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Hi,
I have a Macbook Pro from 2009 (core 2 duo / 4 gb ram).
Is it worth giving it a "fresh start" (formatting it), or is it so old that it's not supported anymore? If I can format it, are the OS needed free or a paid option?
Thanks in advance.
MacBook Pro
To download and SAVE the installer, you first need an 8GB or larger USB-stick. Name it exactly MyVolume
Download El Capitan as if you were going to re-Install. When the Installer starts, cancel it and use this article. Cut and paste the appropriate command directly from the article, and paste them into Terminal. If you named your USB-stick MyVolume they work without any changes.
It typically takes 20 to 30 minutes to actually write the USB-stick, which will feel like an eternity because it does not give you ANY feedback during that time:
How to create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support
The bootable USB-stick Installer takes the place of a DVD. It is bootable, so you need nothing else. it has the Utilities in it. it has the Installer image, so you can get most stuff Installed..
You could conceivably Create a DVD using a process very similar to this one, but a DVD is so slow, it would take an hour to write the DVD and nearly half an hour for the DVD to boot up, before starting the Install. The USB-stick method is superior because it is MUCH faster than a DVD.
To download and SAVE the installer, you first need an 8GB or larger USB-stick. Name it exactly MyVolume
Download El Capitan as if you were going to re-Install. When the Installer starts, cancel it and use this article. Cut and paste the appropriate command directly from the article, and paste them into Terminal. If you named your USB-stick MyVolume they work without any changes.
It typically takes 20 to 30 minutes to actually write the USB-stick, which will feel like an eternity because it does not give you ANY feedback during that time:
How to create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support
The bootable USB-stick Installer takes the place of a DVD. It is bootable, so you need nothing else. it has the Utilities in it. it has the Installer image, so you can get most stuff Installed..
You could conceivably Create a DVD using a process very similar to this one, but a DVD is so slow, it would take an hour to write the DVD and nearly half an hour for the DVD to boot up, before starting the Install. The USB-stick method is superior because it is MUCH faster than a DVD.
If this is your Mac then El Capitan10.11 is highest OS you can install:
First download the El Capitan install and put it on a disk, in case you need to install that way.
get El Capitan from the App Store
If you get into any trouble there's a boxed set of Snow Leopard DVDs available (if your SuperDrive still works):
Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple
But before you go through the trouble of the clean install, you may want to run Etrecheck It is a diagnostic tool that's very useful to us in finding problems. There may be others issues that are causing the slowness. After it runs post the log file here. It will contain no personal information. Allowing full drive access will improve the quality of the report.
To post the log file click on share report and use the Page icon in your reply window. See video:
How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community
All 2009 MacBook Pros are hardware-constrained to running no higher macOS version than OS 10.11 "El Capitan."
What OS version is currently installed? Once we know that wen can offer a more focused plan for that model. Also there several sub-models that bear the "2009" moniker. Please do "About this Mac" from your Apple menu and post what that shows for screen size and sub-model. This example may not be exactly what you see but shows what the sub-model looks like (red arrow):
Hi, thanks for the reply!
Since I am not on my mac at the moment I can only type it for you:
Mac OS X
Version 10.6.8 (snow leopard)
2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 1067 MHz DDR3
It's a 13inch. It doesn't say anything about "mid xxxx". I bought it in 2009 before starting college, so probably Mid 2009?
That looks about right, thanks.
I remember when Snow Leopard first came out, it was an "upgrade" - so I still needed the OS "before" it (don't have that disc anymore). How's it gonna work with El Capitan? Because I really wanna format it, not just upgrade.
Downloaded and installed El Capitan. However, it was done as an upgrade, I did not see an option to download an OS file to put on a disc so that I could format it. The AppStore does let me download a "Full OS X Installer" but I don't know if that's what I'm looking for?
Thanks for the guide. I did as mentioned and I now have a USB that says "Install OS X El Capitan", inside it a single file.
Unfortunately, when restarting PC and holding down 'C', nothing happens. After about a minute or two it just boots into the OS. Is there any other way to "force" it to boot with the USB?
edit: I should mention the file in the USB is an ".app" file.
<<Unfortunately, when restarting PC and holding down 'C', nothing happens. >>
Using the C-for-CD key at startup will ONLY force booting from a CD/DVD, if present.
For a USB-stick Installer, you need to hold the Option key at startup. This will, over the course of several minutes, draw an Icon for each potentially-bootable device it detects (by brute force). Choose the one you desire and tell it to proceed.
The .app shown is the boot-up/Installer App, and the rest of the files are hidden inside it.
Realized this shortly after, didn't edit comment though until I was sure it was working. It did! Got a fresh installation now. Knowing it works, I'm gonna order an SSD to hopefully give it new life. Thanks for all the help :)
"Version 10.6.8 (snow leopard)....It's a 13inch. It doesn't say anything about "mid xxxx".
Ah, that makes sense. "About this Mac..." did not start showing the sub-model until OS 10.7 Lion.
When I click on "Get" in iTunes, nothing happens. It's as if the button does not work.
If running 10.6, you must first install EACH and EVERY update offered by:
Menu > "Software Update"
... before today's Mac App Store will do anything for you.
It's not in iTunes Store it's in the Mac AppStore, did you use the link I provided?
El Capitan (10.11) is the highest a MacBook Pro from 2009 can support.
Macbook Pro 2009 - which OS can I install?
