Need to run dual OS on a 2012 iMac

[rabsparks]

I need access to my original 2010 Excel and Word, not to mention access to MoneyDance. For that I need to use 10.6.8

I also need to run some apps that require a newer OS, like 10.8 or 10.9.

I can live with a second boot up, and I'd appreciate knowing:

1. What second OS is recommended?

2. How do I set up my 10.6.8 so that running a second OS (sequentially) is not going to screw me up?

I've looked at adding an SSD drive externally I can do to speed things up.

Regards,
Rick

 

[DeltaMac]

Excel or Word 2010 is a Windows version, so you would need Windows for that. You can install Windows with the Boot Camp assistant.
Mac version from that time era would be from Office for Mac 2008, which would still work fine on 10.8 or 10.9
Or, you could use the Mac Office 2011 version, which has just been dropped from support by Microsoft. It would continue to work until the macOS no longer allows 32-bit apps, which Office 2011 still uses. I continue to use Office 2011 daily on High Sierra (macOS 10.13.2)
Money Dance can be more up to date, so you would not need an older system for that, either. The current (2017) version of Money Dance requires a minimum of Lion (OS X 10.7), so you would be fine with that for 10.8 or 10.9

Your 2012 iMac would have shipped originally with Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8,2) - so even if you really need Snow Leopard, it would be much more challenging. It won't boot (or install) Snow Leopard natively, so you would need either some way to run 10.6.8 through a virtual system of some kind.

So, nothing that you mention so far requires a dual-booting system. You would be fine with 10.8 or 10.9, or some later version. Even so, making your system dual-boot is easy enough. You would simply install each system on a separate partition for each. Neither system would interfere directly with each other --- you would simply choose which system you want to use.
But, so far, you don't have the need for that dual-booting, anyway.

 

[rabsparks]

I thought that 10.6.8 (which came with the iMac) required Rosetta if you're planning on running Quicken, or MS Office. However I could be mistaken, but I don't believe that any system after 10.6.8 has Rosetta and therefore it can't run apps that require Rosetta.

Your point about running Boot Camp is an excellent observation. My 10.6.8 is currently running both Excel and Word without an issue. But I've heard negative things regarding speed and the newer systems. So I'm really considering an SSD, probably external and moving whatever system I end up with on to that.

Good point about MoneyDance, which I can upgrade and run on any system as long as it's 10.7 or later.

 

[DeltaMac]

Yes, no rosetta in OS X after Snow Leopard.
The last version of Office that might have needed Rosetta, IIRC, is Office 2004.

You can update to a newer version of Quicken, too, of course.

So, if your iMac came with Snow Leopard, that would make it a Mid 2011, or older model.
So, only USB 2.0, and not a lot of advantage with an external SSD through a USB 2.0 port.
But, one advantage with the 2011 is that it is the last iMac that I would consider relatively easy to upgrade the internal storage. You don't have the additional challenges with the "thin" iMacs, which require the case to be sliced open to get access to the internals.

 

[rabsparks]

I'd rather not open the "box" for an internal upgrade. Is it your opinion that attaching an external SSD through my USB2.0 port is not worth the effort? I was tentatively planning on the external SSD with a newer Mac OS and my current system running when I required it.

This whole mess was started when Yahoo stopped providing stock quotes and now Google is supposed to do the same. That decision wrecked my MoneyDance, who is still trying to write another extension for MD. But whether or not that extension will work with MD 2014 is debatable.

So right now, I'm busy converting my Excel spreadsheets over to Google sheets. But things aren't running the way they used to, i.e. running slower than normal.

 

[DeltaMac]

USB 2.0 speed will be your limiting factor when used as a full time boot drive.
You just won't get the increase in performance that you would expect on a newer Mac with USB 3.0 port.

So, all that I can say is that using an SSD as boot drive on a USB 3.0 port, compared to using the same SSD internally, will be measurably faster, but likely will not be that noticeable to you.
Same SSD, through a USB 2.0 port, compared to same SSD as an internal drive WILL not only be measurable, but also will feel slower as well. Will that difference will be enough to make the upgrade to an external USB 2.0 SSD worth the effort? Sure --- mostly. Not much effort involved in plugging an external drive into a USB port.

Keep in mind that YOUR iMac has 6.0 Gbps SATA bus speed, and will give the best results with any modern SSD drive.
If you have no interest in opening up the case (it's not as difficult as you might think), then you might find a local shop, or a techy friend who might help you do the task. (Do you live near the eastern shore, MD?)

 

[rabsparks]

Thanks for the input. No I'm in Baltimore County, north of the city.

Like I said, this situation came about without notice in the last two weeks. I'm not a gamer and I don't want to jump out of the proverbial frying pan and into the fire. Guess that I some thinking to do before I leap.

 

[DeltaMac]

Just curious --- How much RAM is installed in your iMac? (32GB is maximum on the mid 2011 iMacs )
That can make a difference, too.

 

[rabsparks]

Just curious --- How much RAM is installed in your iMac? (32GB is maximum on the mid 2011 iMacs )
That can make a difference, too.

I'm light on RAM. I have 4 GB and you've got a good point. Maybe increasing the RAM will speed me up.

Thanks for the long distance analysis and your time.

 

[DeltaMac]

Do you have 21.5, or 27-inch iMac?
RAM is easy, and not a lot of money (unless you want to max it out) Adding a pair of 4GB sticks would triple what you have, and take you less than two minutes to do. You would still have two empty slots, so it's even easy to decide where to add more memory.
Here's a good example of the correct RAM for you.