Lion on Unsupported Core Duo Mac

[Mac128]

I'm assuming this is a Hack. I upgraded from my original Core Duo Mac to a Core 2 Duo Mac so I could upgrade to Lion an upgrade to ICloud.

I gave the Mac to a girlfriend for casual use, but she's using it in a closed network, and they won't let her on the Internet because Snow Leopard is no longer supported by Apple security updates, despite being perfectly functional otherwise. Surprisingly, their IT department has said they will upgrade it to Lion so she can get onto the Internet. Now, I thought I had read that this was possible, but because I needed iCloud, I didn't really look into it. And of course I'm not opposed to it, but I'm concerned about what this means in terms of support and features. If their IT department wants to support an unsupported Apple hack, then that's one thing, but putting me in the position to support it when she leaves is another.

Is anyone running something higher then Snow Leopard on a Core Duo Mac? And if so, what do I need to know about the limitations, or are there any besides Apple not supporting an install?

 

[TheWhiteFalcon]

They probably don't realize it's not really possible, at least not easily. And it's kind of a moot point since Lion will lose support in a few months anyway...

 

[Mac128]

Hi, actually they say they've done this successfully for a number of people who brought in old MacBooks (it's a non-profit organization with a lot of employees using older and used hardware, who don't need the latest and greatest technology to do their jobs, in a profession where little economic support is provided). And if they have a proven hack they have been using for several years, whether Apple drops support for it in the coming months or not is irrelevant do doing it now.

And more to the continued support, a quick look around the Internet seems to suggest that Mountain Lion will also run on a Core Duo with the proper hack. But I'm not finding a lof details about people currently using these hacks.

CORRECTION: I'm looking at MLPost Facto which specifically limits the hack to unsupported Core 2 Duo chips. Still Lion would be helpful, though it sounds like its days are numbered. However, even if Apple stops supporting Lion, as long as Firefox and critical software do, shouldn't that should satisfy most IT needs? I think one of he issues is not just that Apple has dropped support for Snow Leopard, but so has everyone else.

 

[techknight]

i thought lion support was gone long ago, and it was mountain lion loosing support? Wow.. .I cant keep up anymore. lol. 

 

[johnklos]

I've upgraded several original CoreSolo and CoreDuo Mac minis by adding a Core2Duo, upgrading the firmware (so they'll support 3 gigs of memory) and installing Lion.

It is so incredibly easy: put the mini in FireWire target mode, connect to a Mac that can install / run Lion, install and update Lion using the other Mac, then just sudo rm /System/Library/CoreServices/PlatformSupport.plist. It'll boot and run just fine on the mini.