OLD MAC might need OS update

eskimo26

Hi my dads Mac is running OS X 10.6.8

It's having various issues with it including google chromes lack of support which means he can no longer update to the latest browser causing several issues. He doesn't want to use another browser.

My dad knows nothing about computers so i've stepped in and it's obvious the problem is that the OS has not been kept up to date.

Not sure where to go from here as I use windows pcs.

Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

knightstyle

Go on the Apple.com help pages............
To find out which version you can upgrade to, please provide your Mac model ID. It can be found by going to "Apple Menu" > "About This Mac" > "More Info" > "System Report". At top of right pane it should read "Hardware Overview". Second line under that is the Model ID.

Since you are running OS 10.6.8, you can also try opening the App Store app. It may automatically let you know which OS you can upgrade to. (Note: From OS 10.6.8 onwards, all upgrades to the OS are done via downloads through the App Store App. However, if upgrading to OS 10.7 or OS 10.8, you need to first purchase a redemption code from the online Apple Store.)

another_casualty

That's OS X snow leopard iirc. That version must be about7/ 8 years old now? There have been various updates since then . Yosemite/ El Capitan / Mavericks etc . I eventually managed to buy a new Mac last November ,and I'm now on high Sierra . Will be something else this sept apparently .
I too was on snow leopard . It got too much for using stuff like garageband etc . Lots of crashing etc. It's on the Mac mini which. I will Keep because of the cd cdrive . Even then , that version of iTunes is way behind now and won't sync with my iPhone . Depending on what your dad uses it for ,and his wallet maybe best to buy a new Mac or iPad ??

eskimo26

another_casualty wrote: »

That's OS X snow leopard iirc. That version must be about7/ 8 years old now? There have been various updates since then . Yosemite/ El Capitan / Mavericks etc . I eventually managed to buy a new Mac last November ,and I'm now on high Sierra . Will be something else this sept apparently .
I too was on snow leopard . It got too much for using stuff like garageband etc . Lots of crashing etc. It's on the Mac mini which. I will Keep because of the cd cdrive . Even then , that version of iTunes is way behind now and won't sync with my iPhone . Depending on what your dad uses it for ,and his wallet maybe best to buy a new Mac or iPad ??

Honestly his just using it to surf online :rotfl:
It's an old machine but the only issue is it drops the wifi a lot and the rest of the issues are down to lack of OS updates.

Go on the Apple.com help pages............
To find out which version you can upgrade to, please provide your Mac model ID. It can be found by going to "Apple Menu" > "About This Mac" > "More Info" > "System Report". At top of right pane it should read "Hardware Overview". Second line under that is the Model ID.

Model Identifier: iMac12,2

This is the full information.

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac12,2
Processor Name: Intel Core i5
Processor Speed: 2.7 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Boot ROM Version: IM121.0047.B1F
SMC Version (system): 1.72f2
Serial Number (system): C02FN99ZDHJP
Hardware UUID: 2768DA3B-39CC-50BA-A39B-C3F79BCA1520

Neil_Jones

That serial number suggests its's this one:
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-i5-2.7-27-inch-aluminum-mid-2011-thunderbolt-specs.html

Which can be upgraded to 10.13 or High Sierra but with various "issues" along the way, some of which are probably insignificant to the OP.

eskimo26

Neil_Jones wrote: »

That serial number suggests its's this one:
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-i5-2.7-27-inch-aluminum-mid-2011-thunderbolt-specs.html

Which can be upgraded to 10.13 or High Sierra but with various "issues" along the way, some of which are probably insignificant to the OP.

So worth giving it a go? Can I just upgrade a couple OS further back? Like 2 back since it could be more compatible with an older OS?

All he does on it is surf the web and occasionally uses the dvd/CD player.

Neil_Jones

It's probably worth a punt, I mean if you ultimately end up replacing the unit you'd end up with the latest MacOS anyway which is High Sierra.

From 10.6 you'd need to upgrade to El Capitan first and from there to High Sierra:
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT206886

https://www.apple.com/uk/macos/how-to-upgrade/