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Richard Christensen

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How do I upgrade an iMac from 10.6.8 snow leopard?

I have an iMac running 10.6.8 snow leopard.  It is an intel core 2 duo, 3.06 Ghz, with 4 GB of DDR 3 Ram.  I used the computer to search for updates.  There were no updates available.  There is a lot of confusing information both from Apple and on the internet re how to do this.  Much of it is outdated.  Apple changes the rules on a very frequent basis.  Bottom line...how do I update this computer...the browser is currently giving me problems...i.e. not working properly...Safari.  
I went to the App store for Apple and the only thing available is Sierra.  I am reluctant to jump forward to Sierra  because I do not want the computer to become sluggish.
Also, when I figure out how to do the OSX upgrade will I need an apple id and an administrator password?
thanks,
capreol
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Dave Baldwin
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This page https://www.apple.com/asia/support/osx/upgrade/ shows what you can upgrade to (after selecting your OS X version) and gives a link to determine whether your computer will run the upgrade.
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Richard Christensen

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The computer is running very well in terms of speed.  The only problem is the inability of the browser Safari to handle current challenges.  There are some things the browser just will not do.  The message I get is browser not compatible or something similar to that.  There is a Time Machine backup on this computer but I am not totally convinced that I want to rely on it nor do I want to lose my data if I install MacOS from scratch.  I also suppose that I would have to purchase the macOS Sierra from the app store?  What are your thoughts?
thanks,
capreol
MacOS updates are free now. Apple attempted to charge for updates for a while + opted to keep them free.
Tip #1 - About iMac performance.

If you have an old iMac with an internal mechanical disk + CD/DVD device, the heat generated by these devices is intense.

Add to this the poor cooling approach of the old iMacs + what you'll likely find is a process named kernel_task running all the time.

The purpose of this task is to force yield all processes, attempting to interrupt programs trying to keep your CPU + memory from burning up.

This is fixed in new iMacs by installing SSD drives + internal CD/DVD devices no longer exist.

Old iMacs will blister your fingers if you touch the back. New iMacs rarely even spin up the cooling fan, unless some code like ffmpeg is building or ffmpeg is transcoding a long video.

Tip #2 - If you have an old iMac, here's how to breath new life into your old machine.

Either DIY it or take it to a shop + replace the hard drive with an SSD drive + disconnect the power to the CD/DVD device.

With most of the heat gone, kernel_task will no longer thrash + processes will run at full speed once again.
> The only problem is the inability of the browser Safari to handle current challenges.
> There are some things the browser just will not do

Safari Support on Snow Leopard has been discontinued for a very long time, hence your version of Safari does not support recent web standards in terms of HTML feastures and security requirements. your issue is vey common, actually by design.

if Safari is your only issue with the aged OS, you may simply stop using Safari and use other browsers. Be aware that some browser vendors such as Chrome and Firefox also have discontinued their support on Snow Leopard though the time was much behind than Safari so the situation might be better. You may also try Opera browser.
Don't use Safari.  Use Chrome or Firefox instead.
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It's really time to buy a new Mac if it's that old.
Yep, if Firefox is blocking extension plugins, likely time for a new iMac.

Apple is running a no interest + 18 months payment deal with Barclay.

Or you can likely find a recent iMac on Craigslist or even used from Apple.
upgrade OS X from scratch.  What do you mean by that and how does one go about doing that?
thanks,
capreol
> upgrade OS X from scratch

it means to install the OS on a newly formatted drive, step by step, with no existing data, do everything from the beginning.