New to Macs.

Just purchased a used 2008 20" iMac and started messing around with it. I like the layout of the menus, but not seeing what is so superior to Windows. Can Macs get viruses?

Thanks,

Fred The Great

In a word, no. Technically, they can, but there are no viruses in the wild that affect OSX. There is some malware, usually associated with Java or Flash, but in general, you are safe. Here is a thread on the topic.

fredthegreat76 said:

Just purchased a used 2008 20" iMac and started messing around with it. I like the layout of the menus, but not seeing what is so superior to Windows.

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Stay open-minded. Maybe the issue is you expected the Mac OS to be superior to Windows (why I don't know...since why would anyone continue to use Windows if this were 100% true)! The Mac OS is simply an alternative to Windows.

Many folks that have been Windows users for years & years...and then switched to the Mac OS...usually say that they feel like it is just so much easier to get things done!

If you don't find the Mac OS to your liking...just hop back to Windows. No harm...no foul!

- Nick

And remember it is a six year old computer running who knows what operating system as you have not told us. For example OS X.6 Snow Leopard is like running Vista (poor thing) on your PC.

harryb2448 said:

And remember it is a six year old computer running who knows what operating system as you have not told us. For example OS X.6 Snow Leopard is like running Vista (poor thing) on your PC.

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Sorry folks. My 2008 iMac is running 10.5.8. That is Leopard, correct?

Fred The Great

Yes that was the last version of Leopard.

Slydude said:

Yes that was the last version of Leopard.

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So I'm a tad bit behind on operating systems. I will purchase Snow Leopard on amazon here soon. From Snow Leopard, I can then upgrade to Mavericks? Is this correct?

Fred The Great

Not from Amazon. Aplle Online for $20 with postage.


http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard

harryb2448 said:

And remember it is a six year old computer running who knows what operating system as you have not told us. For example OS X.6 Snow Leopard is like running Vista (poor thing) on your PC.

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I'm getting along with Snow Leopard.

fredthegreat76 said:

So I'm a tad bit behind on operating systems. I will purchase Snow Leopard on amazon here soon. From Snow Leopard, I can then upgrade to Mavericks? Is this correct?

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Well, that depends on the specs of the machine, which you haven't shared.

toMACsh said:

I'm getting along with Snow Leopard.



Well, that depends on the specs of the machine, which you haven't shared.

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The specs are: Intel 2.4 GHz Core 2 duo processor. Do you think I can upgrade to Mavericks with this processor? Also, ordered the Snow Leopard disc. Once I update to snow leopard, I will proceed to Mavericks. From there, once Yosemite is available, I would like to go that route.

Fred The Great

fredthegreat76 said:

The specs are: Intel 2.4 GHz Core 2 duo processor. Do you think I can upgrade to Mavericks with this processor?

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What toMACsh was saying was (I'm 99% sure)…we needed to know what the specs of your computer was…BEFORE…we could answer your earlier question if it could be ungraded all the way to Mavericks (OS 10.9).

The answer is…yes it can be upgraded to Mavericks.

- Nick

I have that era iMac, just the 24 incher.

Mavericks works on it. I hope Yosemite will as well.

You realize that old software will probably NOT work on newer systems right? Back up any data you want to keep on an external drive.

What other software do you have right now that you couldn't live without, and what version(s)?

Normally I'm all gung-** for the latest upgrades, and Yosemite promises to be pretty awesome, but let's stop for a second and think about this.

You have there a 6-year-old Mac. You haven't said how much RAM you have installed in it. And we already know the graphics card is going to struggle with a lot of modern requirements, like 1080p video.

For the best experience possible on such an old machine, I'd suggest upgrading to Snow Leopard and leaving it there. Once you get used to the differences in OS X, you'll undoubtedly be hankering for a new(er) machine than that one.

I'd also suggest maxing out the RAM to 6GB (1x2GB and 1x4GB, this is the maximum you can put in this machine). There's nothing you can do about the 128MB video card, and for today's usage that is definitely the weak link.

Primarily because of the weak graphics card, I'm suggesting you stick with Snow Leopard unless your needs for the machine are very modest. If you really want to invest in that machine, I'd replace the HD with a HDSSD hybrid so that it stays sprightly in performance. At that age, I wouldn't spend the money on a full SSD.

The machine on Snow Leopard and max ram should be a decent performer that will get you ready for your next Mac.

toMACsh said:

What other software do you have right now that you couldn't live without, and what version(s)?

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I would say just the Microsoft Office suite. Also, I want to put Aperture on it. That is about it. I will max out the RAM to 6GB very soon. Thanks for all the input folks.

Fred The Great

Office 2008 and 2011 will be fine with Mavericks, but beware 2004 will not run on anything later than Snow Leopard. Lion OS X.7 and later are Intel applications only, with no Rosetta which means PowerPC apps will not run at all.

harryb2448 said:

Office 2008 and 2011 will be fine with Mavericks, but beware 2004 will not run on anything later than Snow Leopard. Lion OS X.7 and later are Intel applications only, with no Rosetta which means PowerPC apps will not run at all.

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Thanks. I currently use 2011 Microsoft Office Suite for the Mac. Once I get Snow Leopard installed and go through all the updates, I will then download Mavericks. I thought I read where Mavericks should work more smooth without using as much memory since it was a more proficient operating system (I could be wrong though).

Fred The Great

It is in some ways, but is also more reliant on the graphics processor