Upgrading OS Systems

If I upgrade from OS X 10.4.11 to 10.6.3 will I lose my preexisting files on my mac. Also, do I need to get 10.5 or will going directly to 10.6.3 be an ok upgrade.

Thanks for any information related to this topic.

You shouldn't lose any user files. Some apps may not work if they are designed for ppc. Personally I'd back up your files and do a clean install. I think you may well have to upgrade in steps, 10.4>10.5>10.6.

If you do a clean install everything will run smoothly, you just need to install your apps and user files

Before you start that process what are your Macs specs? Make sure that they meet the minimum requirements for Snow Leopard, Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard - Technical Specifications.

Make sure that you are running one of the Intel Macs. Check About This Mac if you are unsure. Also, the requirements specify 1 GB of ram but two or more is better.