Upgrading a Mac OS

[tomteriffic]

OK, no snickering, snidery, arrogance or any of that crap.  I can find that lots of other places

I just picked up a little Mac mini to use with an Apple TV I got for Christmas.  For various reasons, it's the best choice for the situation.  But I haven't messed with a Mac since OS8 was all the rage.  This little guy is going to be fine for my needs, runs fine, everything works, etc.

It's running 10.6.8 right now and, in order to put a few things on there, do some updates, etc., an upgrade to 10.7.x  would be a great thing.  I checked on the Apple website and my machine is supported, but I haven't the foggiest idea how to perform the upgrade.  I've done next to nothing to the machine other than set up an iTunes account and one email account, so there isn't a helluva lot to lose by way of data, files, etc.  The OS is available as a download from Apple fer cheep so...

Mac OS upgrades for $20 Alex?

Edit To Add:  It's OK to assume that I'm at least a partial idjit.  There's a pretty good chance that if you say "Just reconstitute the flbbertyjibbit in the Keeperholder using iFart"  I'll be flummoxed on at least three counts.

[specialk]

There's not much to it. I never went to Lion or Mountain Lion, straight from 10.6.8 to 10.9. 

Make sure you have your Apple ID and Password available for when the install is complete. Other than that download 10.7. When it's done you may have to double click the .dmg it came in. Then it does its thing and walks you through the final steps when it's ready. Piece of cake.

Good luck but as long as your mini is capable of running 10.7 there shouldn't be any troubles (I know, famous last words). 

[mrjamiam]

Agree.  For me the hardest part has always been deciding whether I want to upgrade (would it cause compatibility problems with what I'm running, or force other upgrades, etc.), and you've already done that.  Otherwise, what specialk said.

[scottcald]

When you say use with an AppleTV, do you mean to house media?  You have 10.6.8, so go to the AppStore, and search for Mac OS X Lion.  It should let you then download it and step you through the install.  Be careful if it shows you macOS Sierra and tries to push you to that, it's the latest release and may not be a good fit for your machine, depending on its specs.  

[specialk]

1 hour ago, mrjamiam said:

(would it cause compatibility problems with what I'm running, or force other upgrades, etc.)

Good point. For Mac, Windows, and iOS app compatibility, you can check Roaring Apps to see what plays well with each other. You may have to click into the Archive to go back as far as Lion.

 

http://roaringapps.com