How can I put my iMac intel core 2 duo in 64bit mode

Question

I have an iMac model 7.1 that has an Intel core 2 duo so shouldn't I be able to make it run in 64 bit mode? How? I am in 10.6.8 and it locks too often to be used. I tried the Terminal  sudo  systemsetup  -setkernalbootarchitecture  x86_64 but the Terminal said it wasn't a valid command, what can II do to get back to work and not have to buy a PC?

Answer 1

Hi Mike, my head exploded too around page 50. I had bought a used iMac from an official Apple reseller  here in Holland. It had an old 250GB HD that was 2/3 full, I had to get my Apple software Logic pro 9 into the iMac, I had, in 10.5 been doing that by booting from an external 1TB HD. Many developers won't allow downloads to external HD's,music software developers I meant. SO the external was a working solution until Jobs died and the company changed policies. The Fire Wire which Jobs had gotten started was working beautifully and since I have many "music Sample libraries" which must be able to throw into a song whatever I tell Logic to use, it worked much better having the libraries on external HD's[all Fire Wire 1TB] so they could effortlessly stream the music samples into logic SIMULTANEOUSLY, since Snow Leopard they have all been trying to stream from the same single external boot HD and that doesn't work  well in Logic Pro. I was getting the locked screen that almost everyone on these 77 pages[you are late to this but the original thread had reached 77 pages when I found it] was complaining about, I decided[no idea why] to try booting from the internal HD, even though it doesn't contain the music software I use for work. It boots fine and shows no signs of locked screen or crazy graphics, but I can't do my job from a 250GB internal HD. I am going to the Apple store today to ask the price of installing a new 1TB internal Hd and more RAMM, 4GB's in music streaming is a bit wimpy,and a nephew of mine wrote to me with a link to OWC and said look you can now buy two 3GB sticks of SDRAMM that will work in your old iMac, so that would settle the problems of a 4GB RAMM limit. I don't have the time or money to buy and set up a new mac with only one FW800 port,I can't just replace 4 1TB external HD's with new USB 3's, so having this old girl upgraded would be the only solution for me. I am glad to hear you can boot SL from an external, there must have been something else that was causing the problems but I have to work and ******* around with a locked up screen means no income. This iMac has a core 2 duo, not a core duo, kbHT3696, yes I just checked thats the right number, I posted a wrong number before,sorry, although searching the topic here would get you to that article which explains that my core 2 duo can be 64 bit,I even held down the 64 keys when booting this morning to see if it really was a core 2 duo and it worked,I am in 64 bit,but when I attached the external with the music software the screen locked again making me hold in the start button to shut it down,there is something there SL doesn't like but I have no time to mess with what SNow Leopard wants,it is supposed to be working for me,not the other way around,all clear now?