I recently bought an old Mac desktop for work, but I just found out it's from late 2009. I plugged it in and it didn't turn on at first, but after some fiddling I managed to get it working. I can browse the web, but I can't update it or download new software. It's running macOS High Sierra version 10.13.6. I'm not very tech-savvy, and I'm wondering if there's an easy fix for this or if I should just accept that I bought an outdated computer.
4 Answers
Yeah, you might just have to face the fact that you've got an old machine. If you want to keep using it securely, consider installing Linux on it. It's generally more flexible. That said, you could probably sell it for around $100, depending on its specs. Hopefully, you didn’t pay too much for it!
Definitely check out a lightweight Linux distribution! For beginners, Linux Mint is a great option. It has a user-friendly interface. Just burn the distro onto a USB stick, boot from it, and install. You might enjoy it more than your old OS! Plus, there are versions that mimic Apple’s look, which could help with the transition.
You might be able to install a newer version of macOS using Open Core Legacy Patcher, but even then, many apps might not support it anymore. There are still some older versions of software available online, like iWork, but they won't have most of the newer features.
Even with workarounds, Apple's generally not very friendly about supporting older OS versions. Most apps only cater to their latest M-series Macs now, so if you're hoping to use modern software, that might be tricky.
I paid about $150 for it. Do you think it’s worth trying to fix or should I just sell it for parts?