It would be good to know what computer you have...just to be sure what it's OS upgrade limits are...and if it meets the system requirements. Plus...getting a copy of Lion is more difficult than may you think.
I'm going to purchase it from apple online. This is what I have.
Version 10.6.8
Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook6,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.26 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MB61.00C8.B00
SMC Version (system): 1.51f53
Serial Number (system):
Hardware UUID: 4BA5FACE-5672-5897-BB8B-A54979CFC81C
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled
It looks like you've got a late 2009 MacBook so you should be okay for ML. As for your question, only you can answer that. You likely store everything in your home directory so make sure to back up anything there. If you have any software that is licensed (you put in a key), see if there is a deactivation option (some Adobe software has this option) which will prevent any potential reactivation issues.
Latest OS is 10.8 (Mountain Lion). You mentioned that you currently have OS 10.5 (Leopard) installed. Which I'm not sure is correct...since this model MacBook shipped with Snow Leopard (OS 10.6).
To upgrade to Mountain Lion you need to:
- first install OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) $19...from the Apple online store (Apple.com).
- Make sure it's at least version 10.6.6 to have access to the "Mac App Store"
- Then pay for, download, and install Mac OS 10.8 $19.99.
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