What, if anything, can be done with an old macbook pro

[anonymous-user]

From about 2007 or so (EMC 2137)



software update doesn't do anything any more and its recent use - for watching youtube vids in the shed - has come to an end as I can't find a browser that is still supported by you tube for the machine

is it now a brick? Would be a shame as it has a nice screen and still works OK from a hardware perspective

[mikef]

You should be able to get the latest MacOS Catalina on it with a bit of faffing about

http://dosdude1.com/catalina/

I'm typing this on a 2010 Mac Pro that I updated following his videos

It will be slow but usable

[anonymous-user]

got my hopes up a bit there!

but unfortunately it is on the unsupported list

it is a macbook pro 3,1

[dictys]

I loaded a copy of Linux on an old MacBook Pro from same era, worked great.

[ZesPak]

JPJPJP said:

software update doesn't do anything any more and its recent use - for watching youtube vids in the shed - has come to an end as I can't find a browser that is still supported by you tube for the machine

What is the cause of this? I've got a similar aged machine I just refreshed with the same CPU, 4GB RAM.
Chrome and youtube run fine on it.

Any other OS that you can put on it?

[Mazinbrum]

JPJPJP said:

From about 2007 or so (EMC 2137)

software update doesn't do anything any more and its recent use - for watching youtube vids in the shed - has come to an end as I can't find a browser that is still supported by you tube for the machine

is it now a brick? Would be a shame as it has a nice screen and still works OK from a hardware perspective

Watching with interest as I’ve got an iMac of the same era with the same issue, I was going to bin it.

[anonymous-user]

Linux is looking like an option. Need to do a bit more research to see if doing the install is within my very limited capabilities

[AJB88]

Fit SSD, 8GB ram and run Linux on it. Try the usual suspects Ubuntu (I'm typing from Ubuntu now) and Linux Mint.

If they don't work so well try a smaller distribution, Elementary OS maybe.

[ZesPak]

I'd start off with Lint, as mentioned above. Ubuntu has gotten pretty heavy over the years.

[Bodo]

JPJPJP said:

Linux is looking like an option. Need to do a bit more research to see if doing the install is within my very limited capabilities

You may boot Linux from a USB stick first to check if it works before you have to change anything to the existing system. If it works, you can install it directly from there too.

[mmm-five]

mikef said:

You should be able to get the latest MacOS Catalina on it with a bit of faffing about

http://dosdude1.com/catalina/

I'm typing this on a 2010 Mac Pro that I updated following his videos

It will be slow but usable

With a HDD, on a very old Core 2 Duo it will be VERY SLOW, and almost unusable.

Your MacPro would have a Xeon processor and at least 4 cores.

Catalina requires a minimum of 4gb RAM (and a Metal-capable graphics card). Then you'll find any old software on there that is 32-bit will also be unusable.

---

However, you 'should' be able to upgrade to MacOS 10.11, and then install a newer browser (maybe Firefox ESR for older machines if the machine still doesn't meet the requirements for modern browsers like Microsoft Edge Chromium, Brave, Opera, etc.) which will support YouTube.

Edited by mmm-five on Friday 24th April 10:11

[sgrimshaw]

Are you gathering ideas for a new book:

"101 uses for a dead Mac"

[mikef]

mmm-five said:

Your MacPro would have a Xeon processor and at least 4 cores.

Two Xeons and 12 cores so worth keeping going despite being 10 years old. And true, a Metal-capable RX580 graphics card, I'd forgotten about that requirement!

[james_TW]

I laugh in the face of your new Macbook, mine is a MacBook2,1 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16 with 3(4)Gb RAM and a 500gb Hdd. I had, up until about 6 months ago been using it regularly, but now it's definitely showing its age with half things not working, being unsupported or just out and out slow - I've got a well specd i3 Windows laptop that's fulfilling my browsing needs now

No idea what to do with it now though - I was going to put an SSD in it, but this seems a little pointless in the grand scheme of things now. It was being used as a DLNA machine too, but that seems to have stopped working for some reason - I need to get the Photoshop (5) library off it then there's a real chance I'll strip and junk it.

[ZesPak]

james_TW said:

I've got a well specd i3 Windows laptop

Isn't that a contradictio in terminis?

[NorthDave]

I'd be trying to convert it into a chrome book. The new ones have a really low hardware spec so your laptop should run it well.

[AJB88]

NorthDave said:

I'd be trying to convert it into a chrome book. The new ones have a really low hardware spec so your laptop should run it well.

Cloudaware is the answer for doing that.

[james_TW]

ZesPak said:

james_TW said:

I've got a well specd i3 Windows laptop

Isn't that a contradictio in terminis?

That's true, but it's got 6gb ram and and SSD so it runs well and quietly

[TotalControl]

AJB88 said:

Fit SSD, 8GB ram and run Linux on it. Try the usual suspects Ubuntu (I'm typing from Ubuntu now) and Linux Mint.

If they don't work so well try a smaller distribution, Elementary OS maybe.

I've been using E.OS for just over the last year and can confirm it works pretty well on similar specs to the Mac. My machine is an old Toshiba I use for daily surfing and email use and it seems to handle it just fine.

Chrome is the only bottleneck with 4Gb RAM, although saying that, it depends on the number of tabs open at any one time.

[AJB88]

TotalControl said:

I've been using E.OS for just over the last year and can confirm it works pretty well on similar specs to the Mac. My machine is an old Toshiba I use for daily surfing and email use and it seems to handle it just fine.

Chrome is the only bottleneck with 4Gb RAM, although saying that, it depends on the number of tabs open at any one time.

Yeh I've got a LG Chromebase and 4gb in that wasn't enough upped that to 8gb. my old 2010 MBP was upped to 10gb.