's a solution for this (you may google): you can set back the internal clock for the install, it will work and after the install (when connected again to WIFI) it will set the correct date again automatically.

TBH not sure why the installer took 10 minutes to put it in place....

Anyway, fiddling with Mac devices is fun, enjoy!

p.s. looks like your son converted back from the dark side ; )