Moving from "intro" forum...

[HickPicker]

It's me again. I saw on Feabay a CD for OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 install disc. The puters I got at the dumpsters are as follows:
two A1224's from '08 and '09. One has Core 2 Duo 2.4ghz. and one has 2.0 ghz processor. They have 250 gig HD's.
The A1186 is from Jan. 08 and has a 2.6ghz quad core , a 500 gig HD. Now here's a thing I'm not sure of: on the two removable PCBs, there is a pair of 2gig (memory[Ram ?] banks) on one, and a pair of 4gig on the other.
The A1224's both boot up, but prompt to reinstall OSX Mountain Lion. The tower powers up, but I have no peripherals yet. Is it possible to use one or both A1224's as monitor for the tower ?
And would this CD be a starting point for playing with these ?
Thanks,

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

The A1224 and A1186 are just "family" model numbers.As honestone mentioned in your previous post, there were many models released with that same model number. It would be helpful to know the exact Macs that you have. You can input their serial numbers here: Check Your Service and Support Coverage, and that will return their exact AppleCare model name, such as iMac (24-inch, Early 2009). That will give us a better understanding of their specifications and capabilities.

There are only a couple of pre-2011 iMacs that can be used in Target Display Mode.They are both 27-inch iMacs with Thunderbolt ports.Only the Mac Pro (Late 2013) has a Thunderbolt port, so you won;t be able to use them as display for the Mac Pro.

As for the disc, is it a retail disc with the Mountain Lion graphics, or a model-specific gray disc with white text? Can you link to it?

With the additional information, we would be happy to give you the proper suggestions on where to go from here.

C

 

[HickPicker]

Good morning Cory,
Here is the disc:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mac-OS-X-1...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

Thanks !

 

[Cory Cooper]

Thanks for the link. Unfortunately, that is not an original Apple disc, nor is it actually a legitimate legal copy, no matter what the seller states. Apple software has never been released freely under the GNU license model. It actually does violate Apple's software EULA, as their software cannot be redistributed in any form, even for free, other than how it was originally purchased on media or downloaded from the App Store.

In addition, depending on what is actually contained on the disc, it may or may not actually install properly on one or more of your Macs.

I would look somewhere else...possibly a local Mac user group if there is one in your area. Also, sometimes the Apple Store itself will install older versions for you.

C

 

[HickPicker]

Thanks so much Cory. That helps a lot. Someone told me its $20 from Apple, so the choice is obvious.
Best,

 

[Cory Cooper]

Yes...it's 19.99 from Apple direct - OS X Mountain Lion. However, you'll need 10.6.8 Snow Leopard or 10.7.5 Lion installed first, as the Mountain Lion purchase is actually a code for the App Store, not a physical disc.

C