Upgrading MBP OS from Snow Leopard to El Capitan

[JHK]

I have a MBP from 2010 that still runs OS X 10.6.8, i.e. Snow Leopard. I have not had the need to upgrade until now, but for instance taking part in some Webinars is not possible as at least OS X 10.9 is required.

There is a possibility to upgrade to El Capitan for free, but I have read many negative reviews about this such as slow performance, programs crashing, WIFI not working, keyboard and mouse not working etc.

I have backed up all data to an external drive and currently have 46 GB free disc space and 8 GB memory so basically I am ready to upgrade, but I am not sure whether to go ahead with it or not.

Has anyone upgraded their MBP from Snow Leopard to El Capitan recently? How did you go? Where there any issues? Would you recommend it?

I do not really use any fancy applications on my MBP, mostly Mail, Safari, Google Chrome, iTunes, iPhoto and Excel/Word/PWP 2011.

App Store is pushing me to upgrade to El Capitan for free, but I assume I could also upgrade to an earlier version like Mavericks or Yosemite, for a fee. Any suggestions which would be better and where I can get the files for Mavericks or Yosemite upgrade. I could only find El Capitan in App Store.

 

[oldscribe]

Hi,

I felt Snow Leopard was one of the best OS X's, I have upgrade my white 2010 MB to El Captain and upped Ram to 8GB with out issue, but if your happy then stay with SL

 

[honestone]

It would be wise if you first upgrade to an "intermediate" OS, and especially one that has proved to be stable. And Yosemite would be a wise choice. Unfortunately, it seems to be always a "challenge" to obtain a prior OS from the App Store. Given that I have always kept up to date with the Mac OS, maybe someone else could offer a way on how to get OS 10.10.5 (last version of Yosemite).

Now, please confirm that the machine you have is this one:

http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...-2.66-aluminum-13-mid-2010-unibody-specs.html

If that is the case, then you already have the recommended minimum amount of RAM (4 gig) that you need. But, the slow 5400 rpm internal drive will certainly be slow (maybe it is somewhat slow for you now). Also, given the size of 320 gig, if you can "live with" 256 gig, then a wise investment could be to replace the drive with a 256 gig SSD. I did that with my late 2012 Mac Mini (had a 1 TB, 5400 rpm drive (I really did not need that much space)). That is, I replaced that drive with a fast, 256 gig Samsung 840 Pro SSD, and the speed difference is phenomenal! Plus, I was able to install the 1 TB drive inside a nice, slim 2.5" external case, and it comes in handy when we travel.

Finally, I see you use Office 2011 (as do I, and I use Outlook, Word, and Excel). When and if you upgrade the OS, you'll need to upgrade Office 2011 for compatibility. Here is the link to the latest version:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=52206

Additionally, if you have other third party software, you'll need to check about any needed upgrades.

 

[JHK]

All sorted now. I decided to hand the job over to someone more technical than myself. I found a Certified Mac Technician who installed a new 1TB hard drive and also upgraded my MBP to El Capitan. All is working fine.

 

[honestone]

Glad to hear you got things sorted out!