Mojave not installing on iMac Mid-2011

[Deedee88]

It just dawned on me that my iMac doesn't seems to remind me to update the OS. When I found out from my friend who's also a Mac user that his iMac is now on Mojave 10.14.13. I immediately got on it and tried to install Mojave but my computer said "sorry cannot install in this computer." I have iMac version is Mid-2011. So is this the end of my iMac life as far as updates? Is there a way around it to update to Mojave? I checked compatibility, it seems that iMac is too old. I'm happy with the way it runs with High Sierra right now, but I'm the type of person that who's always up to speed with updating my iMac. Does anyone has a solution for me?

 

[DeltaMac]

Yes, Apple does not support Mojave on your mid-2011 iMac.
If you must try out Mojave on your iMac, DosDude can help you with that.
http://dosdude1.com/mojave/
The dosdude patcher will set up your system to allow you to upgrade to Mojave.
Read the steps before you start, and as with anything that modifies your system - be sure to have a full backup of your system before you try the patcher.

 

[Nermal]

Apple is still offering security and app updates for 10.13 (and is likely to continue doing so for a couple more years) so don't feel compelled to hack 10.14 on there.

 

[Deedee88]

Yes, Apple does not support Mojave on your mid-2011 iMac.
If you must try out Mojave on your iMac, DosDude can help you with that.
http://dosdude1.com/mojave/
The dosdude patcher will set up your system to allow you to upgrade to Mojave.
Read the steps before you start, and as with anything that modifies your system - be sure to have a full backup of your system before you try the patcher.

Thank you for your advice. Now I'm a bit chickened out. LOL I have several external time machines that have been backing up my iMac. I suppose it should be safe to check on Dosdude. Thanks again.
[doublepost=1548463766][/doublepost]

Apple is still offering security and app updates for 10.13 (and is likely to continue doing so for a couple more years) so don't feel compelled to hack 10.14 on there.

Oh I don't even have the first Mojave which is the 10.14. It only installs on iMac 2012 and later. I think you're talking about the 10.14.14. Thanks for your reply though.

I read your reply again. Is there Mojave 10.13? Let me check.

 

[Nermal]

According to your first post, you're already on 10.13 (High Sierra).

 

[Deedee88]

According to your first post, you're already on 10.13 (High Sierra).

Yes, High Sierra, not Mojave though. Is there a difference, I mean is it better? Is there a risk to run Dosdude1.com/mojave/ ?
[doublepost=1548464089][/doublepost]

Yes, High Sierra, not Mojave though. Is there a difference, I mean is it better? Is there a risk to run Dosdude1.com/mojave/ ?

I'm so confused it's pathetic. lol

 

[gmm421]

Read this first before tinkering with Mojave.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macos-10-14-mojave-on-unsupported-macs-thread.2121473/

Stick with High Sierra. They will support it with security patches till 2020 or so Even then, I'd bet Chrome and Firefox will continue to be updated so your surfing will be safe.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I'm going to echo Nermal's comments in this thread so far: Though it is not an officially stated practice, Apple will support an OS with regular updates until its successor is released, at which point it gets regular security updates until it reaches the point where it is three versions behind the then-current. This means that, even though your iMac is not compatible with Mojave, you can stay on High Sierra and know that Apple will still patch your OS for another two years.

Though you can hack Mojave onto your current system, my main question to you is why? If you feel the need to test out Mojave's features, I'd strongly recommend buying the latest version of VMware Fusion, spinning up a VM and installing Mojave on that VM. That's not to say that a good old fashioned session of hackery isn't fun. Just more that your iMac likely won't have that great of a time even if you are successful.

In the interim, I would look into a new Mac. If, in two years time, you find yourself still wanting to use that computer but not happy with the fact that you won't have a supported OS, Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 both have support through 2023. There will surely also be many great Linux variants that will likely run decently on your iMac that you will surely be able to run on your iMac well past 2023. Just know that you have options beyond Apple's.

 

[Deedee88]

Thank you so much everyone for such knowledgeable feedbacks. I think I'm ready soon to upgrade to a new iMac 27" with 2 TB disk memory instead of 1TB and keep my old mid-2011 as a backup. I suppose 8 years is long enough of a lifespan for a Mac, though my 2011 still works like a champ. When I got it, the OS was Mountain Lion. A friend of mine still has a Mac Pro of the many Macs that he owns, it still has Snow Leopard... omg LOL. Thanks again.

 

[saudor]

If the iMac has the radeon 5xxx or 6xxx GPU, the dosdude1 patcher wont work since there is no graphics acceleration

 

[mikehalloran]

If the iMac has the radeon 5xxx or 6xxx GPU, the dosdude1 patcher wont work since there is no graphics acceleration

Yes and no. The patch absolutely works on the 2010–2011. I’ve done it. Easy. I have the OWC eSATA mod so it’s as if it was an internal SSD. (the 2010 & 2011 27” iMacs have three SATA busses and are the only ones that OWC can do the mod on).

Now for the bad news. Without graphics acceleration, Mojave absolutely, completely sucks in the 2009–2011. Dosdude1 describes it as “useless” and he is being generous.

I’m able to disconnect the drive and go back to my internal as if nothing happened — as I did an hour later after seeing what did and didn’t work over Mojave. If you don’t have that same capability, I recommend not installing Mojave on an iMac earlier than 2012.