Tax software won't work w/o upgrade

[JimKeats]

24 Feb 15,
I tried to install Turbo Tax Deluxe on my I Mac and I got a message that I need a new O.S. version 10.7.5 or better to install it.
I'm using the original O.S. which is 10.6.8 Snow Leopard and I really like it.
My "I Mac" specs are 3.06GHz, Intel Core i3, 4GB 1333 DDR3 memory.
I also have Office for Macs 2008 installed and use Entourage for my E.Mail.
Having read some bad stuff about the latest versions of Apple's O.S. Yosemite etc, I'm reluctant to do an upgrade to that. If I could simply find a Lion 10.7.5 version of an upgraded O.S. I think everything would be good.
So far, I have not had much luck finding said software on line.
So now it's time to ask the experts on this forum about their ideas for an O.S. upgrade.
Any suggestions? Should I just bite the bullet and go to Yosemite?
Will I lose my MS/Office 2008?
To add to the mix, I'm having a very hard time trying to make a back up of my hard drive onto my G Tech external H.D.
For some reason, it will not simply make a copy of my H.D. as it exists now.
I would like to be able to go back to recover files if needed after an upgrade.
Especially my photos and music files.
I'm open to any tips or clues any of you may have..
Thanks,
Keats
Arizona

 

[DeltaMac]

Lion (10.7.5) is easily available through the online Apple Store.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion

Or, upgrade to 10.8, if you prefer, also through the Apple Store.
http://store.apple.com/us/search/Mountain-Lion---Mac-OS-X-10.8

Or, you can also upgrade to Yosemite.

You can do a simple backup of your complete hard drive by using your Disk Utility, through the Restore tab.
Or, you can use your built-in Time Machine utility as a backup. If you haven't used that before, it can take quite a long time to do a full backup.
Or, you can use a third party utility, such as Carbon Copy Cloner, or SuperDuper!

 

[dyt1983]

edit: To remove personally identifying information not relevant to the thread.