Upgrading from Snow Leopard to Yosemite

Hello,
Long-time user of the forums, first-time poster (such a fantastic wealth of knowledge here!).
One question prior to installing Yosemite:
Does anyone have any experience installing from Snow Leopard to Yosemite - ideally with a Macbook Pro 15-inch mid 2009?
The second question is more closely related to what I do after I make the install, which I plan to do to a test partition first:
If I install to a partioned drive, will I still have the option to install onto my original drive (and then I would delete the test partion - I presume this is the best way to do it) if I like Yosemite and wish to go ahead with it? Will I just be able to use my Mac log in again?
If I don't like Yosemite, or it is incompatible with my mac, will I be able to easily remove the newly partioned test-drive, with Yosemite on it?
Lastly, Will I need to reinstall Microsoft Word for Mac 2011? As I don't have the boot disks I just wanted to check this.
I plan to run the usual diagnostic precautions (Time Machine Back-up, Verify/repair Disc permissions,make sure all software up to date) Many thanks all,
Much appreciated.
Below are my specs:
Macbook Pro 15-inch mid 2009
HDD: 250 GB
Model Name: MacBook Pro
  Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,4
  Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
  Processor Speed: 2.53 GHz
  Number Of Processors: 1
  Total Number Of Cores: 2
  L2 Cache: 3 MB
  Memory: 8 GB (I upgraded to this about 18 months ago)
  Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz

Mac.user2014 wrote:
Hi Kahjot,
Wow - fantastic this is so useful! So I would partition the external HDD first? And then clone my current OS to both of those partitions? And I would need to run the whole of the OS off my external drive - I would need to keep it in at all times...?
If possible can you please describe the process of cloning it back on to my internal drive - will this remove all my existing apps etc that I have modified over the course of the month?
Many thanks again,
Hugo
You would really only have to keep the external attached when you want to fool around with the clone that you updated to Yosemite. You could either run off the external for Snow Leopard, or from your internal drive. I'd pick one and stick with it. Let's say it's the Snow Leopard internal drive. You would clone it to your external Snow Leopard partition from time to time to keep that clone up to date. If you decide that you really want Yosemite on your internal drive (you may not!), you could make a final clone of your internal drive to the Snow Leopard partition, to make sure that you still have it and can go back to it when you need to, and then you would clone the Yosemite drive onto your internal. That would, of course, completely erase what is on your internal drive and replace it with the Yosemite system. Or you could just run the Yosemite installer (that you wisely saved) to update your internal drive that way.
I am thinking in terms of cloning with software such as SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner: I've never used Time machine. I can't advise you on how reliable Time Machine is, or how easy it is to restore a system with it. You might do some research here on that. SOme users have reported missing files in their Time Machine backups: http://www.macintouch.com/
One "gotcha" with Carbon Copy Cloner, which I prefer because it clones the recovery partition, is that you will need version 4 to clone Yosemite onto anything, and an earlier version (3.5.7) to use within Snow Leopard.
When you download the Yosemite Install app, it will launch itself. Don't run it immediately. Quit the Install app, and option-drag a copy of the installer to a safe location (not in your Applications Folder!). The Apple OS installers starting with Lion have the annoying habit of deleting themselves from the Applications folder after the installation is finished, so if you allow that to happen and need to install it again, you have to download it from the App Store again.
One snag is that Yosemite volumes are not seen by Snow Leopard's Startup Disk pref, so you will have to switch from Snow Leopard to Yosemite by rebooting with the option key held down.

Similar Messages

  • 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)

  • Can i upgrade from snow leopard to yosemite?

    Can I upgrade from Snow Leopard to Yosemite without having a lot of problems? Or do I have to upgrade to something else first?  My browser is getting messages that I need to upgrade to work properly.  This has never been a problem until now.

    melodymrh wrote:
    I have snow leopard and one day it asked to download Yosemite which was an Upgrade to 10X so I did, now everything is messed up printer doesn't print, IPHOTO has a circle around it with a slash through it. HELP PLEASE.
    For future reference: You don't have to install an upgrade, just because Apple would like you to do so. Never install a major upgrade without first checking to see what problems people are having, and what software will be incompatible. You lose nothing by waiting a while.
    You can restore your Snow Leopard system from your most recent complete system backup before upgrading. If you have no backup, you will have to try to back up now, and then you will have to re-install Snow leopard from the system disks that came with your computer. You will have to boot from the Install disk, and erase your drive, and re-install Snow Leopard, then apply the various Snow Leopard updates to get back to 10.6.8. After that, you can try to bring back some of the critical files from your Yosemite backup, but some of it may not survive the transition.

  • Cannot upgrade from Snow Leopard to Yosemite

    I have a MacBook from late 2009 with 4 GB memory and plenty of hard disk space.  When I attempt to upgrade to Yosemite via the App store it says "This version of  OS X 10.10 cannot be installed on this computer".  Even though the computer was purchased new at the end of 2009, is it possible it does not meet the hardware specs somehow?  Am I doing something wrong?  Thanks in advance.

    I'm having a similar (related?) problem with a 2009 MacBook. The upgrade from Snow Leopard to Yosemite started off normally, but the installation is not working - progress bar gets about halfway and then stops...for days.
    A guy at the Genius Bar told me that happens sometimes if there's a blip in the internet connection during the process. Apparently, the resolution is to wipe the drive and reinstall. Unfortunately, I didn't back up the drive prior to the installation thinking this was just one of those upgrades that the OS or various apps (e.g. iTunes, iPhoto, etc.) always want me to install, which I do, never having had a problem.
    Although, the Genius  tested the drive and found it to be in perfect condition, I was told that I need to go to an external company to have the data recovered because Apple doesn't do data recovery.
    Is it true that I have to wipe the disc and start fresh? I have the original Snow Leopard disc, so can I simply reinstall Snow Leopard? When I hold down the option key on power up, it shows me two images - Macintosh HD and Recovery- 10.10. Should I try Recovery- 10.10?
    I would appreciate any thoughts, suggestions, ideas, alternatives, etc.

  • I want to upgrade from snow leopard to Yosemite all at one time.  is this a good idea on my imac 8.1 using OS X 10.6.8?

    I am using snow leopard on a mac 8.1  can I up grade in one step to Yosemite or should I up grade to an earlier OS first?

    Yes, you can jump to Yosemite directly. Before you do be sure your computer is compatible:
    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.
    I would also suggest you do the following before installing the upgrade:
    Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
    Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list.  In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive.  If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
    If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.

  • Upgrade from Snow Leopard to Yosemite

    It has taken me ages on how to pose a question on the new Apple support communities.
    I have tried to update my software from the Apple store from Snow Leopard but it has been refused once. I am the upgrade again.
    This is my very first upgrade since I have bought the mac (even the browser is outdated) and I am wondering what I am doing wrong or not doing.
    Please any solutions would be appreciated but please make it basic as I am still new to the mac.

    Be sure your Mac is upgradeable.
    1. Check your Mac hardware.
    To get details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen, choose About This Mac, then choose More Info. These Mac models are compatible with OS X Yosemite:
    iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
    MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
    MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
    MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
    Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
    Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
    Xserve (Early 2009)
    2. Check your version of OS X.
    While you have the About This Mac window open, check what version of OS X your Mac is running. You’ll see it listed beneath your serial number. You can upgrade to OS X Yosemite from the following:
    OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6.8)
    OS X Lion (v10.7)
    OS X Mountain Lion (v10.8)
    OS X Mavericks (v10.9)

  • App Store crashes when trying to upgrade from Snow Leopard to Yosemite

    I'm running Snow Leopard v. 10.6.8. I've installed Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 so that the App Store appears. I am now attempting to upgrade to Yosemite but every time I click "Get" in the App Store, I get the spinner of doom and App Store ends up not responding so I have to force quit. I've submitted the crash report to Apple. Here's a link to a Gist with the crash report.
    A possibly related issue is that every time I put something in the trash and try to empty it, somehow there are lots of new files created and it takes a very long time to empty. In order to isolate this issue, I put one single item (a PNG) into the trash, and when I emptied it I saw the message "Deleting 4 items". When I put 2 PNG files, it said "deleting 5 items" and so on. When attempting to delete an application file (or files) it appears to create thousands of files before deleting and takes a very long time to empty the trash. I have turned on "show hidden files" using the relevant terminal command, and so I can see that there are no hidden files at the time that I attempt to empty the trash.
    Any help much appreciated!

    Try resetting the App Store and Clearing Cookies.
    Reset       Learned from Old Toad

  • Is it free to upgrade from snow leopard to yosemite? If so how do you do it?

    I need to upgrade my OS as I cannot use the Adobe Digital Editions without doing so.
    I have OS 10.6.8 (snow leopard) on a pro laptop.
    Is this possible? - have tried but failed. Press the download button it says and nothing happens.
    Is it free as it says to upgrade to yosemite? I haven't a clue what to do. Help please.

    Yes, it is free. If you go to the App Store, sign in, and select Yosemite, nothing happens - is that correct? If so, try going back to the Featured tab and on the right side under Top Free, hover your cursor over Yosemite. A download button should appear. Click that and see if it works. If that doesn't work, try resting the App Store by following the reset link below.
    Reset       Learned from Old Toad
    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.
    MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) model number 3,1 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.

  • I upgraded from Snow Leopard to Yosemite and now it runs much slower.

    I have a MacBook that came with Snow Leopard. I have used this for about 4 years now and just upgraded to Yosemite. Now my mac runs slower, each page takes longer to load, sometimes when I'm typing (especially right after waking up) it can't keep up, when I click things it seems to not register it or it needs to be clicked harder.. when I power down i have to press the pwr button a few times or hold it (can't figure it out) to make it respond. Help!

    Try these in order testing your system after each to see if it's back to normal:
    1. a. Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM
        b. Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
    2. Restart the computer in Safe Mode, then restart again, normally. If this doesn't help, then:
         Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the
         COMMAND and R keys until the Utilities menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the
         computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager
         screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
    3. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.
    When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list.  In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive.  If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu. Select Restart from the Apple menu.
    4. Reinstall Yosemite: Reboot from the Recovery HD. Select Reinstall OS X from the Utilities menu, and click on the Continue button.
    Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
                because it is three times faster than wireless.
    5. Reinstall Yosemite from Scratch:
    Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
    How to Clean Install OS X Yosemite
    Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
                because it is three times faster than wireless.

  • 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

  • I want to upgrade my Imac from Snow Leopard to Yosemite, but only have 1Gb RAM. Can I add RAM, then upgrade?

    I want to upgrade from Snow Leopard to Yosemite, but can't because I only have 1Gb Memory.  Can I add more memory, then do the upgrade? What should I buy?

    gwd440 wrote:
    Its older than I realised. Purchased in 2009, but is an early 2008 model.
    So I'm possibly aiming a bit high by going for Yosemite?  Would an earlier o/s be a more realistic option?
    On the RAM issue, I fully agree with what Etresoft has written. I have just visited various sites, including OWC, Mactracker and iFixit and your Mac seems to have the Penryn processor. It will address 6GB of RAM which is more than enough for your use.
    Where I differ from him, is Lion. The last big cat which I liked was probably Snow Leopard, and thereafter now Yosemite. There has been a lot of successes with your generation migrating to Yosemite, but with 6GB of RAM. Admittedly there were also problems for some, but I have observed even more successes even after initial problems. Mostly these problems were caused by adware or crapware installations. (Thank you Etresoft for a wonderful utility!)
    Your iMac also has a SATA interface for a 3GB SSD, which is good enough. We have a Mac here with the same interface, still with a normal conventional stock HD running Yosemite, but only 4GB of RAM and it is running fine.
    Of course the newer technology processors, faster RAM, PCI SSD, greater bandwidth on the newer Macs perform much better. But as I am on the older side, (ha ha), some of the 'vintage' Macs are still my favourites to use for certain tasks. Like using 9.09 for doing certain things and then converting the results afterwards for completion!
    But, once again, it is your decision and only you can decide as you yourself knows your own circumstances better. Weigh up the options, considering what Etresoft has pointed out vs what Yosemite offers ito continuous support, security and features. There are a lot of your type of iMacs out there, and some of the users spoke about feeling like having a new Mac. There were others, who were wailing though. You could of course, also follow the advice of a test installation on an external and testdrive it, or wait for the release of 10.10.2 which I read somewhere is eminently close?
    Have fun
    Leo

  • What will change when I upgrade my Mac from Snow Leopard to Yosemite?

    I have a 2008 IMAC that I upgraded to Snow Leopard. What changes can I expect if I upgrade to Yosemite?
    My current browser is 5.1.10. I get messages that my browser is not current.

    OS X Yosemite has got big changes respecting to any older OS X version, starting from the interface (it includes a flatter interface, getting rid of 3D). Then, as you are upgrading from Snow Leopard, note that PowerPC-based applications are not compatible, so remove or upgrade them before upgrading to Yosemite. You can check whether your applications are compatible in this website -> http://www.roaringapps.com
    It is very important to make a backup of your files with Time Machine before upgrading. Some users have reported performance problems after upgrading, so a backup would allow you to go back to Snow Leopard in case you do not like Yosemite.
    Safari 8.0.2 is the most recent Safari version, included with OS X Yosemite, so you are using a very old Safari version. It will be updated automatically with the upgrade to Yosemite, so do not worry about that.

  • I just update my Mac operating system from Snow Leopard to Yosemite and now have to upgrade my Epson Printer WF3540 so that it will be able to scan. Will Adobe be compatible with these softwares?

    I just update my Mac operating system from Snow Leopard to Yosemite and now have to upgrade my Epson Printer WF3540 so that it will be able to scan. Will Adobe be compatible with these softwares?

    Hi spiritentrep,
    What Adobe software are you referring to? Are you using Acrobat? You should have no problems running Acrobat XI on Yosemite, and as along as you have compatible scanner drivers for your Epson, you should be fine there as well.
    Best,
    Sara

  • Steps required to upgrade OS from snow leopard to yosemite

    What are the steps required to upgrade from Snow Leopard to Yosemite

    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 still upgrade from Snow Leopard to Mavericks, with Yosemite out?

    Hi there,
    my girlfriend is running Snow Leopard (10.6.8 I believe) on a MacBook 2009. Now she finally wanted an upgrade to a newer OS. However, I've read in several reviews that Yosemite is not running very smoothly on some older Macs. So I thought upgrading to Mavericks might be a better deal.
    So my question is:
    How can I upgrade from Snow Leopard to Mavericks? Apparently you can't do it over the AppStore, since you can now only download Yosemite. Is there another way?
    Thanks!

    Nope. Mavericks is no longer available for download unless you had downloaded it in the past. If Yosemite doesn't do well on an older Mac, then neither will Mavericks. Consider rolling back to Snow Leopard.
    You may try calling Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers. They may be able to help you with getting Mavericks for now.

Maybe you are looking for