How far should I upgrade from snow leopard

how far should I upgrade from snow leopard. I just installed more RAM for a total of 4 GB.
Thanks

Check that your computer is compatible with Mountain Lion/Mavericks/Yosemite.
To check the model number hold down the option/alt key, go to the Apple menu and select System Information.
iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) model number 7,1 or higher
Your Mac needs:
OS X v10.6.8 or OS X Lion already installed
2 GB or more of memory (More is better - 4 GB minimum seems to be the consensus)
8 GB or more of available space
Check to make sure your applications are compatible. PowerPC applications are no longer supported after 10.6.
Application Compatibility
Applications Compatibility (2)
Do a backup before installing.
If you can/do upgrade, I recommend you make a copy of the installer and move it out of your Applications folder. The installer self-destructs. The copy will keep you from having to download the installer again. You can make a bootable USB stick to install using this free program.
Bootable USB Flash Drive – Diskmaker X
If your computer isn’t compatible, you might be able to upgrade to Lion. Personal opinion, I'd stay with Snow Leopard rather than Lion.
Computer Compatibility - Lion Lion

Similar Messages

Should I upgrade from snow leopard to mountain lion?

I've got a 2008 2.8 8-core Mac Pro, and wonder if upgrading is going to be worthwhile. I've read horror stories about slow response time, etc, but I've also ready the these problems are solved by flushing PRAM and other maintainance utilities.
I run FCP 7, all the CS 5.5 stuff, and MS Office 2011.
Should I do it?

I use both - separate partitions. I can run older games and programs not compatible with Mountain Lion. Most of the time I use Mountain Lion.
Check to make sure your applications are compatible. PowerPC applications are no longer supported as John pointed out.
Application Compatibility
You can also check by going to the  menu, select About this Mac, click on More info…, then click System Report and select Software/Applications.
If you have applications that you want to use that aren’t compatible, you can retain Snow Leopard and create a new partition to install Mountain Lion on or you can run Snow Leopard server in a virtual mode.
If you can/do upgrade, I recommend you make a copy of the installer and move it out of your Applications folder. The installer self-destructs. The copy will keep you from having to download the installer again. You can make a bootable DVD/USB stick to install using this free program.
Bootable Drive DVD or USB Flash Drive – Lion Diskmaker
From Kappy
Install Mountain Lion Successfully from 10.6.8

Should I upgrade from Snow Leopard to Lion?

This is my first Mac.I purchased it (in May 2010 with Snow Leopard installed) primarily to avoid the hassles worrying about malware on a PC. I love it and everything Mac. What are the major drawbacks to not upgrading to the newest OS (which is now apparently called Lion)? I don't have any plan for the future other than buying a desktop to replace this notebook someday since I understand that notebooks may be replaced by iPads or similar models and I want a large size display. Is best to simply not fix something that isn't broken? Thanks very much for any thoughts.

Some thoughts
Lion is very different, so if you just got used to Snow Leopard get ready for some changes. Lion annoyed a lot of Mac purists because it is so different. A lot of features have become, and are becoming, more "iOS-like". Some people think this amounts to "dumbing down" the OS and I can't say I disagree. However, I've been using Macs since the original one in 1984 and personally, I like Lion and consider it an overall improvement. A lot of people have difficulty letting go of the past, but when you use Macs as long as I have, you get used to it!
Since you have only been using a Mac since 2010 it is unlikely you have any PowerPC (PPC) programs but you should be aware they will no longer run in Lion. Most Mac programs written since the switch to Intel processors in 2006 will work without a problem.
You will want a Magic Trackpad or at least a Magic Mouse to take advantage of Lion's many new gestures. I can't imagine using a scrollwheel mouse ever again, but some people prefer them even with Lion. A mouse certainly enables finer control over the cursor so if you're manipulating little elements a lot you may prefer it. I suppose it's a question of personal choice and what you do with the computer. I keep a Magic Mouse right next to my Magic Trackpad so I can use either one - they are both active simultaneously so I can just reach over and use one or the other.
Every new Mac OS release (major releases, not point releases) places greater demands on your hardware. Your MacBook Pro has an i7 CPU, a major improvement over the Core 2 Duo. If you still have the basic 4 GB memory that's certainly adequate, but more would be more comfortable. Lion will run in as little as 2 GB but just barely. Your MacBook pro is going to last a long time so why not just get the maximum memory right now. (I'm typing this on my Powerbook G4, it's ten years old).
Before buying and installing Lion, get an external backup hard disk and use Time Machine to back up your current system. Once you install Lion there is no undoing it, so archive your system the way it is in case you change your mind. Also, you can boot your computer from the backup volume and run Snow Leopard any time you want to. It's a good idea to have a backup anyway. External disk drives are not terribly expensive (less then $100 if you shop around). I have Snow Leopard on an external drive but I haven't needed it since upgrading to Lion.
It's only $30, so what are you waiting for?
One more thing - Apple is not going to abandon notebooks in favor of iPads any time soon. Their laptop segment has enjoyed explosive growth and it has been very profitable. I imagine they are only going to increase their presence in that market. The iPad is extremely capable and complements a traditional computer very well, but it's not quite a replacement for one.

Should i upgrade from Snow Leopard to Lion on my Macbook Air1,1 ?

Hi, I just found out the Macbook Air i bought from my friend recently isn't compatible to upgrade to Mountain Lion.
I'm very dissapointed, but thought i would upgrade to OS X Lion instead, so at least i would be able to use iCloud.
Two problems:
This is my first Mac, i know very little about them; i have no idea if an upgrade could make my Mac slower or cause other problems.
And I can't find OS X Lion in the App Store.
I verified my disk (found no problems) and have back-ups using Time Machine.
I'm running Snow Leopard 10.6.8
Model Name:          MacBook Air
Model Identifier:          MacBookAir1,1
Processor Name:          Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:          1.8 GHz
Number Of Processors:          1
Total Number Of Cores:          2
L2 Cache:          4 MB
Memory:          2 GB
Bus Speed:          800 MHz

You can install it if you want. If you see that the system is unstable, press Command and R keys when your Mac starts, open Disk Utility, erase the disk and install OS X. See if your applications are supported > http://www.roaringapps.com

Why should I upgrade from Snow Leopard to Yosemite?

I am currently running Yosemite on my MacBook but my iMac is still running Snow Leopard.
I believe that the hardware is compatible and I have enough RAM (4GB) and everything seems to work fine but are there enough advantages of making the change and there are any disadvantages.

pfaepeebles wrote:
if the upgrade does not work correctly I can use my latest Time Machine backup to get to Snow Leopard. Are there instructions on how to do this.
Thanks.
Paul..
Research Apple's Knowledge Base - http://support.apple.com/kb/index?page=search

HT2476 How do I upgrade from snow leopard 10.6.8 to lion 10.7?

I get an error message when tryin gto access the mac app store from my apple menu and any browser. I want to upgrade to iMovie '11 from '09. I also want to upgrade from snow leopard to lion.

Depends upon your machine if it can handle Lion or not.
Did you read the minimal specs? 2GB of RAM and a Intel Core 2 Duo (not Intel Core Duo) it really needs 4GB of RAM.
I don't advise any machine that came with 10.5 originally to upgrade to Lion, it's just too much for that older hardware and 10.8 is coming out very soon and that will not run on a lot of older machines so your behind again and having to buy all new software.
As you should know, your investment in PPC based software and hardware drivers for third party machines is not going to work in 10.7.
http://roaringapps.com/apps:table
Perhaps you might want to wait for a new 10.8 or 10.9 machine.
If your sure about Lion, I highly advise making a bootable clone on a blank external drive first, makes it a cinch to come back to Snow.
Or at least disconnect your TimeMachine drive so it stays on 10.6, then you can erase from the disk and restore from TM.
Most commonly used backup methods
Either that you will have to do it the "hard way"
How to revert your Mac to Snow Leopard
Try MAS again later, or get a faster Internet connection.

I upgraded from snow leopard to mavericks only to find that my backup files of all my CS3 indesign, illustrator, photoshop wo't run, how do I uninstall mavericks and get my old system back

I upgraded from snow leopard to mavericks only to find that my backup files of all my CS3 indesign, illustrator, photoshop wo't run, how do I uninstall mavericks and get my old system back. I retired from graphics a few years back but still have old clients I do work for and maintain files for. Would not have upgraded if I had known of the incompatability.

You did not due any due dilligence to investigate if your legacy apps would run, you should upgrade your apps. However if you feel you have to downgrade back to SL then click
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6162
for directions.

I need to upgrade from Snow Leopard. I want Mountain Lion, but says I need 10.7 Lion first. How do I buy this?

I need to upgrade from Snow Leopard. I want Mountain Lion, but apparently I need 10.7 Lion first. How do I buy this? It is not available in the App Store.

Update Snow Leopard to 10.6 Snow Leopard to 10.6.8.
Download OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and install it.
Mountain Lion system requirements.
http://www.apple.com/osx/specs/
Fore more info:
http://www.macworld.com/article/1167855/installing_mountain_lion_what_you_need_t o_know.html

How do I choose an App to upgrade from Snow Leopard to Yosemite?

How do I choose an App to upgrade from Snow Leopard to Yosemite?

Check to make sure your applications are compatible. PowerPC applications are no longer supported after 10.6.
Application Compatibility
Applications Compatibility (2)

HT6065 I upgraded from Snow Leopard to Mavericks OS X, and lost all of my "on my mac" mail boxes. How do I restore them?

I upgraded from Snow Leopard to Mavericks OS X, and lost all of my "on my mac" mail boxes. How do I restore them?

The answer was more complicated. I had to have an Apple Care tech help me onscreen. Had to go to Time Machine to restore (which I had tried, but couldn't find the right files to import. The Mail icon was barred). They helped me find them. It was very complicated, with many steps involved. I never could have figured it out on my own. Even the tech was not sure how, or if it would work. And it took about 1/2 hour for the stuff to download. But, the problem was solved eventually
. Thanks again for your help!

My Imac fails when I try to upgrade from Snow Leopard 10.6.8. I have to boot up from disk. Does anyone know how to overcome this problem?

My iMac fails when I try to upgrade from Snow Leopard 10.6.8. I have to boot up from disk. Does anyone know how to overcome this problem?   I need to upgrade in order to install latest software.

It would be lovely to know what your talking about. Upgrading from Snow Leopard does not involve discs.
Upgrading to Lion
If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mavericks, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.
You can purchase Lion at the Online Apple Store. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
     Lion System Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,
           or Xeon processor
       2. 2GB of memory
       3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
       4. 7GB of available space
       5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
Upgrading to Mountain Lion
To upgrade to Mountain Lion you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Purchase a redemption code at the Online Apple Store: OS X Mountain Lion. Mountain Lion is $19.99 plus tax. Use the code to redeem a download of Mountain Lion from the App Store. The file is quite large, over 4 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
     OS X Mountain Lion - System Requirements
       Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion
         1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 7,1 or later.
         2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) - Model
             Identifier 5,1 or later.
         3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later.
         4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 2,1 or later.
         5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later.
         6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later.
         7. Xserve (Early 2009) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later.
To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.
     Are my applications compatible?
         See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.
Upgrading to Yosemite
You can upgrade to Yosemite from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Yosemite can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for FREE.
Upgrading to Yosemite
To upgrade to Yosemite you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Download Yosemite from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Yosemite is free. The file is quite large, over 5 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
    OS X Mavericks/Yosemite- System Requirements
    Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Yosemite
         1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 7,1 or later
         2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 5,1 or later
         3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 2,1 or later
         5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         7. Xserve (Early 2009) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.
     Are my applications compatible?
         See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.

Can I upgrade from snow leopard 10.6.8 to mountain lion? Not sure how old my MacBook is. How can I find that information?

Can I upgrade from snow leopard 10.6.8 to mountain lion on my MacBook?

Choose About this Mac from the Apple menu, click on More Info, and compare the model identifier with MacBook5,1, which is the earliest MacBook that can run Mountain Lion and newer.
A MacBook older than that which has a Core 2 Duo(not Core Duo) or better CPU and at least 2GB of RAM can run Lion 10.7, which is available by clicking here. Neither Mountain Lion nor Lion support PowerPC software such as Microsoft Office 2004.
(122866)

How can I upgrade from snow leopard 10.6.8 on an i-Mac 24

I have an i-Mac 24, possibly pre dating 2007, I've had it four years and bought it from a re-furber.
But I want to be able to upgrade from snow leopard 10.6.8 ... every time I try I get the response that it is not possible with my device.
As always, Apple support seems to be like cracking a safe code....so here I am.
Any advice?
Yz
D.rex

Open the Mac App Store and try downloading Mavericks. If you get told it's incompatible, choose About this Mac from the Apple menu, check if the computer has at least a Xeon or Core 2 Duo(not Core Duo) CPU and 2GB of RAM, and if it does, click here and order a download code for Lion 10.7.
Back up your data and check your applications for compatibility before upgrading. In particular, Mac OS X 10.7 and newer don't support PowerPC programs such as versions of Microsoft Office prior to 2008.
(112035)

I need rosetta and don't want iCloud on my MacPro. Why should I consider upgrading from Snow Leopard to Mavericks?

I understand that the newest OS X is Mavericks. I have refused to upgrade from Snow Leopard because I need Rosetta for some older applications I still use. In addition, I absolutely refuse to use iCloud (or anyother cloud service that uses servers resident in the USA). Can anyone give me a good reason to upgrade to Mavericks?

Your other option is to run a virtual machine using Snow Leopard server.
Parallels
VirtualBox
VM Fusion
Snow Leopard server for use with the above. Call 1-800-692-7753 and order part number MC588Z/A. Cost is $19.99 + sales tax and shipping.
Virtual Machine for 10.7/10.8

Mavericks upgrade from Snow Leopard broke boot camp. Help!

Since Apple made the newest version of OS X free, I decided to upgrade my 2010 MacBookPro from Snow Leopard. The installation seemed to go fine, but after the installation, I can't boot into my Bootcamp / Windows partition. From what I have read so far, others have experienced this issue upgrading from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion because the recovery partition apparently messes up something fragile between the MBR (Master Boot Record) and the GPT (GUID Partition Table). I'm not sure if that's what's going wrong here or not.
When I attempt to repair /dev/disk0s4 via the GUI Disk Utility, I get the following details:
Verify and Repair volume “disk0s4”
Checking file system** /dev/disk0s4
Invalid BS_jmpBoot in boot block: 6e0020
Volume repair complete.Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
Error: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.
Here's a screen shot:
http://imgur.com/6XLYMOM
Well, I can't mount the partition to copy off my files, and I just want to be able to go back to using my windows partition normally. So I started Googling and found several different threads, but so far I'm a few hours into trying to get my system back, without a clue as to what the right fix is.
Upgrading the OS on one partition of a HDD shouldn't completely break another partition. Is my case just a freak accident, or is this a serious flaw in the upgrade process? Sifting through 250GB of data (1/2 my laptop drive) is going to take some of these tools a while... I'm not a happy customer today.
Aside from spending upwards of 12 hours reinstalling Windows and the dozens of other applications and data files from backups and recovering all the files that I can, does anyone know of any tools that can recover the lost partition should I find it? I'm going to leave testdisk running over the disk while I sleep to try and find filesystems.

I had Windows 7 64-bit installed, but the version is irrelevant. The problem here is that *something* Apple's installer did damaged my working computer. The fact that it damaged others as well and apparently hasn't been fixed since the release of Mountain Lion is very disappointing. Boot camp is a supported Apple product, and we pay a premium for Apple's computers so we should expect better than for an upgrade to blithely destroy our data and tools leaving us to spend days restoring. That's no upgrade. It's a minefield. I'm happy if some good comes from my sharing and it helps others make better decisions than to trust the installer not to screw up their week. Make sure you back up your whole disk image before installing. The upgrade is only free if your time is worthless.
I'm still looking for an easy fix to this problem. The disk scanning software I'm running now is taking a long time to search through the 500GB HDD for information. I fear that the addition of the recovery partition wiped out my NTFS partition's file system entirely. It's inevitable that I haven't backed up all my stuff and that I have lost some amount of data in addition to my time.

How far should I upgrade from snow leopard

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