Mac Operating System Question

[BrewCrewForever]

Fellow Mac users, I have a MacBook I bought back in 2008. It has OSX 10.5.8 running on it. What is the newest operating system that I can upgrade to from what I currently have? Figured it was finally time to update since much of the software updates I get prompted for say I can't install them since the OS is too old.

[jerichoholicninja]

Interesting. I got mine in 2008 and have OSX 10.5.8 too and haven't had any problems installing updates.

[BrewCrewForever]

I mostly have issues with Google Chrome, Firefox and Adobe Flash.

[1992casey]

You can probably run Mountain Lion (10.8.x). If your machine isn't capable of running Mountain Lion, it would definitely run Lion (10.7.x). The glitch is that to install Lion or Mountain Lion, you need Snow Leopard (10.6.8). That's because Lion and Mountain Lion are App Store downloads, and Snow Leopard is required to get into the App Store.

 

If you check around, Snow Leopard disks should be available for about $30. Once Snow Leopard is installed, Mountain Lion is a $19 download. If you need to run Lion, that costs about $30.

 

Lion may be around on a flash drive version, but that costs $70. It gets you around Snow Leopard, though. I think Apple discontinued the flash drive installer, but it's probably available somewhere. If you can run Mountain Lion, paying $70 for Lion would be way too pricey.

 

Apple hasn't been updating Leopard (OS X 10.5.x) for quite a while, so it's a good idea to upgrade for security reasons alone. Along with that, a lot of software venders have dropped support for Leopard.

[BrewCrewForever]

Thanks 1992casey. Guess I will by Snow Leopard and then see which of the Lion's Apple will let me install. Really appreciate the help.

[1992casey]

System requirements: OS X Lion (10.7.x)

 

System requirements: OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.x)

 

You could be right on the border for being able to run Mountain Lion.

 

Hopefully, the Snow Leopard disk that you purchase will install the latest version of that operating system. It may not, though. You should make sure that Snow Leopard is fully updated before upgrading to your new OS.

[patrickgpe]

i have the same problem but mine is 6 years old. i run 10.5.8 i have been getting messages that firefox is no longer supported which is why you are getting messages. i run safari on it just fine. i did some research about upgrading the OS and i cannot upgrade to lion but my computer is older than yours.

[pretendastronaut]

My guess is you're on a 32-bit processor, in which case, it's not a problem that is going to go away without buying a new computer. You need a 64-bit processor to run 10.7 and above and increasingly more apps are only able to run on 64-bit.

 

You can find out if you 32 or 64 here;

 

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3696

[thebruce44]

This may be a stupid question from a PC/Android user, but isn't the point of paying for Apple products that they do all of this for you? Why not go into the Apple store or call their help line?

[BrewCrewForever]

My guess is you're on a 32-bit processor, in which case, it's not a problem that is going to go away without buying a new computer. You need a 64-bit processor to run 10.7 and above and increasingly more apps are only able to run on 64-bit.

 

You can find out if you 32 or 64 here;

 

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3696

 

Mine is a 64 bit. Just checked.

[BrewCrewForever]

This may be a stupid question from a PC/Android user, but isn't the point of paying for Apple products that they do all of this for you? Why not go into the Apple store or call their help line?

 

I have never ever had a problem or question about my iPod or Macbook before. Never had to deal with the Apple Store or a help line. Just recently realized I needed to upgrade my OS and knew quite a few smart people were Mac users on this board and thought I would just ask here. It has been quite helpful.

[jerichoholicninja]

This may be a stupid question from a PC/Android user, but isn't the point of paying for Apple products that they do all of this for you? Why not go into the Apple store or call their help line?

 

I have never ever had a problem or question about my iPod or Macbook before. Never had to deal with the Apple Store or a help line. Just recently realized I needed to upgrade my OS and knew quite a few smart people were Mac users on this board and thought I would just ask here. It has been quite helpful.

 

Same here. Never once had an issue with it. In the going on 4 years I've had mine it has only frozen once. I think my Windows laptop freezes 2 or 3 times just booting up.

[1992casey]

This may be a stupid question from a PC/Android user, but isn't the point of paying for Apple products that they do all of this for you? Why not go into the Apple store or call their help line?

Phone support is only good for 90 days from the date of purchase (or three years if you buy AppleCare). You'll get 90 days of support when you buy a new OS, though. The 90 days of OS support starts with your first call.

 

However, the Genius Bar in Apple Stores will help you out with old computers. You won't incur a charge for talking to them or having your hardware tested, however, if they do actual work, you may be charged.

 

An OS update is really pretty easy, and we have Mac people here who can walk you through it. Just make sure you're backed up just in case.

 

It's always advantageous to run the newest OS possible (although allowing a new release a few weeks for bugs to iron out makes sense).

 

Leopard (10.5) is ancient. Except for one "surprise" update last spring, it hasn't been maintained for over a year. It's best to get something newer if your machine will take it. Almost all Macs with Intel processors will run Snow Leopard (10.6). It should be noted that Snow Leopard is getting a little long in the tooth, too. Apple's been updating it, although recent Safari updates haven't been offered for that OS. Alternative browsers still run on Snow Leopard, though.

 

Snow Leopard (10.6) System Requirements

[thebruce44]

This may be a stupid question from a PC/Android user, but isn't the point of paying for Apple products that they do all of this for you? Why not go into the Apple store or call their help line?

 

I have never ever had a problem or question about my iPod or Macbook before. Never had to deal with the Apple Store or a help line. Just recently realized I needed to upgrade my OS and knew quite a few smart people were Mac users on this board and thought I would just ask here. It has been quite helpful.

 

Same here. Never once had an issue with it. In the going on 4 years I've had mine it has only frozen once. I think my Windows laptop freezes 2 or 3 times just booting up.

 

Oh, its not a criticism, just a thought that you might be able to get a better explanation or help from their official sources. Most people I know who have Apple anything love them and always talk about how you can get help.

 

Glad you were able to get help here.

[BrewCrewForever]

Snow Leopard working great. Was able to get the most recent updates for everything I needed. Thanks again for all the replies. I think at some point I will end up upgrading again to either Lion or Mountain Lion but for now this is fine.

[1992casey]

If you haven't done this already, make sure you have the OS X updates covered, too. You can do that via Software Update in the Apple Menu.

[BrewCrewForever]

1992casey, I did that right away after I installed Snow Leopard. I am all up to date. Thanks again.