Paying bills on Old but still good iMac

[billinden]

I have an old iMac with El Capiton 10.11.6 that I dearly love and can't afford to replace right now. I keep getting messages when I pay my bills online that my computer's software is no longer supported by them.

This is probably a stupid question, so please be gentle. Is it still possible to get an upgrade to a newer operating system. My iMac is an early, 2009 24".

Thanks in advance for your interest in my problem.

 

[MacInWin]

I keep getting messages when I pay my bills online that my computer's software is no longer supported by them.

Who is "them" that are sending these messages? Typically, older machines and older versions of the OS on the are not updated with the latest threats to security. Hence, the warnings about doing financial work with them on the Internet.

According to MacTracker, you are at the maximum on the Operating System for that hardware.

One way to be a bit more secure when dealing financially is to use a VPN to encrypt the communications from end to end. But don't get a "free" one, because there is no free lunch here. Free VPN providers have to make money somehow, so they may well share information about your connections. Not the traffic, per se, but just the fact that you connected to XYZ corporation for NN minutes on DD day.

Opinions vary on VPNs, but I have been using NordVPN for a while now and it seems to be very good. Not free, but it does work. I have no financial interest in NordVPN, nor any relationship with them other than being a satisfied customer.

I don't know if they have a version available for your system, but it might be worth investigating.

 

[billinden]

The latest one was Geico. I think the truth is they want all their customers to sign up for automatic payments, which I've tried to avoid. However, I may go that route. Thanks for your response. I appreciate your time.

 

[pm-r]

I have an old iMac with El Capiton 10.11.6 that I dearly love and can't afford to replace right now. I keep getting messages when I pay my bills online that my computer's software is no longer supported by them.

My wife uses a similar (2007) iMac machine and running El Capitan Mac OS 10.11.6, which is the last and latest version these Mac modles will support, and she also pays all our bills xcetera with that machine with possibly one difference, she uses Firefox and doesn't get any such notices that she is using an old operating system.

So maybe give Firefox a try. My cousin also uses a similar vintage MacBook Pro and uses Firefox also without any problems. But maybe our Canadian banks are different to yours.

I suspect that you might be using Safari with your iMac which you cannot update.



- Patrick
=======

 

[billinden]

No, I have Firefox too. As it turns out, I went back into GEICO and it let me pay my bill. Maybe the little Gecko was having a bad day. Thanks for your reply.

 

[krs]

One of our Macs, a MacBook Air. also still uses ElCapitan - no issues paying any bills on line.
The https connection is encrypted, so there should not be any security issues that way.
Just don't download any software from questionable sites and install it.

 

[pigoo3]

I keep getting messages when I pay my bills online that my computer's software is no longer supported by them.

This is probably a stupid question, so please be gentle. Is it still possible to get an upgrade to a newer operating system.

More than likely the main issue is the version of the internet browser being used. This sort of goes hand-in-hand with the macOS version...since in some cases the newer the macOS...the newer the version of the browser.

If El Capitan is the newest macOS version this 2009 iMac is capable of...similar to what's been mentioned earlier in the thread already...try testing various internet browsers with the company websites you're having issues with:

* Chrome
* Safari
* Firefox
* Opera
* Brave
* etc

...maybe one of them with work.

Of course you will only be able to install the version of each of those browsers that's compatible with El Capitan. Even if you get lucky & get one of them to work...eventually it will become obsolete as well.

A 2009 iMac is getting pretty old...and although it may work great for most of what you need it to do...the issue is it's becoming incompatible with various websites (as you've experienced)...especially financial websites (billing companies, banks, investment websites, etc.)...which try to use the latest & greatest security measures to keep your financial & identity information as safe as possible.

Older browsers just can't do the latest & greatest internet security. I think you would hate to have your personal identity or financial information stolen...and possibly lose thousands or 10's of thousands of dollars due to using a 13 year old outdated computer...worth about $100 bucks!

Here's something to consider. If you have a tablet or cellphone that's newer than your 2009 iMac...you very well may have more success using it to pay your bills.

HTH,

Nick

 

[pm-r]

Here's something to consider. If you have a tablet or cellphone that's newer than your 2009 iMac...you very well may have more success using it to pay your bills.

Another option some people consider, especially at the later years of their life, is to use a bill paying company.

Then let them worry about all the payments and hassles.

Maybe their financial institution already offers such a service.




- Patrick
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[Randy B. Singer]

I have an old iMac with El Capiton 10.11.6 that I dearly love and can't afford to replace right now. I keep getting messages when I pay my bills online that my computer's software is no longer supported by them.

This is probably a stupid question, so please be gentle. Is it still possible to get an upgrade to a newer operating system.

While your Mac can't be upgraded to a newer version of the Mac OS, the alerts you are receiving are almost never about which version of the Mac OS you are using, and are almost always about which browser you are using.

The web browser that I've been recommending to anyone who will listen is Brave. Brave is currently the most secure web browser out there (I've tested a bunch of them), it's FAST, it blocks ads natively, it has even better compatibility with odd web sites than Safari, it's just a better browser. And the good news is that it's FREE, and it supports Mac OS 10.11!

Brave browser (free)

Secure, Fast, & Private Web Browser with Adblocker | Brave

The Brave browser is a fast, private and secure web browser for PC, Mac and mobile. Download now to enjoy a faster ad-free browsing experience that saves data and battery life by blocking tracking software.

brave.com

Switching to Brave should solve your problem.

If you are wondering if you need a VPN, I'd say that you don't. It's a matter of debate, but it may be that VPN's are an anachronism that have been made superfluous by current technology:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/06/technology/personaltech/are-vpns-worth-it.html

"The reality is that web security has improved so much in the last few years that VPN services, which charge monthly subscription fees that cost as much as Netflix, offer superfluous protection for most people concerned about privacy, some security researchers said.

"Many of the most popular VPN services are now also less trustworthy than in the past because they have been bought by larger companies with shady track records."

 

[pm-r]

The web browser that I've been recommending to anyone who will listen is Brave. Brave is currently the most secure web browser out there (I've tested a bunch of them), it's FAST, it blocks ads natively, it has even better compatibility with odd web sites than Safari, it's just a better browser. And the good news is that it's FREE, and it supports Mac OS 10.11!

@ Randy:

Randy, maybe you could supply the URL for that version for those who might need such a compatible version as whenever I have tried downloading the Brave browser it says: "The application requires OS X 10.13 or later."

And I did not notice any sign or mention of an earlier version being available for download at their site.


- Patrick
=======

 

[Randy B. Singer]

@ Randy:

Randy, maybe you could supply the URL for that version ...

According to the Brave folks, the very latest version is compatible with Mac OS 10.11:

https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/...are-the-system-requirements-to-install-Brave-

 

[Randy B. Singer]

If you need to, you can download old versions of the Brave browser from here:

https://www.fosshub.com/Brave-Browser-old.html

 

[pm-r]

According to the Brave folks, the very latest version is compatible with Mac OS 10.11:

That is certainly what they say on their website, but that is not the version one gets if you follow their links to their download.
It produces: The application requires OS X 10.13 or later. if an install is qattempted.

Sloppy and inaccurate info they provide. I'll just pass thanks.



- Patrick
=======

 

[Lifeisabeach]

While your Mac can't be upgraded to a newer version of the Mac OS, the alerts you are receiving are almost never about which version of the Mac OS you are using, and are almost always about which browser you are using.

The web browser that I've been recommending to anyone who will listen is Brave. Brave is currently the most secure web browser out there (I've tested a bunch of them), it's FAST, it blocks ads natively, it has even better compatibility with odd web sites than Safari, it's just a better browser. And the good news is that it's FREE, and it supports Mac OS 10.11!

Brave browser (free)

Secure, Fast, & Private Web Browser with Adblocker | Brave

The Brave browser is a fast, private and secure web browser for PC, Mac and mobile. Download now to enjoy a faster ad-free browsing experience that saves data and battery life by blocking tracking software.

brave.com

Switching to Brave should solve your problem.

If you are wondering if you need a VPN, I'd say that you don't. It's a matter of debate, but it may be that VPN's are an anachronism that have been made superfluous by current technology:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/06/technology/personaltech/are-vpns-worth-it.html

"The reality is that web security has improved so much in the last few years that VPN services, which charge monthly subscription fees that cost as much as Netflix, offer superfluous protection for most people concerned about privacy, some security researchers said.

"Many of the most popular VPN services are now also less trustworthy than in the past because they have been bought by larger companies with shady track records."

That last bit about being less trustworthy due to buyouts is something that's been on my mind. I've been using PIA for a few years and they got snapped up by a company with a less than stellar reputation. Much of the reason I've used a VPN is for traveling when connecting to hotspots that may be questionable. As you say, not likely a significant concern today. In any event, this article just dropped on Ars Technica. VPNs on iOS are crazy leaky. Which limits their usefulness.

iOS VPNs have leaked traffic for years, researcher claims [Updated]

VPNs on Apple mobile devices reportedly keep connections open and expose data.

arstechnica.com

 

[Alwyn]

If you need to, you can download old versions of the Brave browser from here:

Brave Browser

This whole subject is interesting. My wife has a 2011 iMac with MacOS 10.13.6 and Safari 13.1.2. Although we don’t seem to be experiencing problems currently would you recommend a switch to Brave?

 

[Randy B. Singer]

This whole subject is interesting. My wife has a 2011 iMac with MacOS 10.13.6 and Safari 13.1.2. Although we don’t seem to be experiencing problems currently would you recommend a switch to Brave?

Here's the thing. Brave is free. So, you don't have to take my word for it. Give it a spin. It doesn't conflict with any other browser you have installed. So just download it and try it out, there is no downside. If you don't like it...just trash it. (You can keep your old browser as your default browser until and unless you decide that you like Brave better.)

All that you have to be prepared for is that Brave isn't *exactly* like Safari. If you don't insist that Brave work perfectly like Safari, you'll be fine. Just play with it and get used to it.

You can customize Brave to no end. Both cosmetically and feature wise. You can make it look just the way that you want it to. There are countless themes to download for free. There are tons of extensions you can also download for free to add any features you might want. (Want Brave to check automatically for viruses when you download stuff? There is a free extension you can download to do that.)

Brave automatically and seamlessly blocks ads. It's really FAST! It's probably the most secure browser currently out there. It has better compatibility with weird Web sites and video formats than any other browser that I've tested. It's just a joy to use.

If you have questions as you use Brave, just post them here. There is likely a way to do anything that you want to in Brave. If you can't figure out how to do something, we can help.

 

[mac57]

Folks, I was having the same problems and solved them by upgrading my 2008 Mac Pro to High Sierra. This is several releases above the maximum release that Apple says you can run on a 2008 Mac Pro. I accomplished the update using tools from an admittedly oddly named developer who goes by "dosdude1".

Using dosdude1's tools, I upgraded the above-mentioned 2008 Mac Pro to High Sierra and ran it that way for two years, until just yesterday, when I took delivery of my new Mac Studio. You can get dosdude1's High Sierra upgrade tools at:

macOS High Sierra Patcher

dosdude1.com

His stuff is solid and it works well. I would recommend it.

Once you have upgraded, you will not only solve your initial problem but you will also be delighted by the buckets of more recent software that you suddenly have the option of running.