osx on old IMac 21 inch 10.5.8 upgrade

[pvrcomm]

I want to upgrade my old iMac with newer versions of OS X .. when i do this i get the message.. this OS X can not be installed on this computer .. What to do ?
let me give full spec of my iMac

osx 10.5.8
2.1ghz intel core 2 duo
1 gb 667mhz ddr2 sd ram

model id 5.1

build 9L31a

 

[dotdotdot]

You need: OS X v10.6.8 or later
2GB of memory. Minimum requirements according to Apple.
https://www.apple.com/osx/how-to-upgrade/

 

[Dogbreath]

I would like to emphasize what dotdotdot said . . . you will HAVE to increase the RAM...and 2GB is the minimum amount you will need. I suggest you rethink an upgrade and possibly put those funds towards a newer Mac.

 

[pigoo3]

I wanted to mention a couple technical things. This computer is not a 21" iMac. 21" iMac's didn't show up until "Late 2009"…this is a 2006 computer & probably has a 20" display. It also probably has a 2.16ghz cpu…not 2.1ghz.

- Nick

 

[pvrcomm]

Thank you all for quick replies .. my first experience on this forum.. very impressed.
Will add some ram use PC for a basic desktop nothing fancy..

 

[pvrcomm]

hi guys , so I found 4 g of ram in an old laptop .. I put the 2 slots of 2 gig RAm in the place of the 512. G ram but the machine only picked up 2 g of ram and not 4 g... I swapped the ram to check if one block is faulty but had the same result only 2. g detected. Anybody got some answers ?

 

[gsahli]

Says here that 4 GB can be installed - but with some limitations:
iMac "Core 2 Duo" 2.16 20-Inch Specs (Late 2006, MA589LL, iMac5,1, A1207, 2118) @ EveryMac.com

Although these iMacs will accept up to a 2 GB SO-DIMM in each of the two memory slots, the iMac will only support 3 GB total memory. If you want to maximize the amount of SDRAM in your computer, install a 2 GB SO-DIMM in one slot and a 1 GB SO-DIMM in the other. . .

I'm guessing that one of your RAM slots is broken, so swapping both had same 2 GB result?

 

[pvrcomm]

Thank you for the feedback.... cleaned the contacts with some alcohol and it solved the problem.

 

[pvrcomm]

I now have challenge in that osx 10.5.8 does not allow me to do a fresh install or upgrade to osx 10.6 .. What is the best way to go about this , I have enough ram and disk space
I have the 10.6 osx install dvd?

 

[pigoo3]

I now have challenge in that osx 10.5.8 does not allow me to do a fresh install or upgrade to osx 10.6 .. What is the best way to go about this , I have enough ram and disk space
I have the 10.6 osx install dvd?

- What does this 10.6 install disk look like?
- What color is it & what is printed on it?
- Where did you get it?

* Nick

 

[pvrcomm]

Hi Nick ,it came with one of my first mac book pro 15 inch computors,colour grey and it says MAC os install dvd

 

[pigoo3]

Hi Nick ,it came with one of my first mac book pro 15 inch computors,colour grey and it says MAC os install dvd

Thanks. Yes…EXACTLY what I thought! You cannot use the gray discs from another computer model…they are model specific. You need to purchase a genuine retail 10.6 install DVD for things to work correctly.

Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.)

- Nick

 

[pvrcomm]

Hi Nic, Many thanks I trust his old baby will run after this .. will get the correct dvd .. thanks for all the inputs.

 

[pigoo3]

You're welcome. It should run fine with 10.6. In fact…when you install 10.6…you should gain back about 10gig of hard drive space. This is/was one of the positives of upgrading from 10.5 to 10.6. With 10.6 you will also have access to the Mac App Store.

Not to complicate things…but I also wanted to mention that if you have older apps on your iMac…they may be PowerPC (PPC) apps. When upgrading to 10.6…if you want/need to continue running them…you need to install the optional app "Rosetta" (which is on the 10.6 install disk).

But…if this computer is only used for internet & email…no worries!

Also just so you know. The max. OS for this computer is OS 10.7.5 (Lion). One version newer than 10.6 Snow Leopard.

- Nick

 

[pvrcomm]

Hi Nick ,Yes in deed that is all this pc will be used for .. the odd browsing,mail social media etc.. Got my mac pro where all the serious stuff gets done

 

[johnodd4]

ok let me explain this in a lot more detail.

he has a white iMac it only reads 3 gig's of ram doesn't support 4 gigs nor will ever read it don't bother.

also the max o.s you can go to is mac os x lion and if you want to go farther then that sorry to say you have to use sfott and hack the o.s to a unsupported version which won't run good at all on that model time for a new computer

 

[pigoo3]

Hi Nick ,Yes in deed that is all this pc will be used for .. the odd browsing,mail social media etc.. Got my mac pro where all the serious stuff gets done

Good deal. I didn't realize you had another Mac for the "serious stuff".

- Nick