Install newer OSX on A1226 MacBook

Hamako · June 22, 2016

I recently acquired a MacBook Pro A1226. It came complete with the original packaging and recovery CD's. I of course took the machine apart to apply new thermal paste and upgraded the HDD to a SSD. However, this is my first Apple product, and while I have helped troublshoot some MacBooks before, I am at a loss on how to install a more recent version of OSX than Leopard, which is what was included in the box. I'd like to install Mavericks (and possibly upgrade to Yosemite later on). The problem is that the older MacBooks don't have the online recovery option, which would simply download the newest version of OSX straight from the internet, in case no OS is detected on the hard drive.

The SSD is completely empty, so I am currently just installing Leopard from the recovery CD's, just to have a starting point. I'm not sure where to take it from there though. How would I install Mavericks on this machine?

Hamako · June 22, 2016

After some more research I figured out that I will essentially have to just buy a newer version of OS X. I'll be able to upgrade to any newer version once I have Snow Leopard or later, as it grants access to the Mac App store.