Question Inherited a 10 yr old mac and having trouble configuring safari to access the internet

[PClark99]

I got a 10 yr old mac in mint condition, however, me messing with settings it might as well be me trying to read sanskrit or something.

I keep getting the message that safari cannot establish a secure connection with the site message.

I have tried my google fu and have failed hard. None of the online fixes I have tried worked.

I have tried messing with every setting I could and failed harder.

Can someone please point me in the right direction before I drop kick this thing?

Thanks


This POS is running OSX 10.8.5

For reference its a i5 2900
8GB RAM

 

[daveybrat]

What version of OSX is it running?

 

[TheStu]

A: Have you tried any non-HTTPS sites?
B: Do other browsers work?
C: Are there any OS updates available?

 

[Oyeve]

osx 10.8.5 internet connection issues - Google Suche

 

[manly]

It sounds like the Safari (macOS) is way too old so the TLS certificates or ciphers are no longer up to snuff. Even if it worked, this should be considered a security compromise waiting to happen.

If you can do stuff like ping 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1, then you have basic Internet connectivity. If you can ping a hostname like google.com, then DNS works. So it would be an application level problem.

You have 2 or 3 options.

1. Upgrade to the latest Mac OS X supported by that hardware, most likely something like a 2017ish release. This is also obsolete, but not nearly as ancient as 10.8 (Mountain Lion). Then, you can try to install a newer browser but I highly doubt Chrome would even install. Maybe Firefox ESR (long term support). If not, there is another option called Waterfox. I wouldn't use Safari from 2016.

2. Use OpenCore Legacy Patcher to install a still supported macOS version, but I wouldn't pick the newest. Big Sur (2021) is probably okay; Ventura (2022) introduced some changes that could make life more difficult. Expect somewhat disappointing performance. I consider PCs unusable without an SSD.

3. Install Linux and lose the Mac hardware/software integration and polish.